Tips for Writing Haiku: An Introduction

By Jacob Salzer

Basic Suggestions:

Write from raw observations you see in daily life
Read haiku poems online, in journals, and/or in books
Let your own heart, inspiration, and intuition guide your writing

Specific Guidelines:

Write what you see, smell, taste, touch, and hear in your daily life (without judgment)
Write without including any meaning or interpretations of what you observe
Use simple words
English-language haiku do not have to be 5-7-5 syllables
Ground the writing with a concrete image, seasonal reference (kigo), or reference to nature
Leave the interpretation and meaning to the reader
Practice juxtaposing two images with or without a powerful verb (haiku don't require a verb)
A good practice is to let 1 line be its own image with a visible or invisible cut or pause (kireji), followed by 2 lines that form another image that juxtaposes with the 1st line

(Taken from my essay: Out of Many, One, published on the Living Haiku Anthology website)

Examples

Some haiku are “picture haiku.” Like a photograph or a brief moment in a movie, these haiku are purely objective without any subjective words.

Here is an example of one of my picture haiku:

two strangers

smoking cigarettes

in pouring rain

The Sound of Rain: Haiku Poetry

In the above haiku, all three lines flow without any pauses or line breaks to capture a moment.

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Here is another example of one of my picture haiku:

winter rain

headlines trickle down

a vacant driveway

The Heron's Nest, XIX, Number 1, March 2017

Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka

All of the words in this haiku are objective. There are two parts: the first part is the first line “winter rain” which stands on its own and contains a seasonal word (kigo). The second part of the haiku is the phrase: “headlines trickle down a vacant driveway.” By using simple words, the meaning is left open for the reader. This is a critical part of haiku: leaving space for emotions and interpretations. In short, it is the practice of: “show not tell.” The verb in this haiku “trickle” describes the slow motion of water down the driveway, adding to the mood and atmosphere.

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Here is an example of one of my haiku that insert a subjective line with objective imagery:

forgetting my name

the hook disappears

beneath the water

A Hundred Gourds 5.1, December, 2015

Haiku Commentary

How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence

Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka

This haiku has two parts: the first part is the first line and is subjective: “forgetting my name” but it does not hinder the reader from entering the moment because the second part of the haiku (the last two lines) are objective. The verb “disappears” captures the moment of a fishing hook being dropped into the water.

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Juxtaposing two images is another technique found in haiku.

Here is an example where I deliberately juxtapose two concrete images:

solar eclipse

the untold stories

in grandma’s eyes

Failed Haiku, Volume 1, Issue 1, January 2016

How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence

Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka

There are two parts in this haiku. The first part is the first line, “solar eclipse” that stands alone as an image. The juxtaposition here is between the solar eclipse and the second part of the haiku “the untold stories in my grandma’s eyes.” A solar eclipse looks like my grandma’s eyes, with light and colors illuminating around her dark pupils. “the untold stories” conveys how quiet my grandma is and how she doesn’t like talking much. This second line leaves space for the reader to enter the poem and moment. By reading this haiku, perhaps either in your memories, imagination, or in-person, you could sit with your own grandma. : )

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One-line haiku presents some interesting possibilities. One-line haiku in English can be written in a two-part structure. Some one-line haiku (sometimes called a monoku or monostitch) have a verb that is used in two different ways at the same time allowing for multiple readings and interpretations.

Here is an example of one of my one-line haiku:

fishing after dark river sounds never fading

Under the Basho, 2017

Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka

In this haiku, there is a blend of multiple readings using sound and imagery and two verbs. The word “dark” is used in two different ways:

“fishing after dark” describes fishing at night.

“dark river sounds never fading” describes the sound and image of a river constantly moving.

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Here is an example of a one-line haiku with a two-part structure:

carefully stepping over a bee the taste of honey

The first part is: “carefully stepping over a bee” and the verb is stepping. The second part is: “the taste of honey.” The two parts are separated by an extra space in the haiku. But one-line haiku don’t have to have an extra space.

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Two-line haiku are found in rengay, renku, and some stand on their own. My two-line haiku are usually a picture haiku and some contain a juxtaposition.

Here is an example of one of my two-line haiku:

forest after rain…

the sound of footsteps

Yanty’s Butterfly

There is imagery and sound in this haiku (water drops dripping from leaves and footsteps on a wet trail). I use the image of a forest and the sound of footsteps to bring the reader into the moment. The mystery here is who is walking or running in the forest? Are they walking leisurely or running for exercise? Is he/she running from something or someone? Is there one person walking or running, or more than one person? These are questions left open for the reader.

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There are many more approaches to writing haiku. For example, in Appendix 1 of Jane Reichhold’s book: BASHO: The Complete Haiku, Reichhold describes 33 techniques for writing haiku with examples by Basho. Per the co-founder of the Portland Haiku Group, Shelley Baker-Gard, these techniques are more thoroughly explained in Reichhold’s book, Writing and Enjoying Haiku.

For haiku resources, I recommend the following websites and journals:

Call of the Page with Alan Summers for information on haiku, tanka, haibun and online courses: https://www.callofthepage.org/about-haiku/

GraceGuts website by Michael Dylan Welch: http://www.graceguts.com/home

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In summary, my advice for those new to haiku is to write picture haiku based on pure observation. This approach is very effective and reminds me of a quote by Matisse: “To see life through the eyes of a child.” It is haiku based on pure observation.

Next, I encourage poets to write picture haiku with one line standing on its own as an image, and the next two lines forming secondary imagery as a phrase to capture a moment or a brief scene in a movie, in life (or a dream).

Next, I would encourage poets to write haiku that juxtapose two images.

I would also encourage us to explore all of our senses as we write haiku. We have all seen flowers, but I think it’s nice to stop sometimes on a long walk and smell the roses. : )

Jacob Salzer

June 23, 2020