autumn wind tonight the scarecrow's sleeve keeps waving to an empty field
Wonder Haiku Worlds · original
Season word: autumn wind
How a haiku works
A haiku is a three-line poem from Japan that holds one moment, usually from nature, and lets the reader feel the rest. Three ideas carry almost every haiku ever written.
A short–long–short rhythm
Japanese haiku have 17 sound units in three phrases of 5, 7 and 5. In English, many poets follow the same syllable count, as in harvest moon rising.
A season word
One word quietly tells you the time of year: blossom for spring, cicada for summer, maple for autumn, first snow for winter. It sets the mood without explaining it.
A cut
A pause splits the poem into two images that spark against each other. In Japanese it is a cutting word like ya; in English, a dash or a line break does the job: the old pond — a frog leaps in.
Many modern haiku poets writing in English use fewer than 17 syllables and keep only the short–long–short shape. Both styles are welcome here. Show, don't tell: one clear image says more than a feeling named outright.
Write your own
Type three lines. The counter checks your syllables against 5 · 7 · 5 as you write and spots a season word if you use one. Counts are close estimates, since English spelling has its quirks.
From poets around the world
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Haiku by season
Classic Japanese haiku in our own fresh translations, side by side with new haiku written for this site.