Writing a Haiku Made Easy – With Four Examples

Last updated on April 8th, 2023 at 10:57 am

Today, we will be writing a haiku with the help of the methods I discussed in this article:

4 New Techniques to Write a Haiku Within minutes

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What we will do?

  1. Look at a picture.
  2. Create a 2-3 sentence story.
  3. Write some clue words for our haiku.
  4. Compose the haiku with 5-7-5 syllable constraint.

So, get set, go.

Must read: Writing a Haiku – Use a Picture as Your Writing Prompt

Picture 1:

write a haiku

Photo by Monica Turlui from Pexels

Take some time to look at the picture and conceive your story. For example, I thought of two stories and composed two haikus. The point to note here is how the haiku changes dramatically as you change the story behind. So, we start from the first story.

The story behind:

Rose has been waiting for Neil since the morning. He had promised to come by 9 and it’s already 11:30 HRS. Her flowers are drying up….and the hope as well. Will he ditch her? No… no…she can’t even imagine!

Clue Words:

These are the words that came to my mind after I had a close look at the picture.

WAIT, FLOWERS, HOPE, DEAR, SOULMATE

The Haiku:

Forgot your soulmate?

How long you want me to wait?

My flowers will soon fade.

 

Now, let’s change the story and try to write a haiku once more.

The story behind:

There are so many engagements in life- studies, part-time jobs, family responsibilities …. and Oh God, what…not! Amidst all this, one thing is missing… and that’s peace. She visits this spot once in a while, for peace.

Clue Words:

PEACE, FLOWERS, INNER DEMONS, MIND’S EYE, RIVER BANK, SIMPLICITY, LIFE

The Haiku:

Why life moves so fast?

Inner demons scream aloud.

Oh! peace where are you?

Picture 2:

write a haiku

Image by Pashi from Pixabay

 

The story behind:

A chess game is in progress on the pavement. Two of the onlookers watch it with great interest while the third one’s heart is somewhere else.

Clue Words:

GAME, CHESS, LIFE, PAVEMENT, SIMPLE LIVING, STREET, MERRYMAKING, FUN, LOST

The Haiku:

Onlookers busy,

All fun but everyone still,

Life, one thing that moves.

 

Let’s change the story and write another haiku.

The story behind:

In spirit, a chess game is a war between two armies. However, the warring sides seem to enjoy this war. Everyone around gets involves. If only had all the wars been bloodless!

Clue Words:

GAME, CHESS, LIFE, PAVEMENT, SIMPLE LIVING, STREET, MERRYMAKING, FUN, LOST

The Haiku:

How nice had it been

If all the wars were bloodless,

Like a game of chess?

So, Are You Ready for Writing a Haiku?

Look at the opening picture and create the story behind and write your clue words. Then compose your haiku along your story line.

Meanwhile, if you want to read more haiku poetry, you may also visit my Instagram profile:

Rajesh Chandra Pandey