Haiku

HAIKU is both singular and plural.

A Japanese form designed to be small and concise by limiting the number of lines and the number of syllables in a line. Japanese haiku are three-line poems with the first and the third line having five syllables and the middle having seven syllables. English-language Haiku may be shorter than seventeen syllables, though some poets prefer to keep to the 5-7-5 format.

A true is much more than a poem is 5-7-5 format.

• Use concise, simple and clear language
• Write in two sections, using a fragment and a phrase
• Use sense images, in particular what you see or hear
• Write in the present tense
• Compare or contrast two different images as juxtapositions
• Try to include a seasonal reference
• Write in 17 syllables or less, preferably between 8-12
• Use minimal (if any) punctuation
• Try to make your haiku open-ended and evocative
• Try not make judgments or express your opinions
• Limit your use of adjectives and try not to use adverbs
• Do not use rhyme, simile, metaphor or personification
• There is no need for capital letters, except for proper nouns

And there are many Haiku knock-offs:
Related Forms: Alphabet Haiku,  Crystalline,  Haibun,  Haiga,  Haiku,  Haikuette,  Kimo, Lune, Pixiku, Rhaiku, Sijo, Ukiah, Zip

Example Poems

voluptuous wife approaches -
low-cut gown
perfume excites


dog on lap
puppy barks -
two dogs on lap

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