Haiku About Autumn
Most autumn haiku begin with a leaf, and the good ones are about what the leaf replaces. Mauricio Gonzalez writes that the yellow leaves FILL THE SPACE, WHERE THE SHADE USED TO BE
. Nothing is missing from that picture except summer, and the poem never says so. It is the plainest kind of fall haiku: one fact, one subtraction, and the reader does the sad arithmetic. It also shows why autumn poems so often work in two tenses at once, with the leaves falling now and the shade remembered.
Other poets reach for a sharper tool. Jessica Hoard sends A BLADE OF GEESE
across the sky, and the poem’s one verb, SLICE OPEN
, does violence to a quiet afternoon. Tamara de Dominicis does the opposite and lets a color arrive slowly, with leaves that FLUSH, SLOWLY SCARLET
as the wind whispers to the trees. Hoard needs only the sky to finish the picture; de Dominicis needs the wind to become a speaker, confessing to the trees, before any color can arrive. Read them side by side and you can see two ways to make a season move: cut it or blush it.
Harvest gets its own thread. Melinda Brasher watches wheat in a field and gives the plants a quiet kind of wisdom: THEY KNOW OF ENDINGS
. The line works because it does not ask for sympathy. Ripe grain bows, and the speaker lets it. Annette Langlois Grunseth finds the same grace in a cranberry bog, where the berries rise through the water PLUMP AS PRAYER BEADS
. The simile is exact and a little holy, and it makes a farm chore look like a small service.
Autumn on the street
TJ Lyons carries the season into the city, where MISSING PARTS OF ME LIVE IN THE ABSENCE OF LEAVES
blowing down the street. Here the leaves stand in for the parts of a person that left, and the poem leaves those parts unnamed. The street is a place to lose them. Miriam Thor keeps it lighter: leaves DRIFT TO THE GROUND
in A DANCE OF MANY COLORS
and then go SUDDENLY STILL
, a small performance that ends before anyone can clap.
Autumn in the kitchen
The season is also a taste. Ashley Swanson steps into a coffee break where THE FALL CHILL PAINTS DEATH
and ends on BEAN BLOOD IN A MUG
, a startling and slightly funny way to say that even a warm drink carries the dark time of year. It is a good example of how a haiku can hold a mood and a joke in the same breath.
62 poems
AUTUMN
THE YELLOW LEAVES FALLAND SLOWLY FILL THE SPACE, WHERETHE SHADE USED TO BE
Issue #1, page 87
CONFESSIONS
WHEN THE WIND WHISPERSITS CONFESSIONS TO THE TREES,LEAVES FLUSH, SLOWLY SCARLET.
Issue #3, page 67
MIGRATION
A BLADE OF GEESESLICE OPENTHE AUTUMN SKY
Issue #17, page 18
GOLD
FIELDS HEAVY WITH WHEATWISELY BOB THEIR GOLDEN HEADSTHEY KNOW OF ENDINGS
Issue #16, page 24
CRANBERRIES AT HARVEST
CRANBERRIES AT HARVESTRISING THROUGH WATERPLUMP AS PRAYER BEADS
Issue #15, page 44
MISSING PARTS OF MELIVE IN THE ABSENCE OF LEAVESBLOWING DOWN THE STREET
Issue #4, page 55
AUTUMN
LEAVES DRIFT TO THE GROUNDA DANCE OF MANY COLORSTHEN SUDDENLY STILL
Issue #14, page 39
THURSDAY COFFEE BREAK
THE FALL CHILL PAINTS DEATHSMOOTH ESSENCE OF FOREIGN LANDSBEAN BLOOD IN A MUG
Issue #10, page 101
AUTUMN NIGHTHANDS REACHING DOWN FOR WATERSCOOP UP THE MOON
Issue #1, page 107
AUTUMN TWILIGHTMY PARENTS IN SILENCEON THE SWING
Issue #2, page 27
RADIATING CRISP LEAVESVIBRANTLY OCTOBERBURNING RUSTY-ORANGE
Issue #6, page 63
SOFT CARPET OF LEAVES
SOFT CARPET OF LEAVESLIFE-FORCE GOES BACK TO THE SOILBUT WE MUST FALL TOO
Issue #7, page 37
Show all 62 poems
YELLOW LEAVES
YELLOW LEAVESFALL INTO MY TEA‒ZEST OF LEMON
Issue #7, page 57
GREEN MAPLE LEAF
GREEN MAPLE LEAFFADES TO BRITTLE BROWN --HER LAUGHTER
Issue #9, page 21
LATE AUTUMN NIGHT
THE MOON HANGSLOW AS A RIPENING PEACH,SOON IT WILL BE PLUCKEDFROM A CHARCOAL SKY.
Issue #13, page 51
DECAY
THE LEAVES HAVE DIED. BRIGHTAS TEARS, THEY ESCAPE ONTHE STREAM’S CURRENT ASSWIFTLY AS THEY FIRST UNFURLEDIN SPRING, WHEN YOU WERE HERE.
Issue #13, page 45
LIGHT WIND IN TALL GRASS
LIGHT WIND IN TALL GRASSHEAVY SEEDS ON SLENDER STEMSNOW GREEN TURNING GOLD
Issue #1, page 27
RICE FIELD HARVEST TIMELANDSCAPE AMBIGUITYLESSONS FOR THE HEART
Issue #1, page 69
SQUASH FLOWERING
AWAITING FIRST FROSTBRIGHT SQUASH BLOSSOMS BREATH GOLDENBEES BRUSH YOUR GREY LOCKS
Issue #1, page 105
OUR FRIENDS SAW THE BEGINNING
WE PLAYED TETHERBALLAT SUNSET'S RADIANT RISEFELT WITH COLORED LEAVES.
Issue #2, page 55
...PARTING
A WALL AHEAD OF USNO MORE PATH TO WALK ON-RED LEAVES BLOWN AWAY.
Issue #2, page 83
AUTUMN LEAF TWIRLINGSWIFTLY DOWN THE LANE, BOUND TODANCE BY THE NORTH WIND.
Issue #3, page 93
FALL RIVER
COLOR DRIFTING ONA LIQUID CANVAS - WIND GIVESFALL RIVER RECEIVES
Issue #4, page 99
A MILLION DEADFLOWERS- THE WINDA USEFUL RAKE
Issue #5, page 31
AUTUMN BIRCH
MOTTLED AUTUMN BIRCHLEANING ON THE SKY"NOW IF I WERE YOU..."
Issue #5, page 93
THE BEAUTY IN DEATH
GREEN TREES CATCH ON FIREGLASS LEAVES SHATTERED BENEATH FEETRED AND ORANGE DEATH.
Issue #7, page 33
AUTUMN LEAVES RESEMBLANCE TO FLAMES
ORANGE AND YELLOW AUTUMN LEAVESHANGING ON TREES SURROUNDED BY FOGRESEMBLE FLAMES IN A SMOKE CLOUD
Issue #7, page 59
MY TREELESS BACKYARDIS DUSTEDWITH WINDBLOWN LEAVES
Issue #7, page 67
A CHANGEABLE WINDBENDING THE BARLEYHER DRYING TEARS
Issue #8, page 51
THE FALL
PARTING WAYSTHE FOLIAGE OF OUR PASTOVERGROWN
Issue #8, page 67
FALL
DUE EAST COMES THE STORMWIND SHARP AS A BUTCHER’S BLADETHE TREES STIR WHISPER
Issue #8, page 107
IN AUTUMN SHE BLOOMSTHE PALE SHADOW OF SUMMERAND READY FOR DEATH
Issue #9, page 13
FALL 2
LEAVES LIKE A SHATTEREDPEACH. BRANCHES DARK RIVERS, LIKEMICROSCOPE KIWI.
Issue #9, page 31
RUSTLING LEAVESPUMPKIN PIEWITH MOON DOLLOP
Issue #10, page 27
TRADITION
THE GINKGO WAVES LEAVESLIKE THE GEISHA WITH HER FANS.COY, THE FLESH IS SWEET.
Issue #10, page 53
FALL THOUGHTS
RED-YELLOW FALL LEAVESDROP ON VACANT PARK BENCHESAUTUMN NOSTALGIA
Issue #10, page 95
AUTUMN HOME
RAIN SPATTERED SIDEWALKSBLACK ANTS WRITING THEIR WAY HOMEI WALK ON THE LAWN.
Issue #10, page 109
FALL ILLUSION
THE TRANSLUCENT HAZEOF AUTUMN’S SOFTENED SUNLIGHTWARNS OF WINTER CHILL
Issue #11, page 21
MARCHING BAND
MARCHING BAND PRACTICEOFF IN THE DISTANCEAUTUMN MEMORIES
Issue #11, page 23
FALL LEAF
FALL LEAFFLUTTERS ON GROUNDBUTSPRING
Issue #11, page 75
AGED LEAVES CLINGINGREMEMBERING YOUNGER DAYSREINCARNATION
Issue #12, page 13
UNTITLED 42
THE BROKEN BRANCHESTORN SCATTERED SMALL RED BIG LEAVESTHE SEASON HAS COMEFROM BRANCHES TO HATETHE TWISTED BLOSSOMING LOVESHALL CARRY OUR FATEI HUNTED HEAVENNO MISTAKE THOUGHT OF SO WRONG.SPEAK, SHADOW ANGELS,OPEN THE SHUTTERSUMBRELLA ME YOUR WET TEARSREVEAL ALL YOUR SCARS
Issue #12, page 35
SUMMER’S HALF OVER
SUMMER’S HALF OVERSTIFLING HEAT AND THUNDERSTORMSLOOKING TOWARD THE FALL
Issue #12, page 79
THANKSGIVING
JUNCOS SCATTER DUFFUNDER AVOCADO TREESMAKE FESTIVE FALL DAYS
Issue #12, page 81
LOOKING AT GRAY CLOUDSBROWN LEAF IN A PUDDLEREMEMBERS THE TREE
Issue #12, page 103
HAIKU # 57
RELUCTANT LEAVES FALLFROM THE OLD TREE SHOWERINGAN OLD MAN WALKING.
Issue #13, page 37
STOPPING BY ROBBY'S HOUSE
LEAVES ARE ANKLE DEEP.THE MILES I WALKED TO MY RESTWERE THROUGH HIS DEEP WOODS.
Issue #13, page 38
PAINTING THE SKY
TURNING LEAVESFALCON WINGS BRUSH THE SKYRACING WINTER’S CLOUD
Issue #13, page 52
A LEAF PIROUETTESSPINNING, DANCING SILENTLYON A PLACID POND
Issue #13, page 57
LEAVES
VEINS IN LEAVESLIKE TRACKS OF BIRD’S FEETRAIN CEMENTED TO THE STREET
Issue #14, page 26
LATE EVENING
DREAMY AUTUMN EYESCOFFEE WITH YOU AND CRISP LEAVESA LOST MEMORY
Issue #14, page 27
FALLING ACORNS-AUTUMN DANCE IN GRASSOAK SWAYS IN TIME
Issue #15, page 21
AUTUMN LIGHTTHE RED FLOWERBLEEDING THE WEEDS
Issue #15, page 27
LAST REGRET
DO ME A KINDNESS:TELL SPRING I LOVED HER DEARLY-FALL IS AWAITING.
Issue #15, page 39
AUTUMN SHOWER
A SOFT MIST CRAWLS INPURPLE FLOWERS SHOWER, ANTSTUCK AWAY UNDER SHADE
Issue #16, page 13
YELLOW DEAD END SIGNAGAINST THE RED AUTUMN LEAVES —WINTER DOWN THE ROAD
Issue #16, page 29
YEARNING
LEAVES TURNED TO LIGHT BROWNMY FOOTPRINTS BURIED IN YOUWAITING BEHIND GLASS
Issue #16, page 34
WIND FREED LEAFSOMERSAULTING TO THE GROUNDNATURES ACROBAT
Issue #17, page 48
FALL LEAVES TURN COLORSBECKONING THEY LEAD THE WAYCARPETING THE PATH
Issue #18, page 13
AN AUTUMN MORNING
THE NOVEMBER CHILLSSWEEP ME AWAY WITH THEIR WINDAS THE LEAVES STILL FALL
Issue #18, page 17
GEESE FLEW SOUTH BY NIGHT
SILVER ARROW PIERCEDTHE SORRY MOON AND VANISHEDINTO BRILLIANCE
Issue #18, page 30
IN DEFERENCE TO OUR MOTHER
AUTUMN’S DAYS DWINDLE.TREES ABLAZE IN EULOGY.BARE, THEIR MOURNING CLOTHES.
Issue #18, page 36
Questions readers ask
Is it fall or autumn in a haiku?
Either. Traditional haiku use a season word to place the poem in the year, and English-language poets use both names without any rule about it. In this archive Jessica Hoard names the autumn sky outright, while Tamara de Dominicis never names the season at all, because the scarlet leaves do it for the poem.
Do autumn haiku have to be sad?
No. The season invites a feeling of endings, but Melinda Brasher’s wheat is calm about it, and Ashley Swanson’s coffee is half a joke. What the poems share is attention to a change already under way.
What images come up again and again?
Leaves above all, then geese, harvest crops and low light. The interest is in how a poet makes a familiar image do something new, as with a blade of geese or a space where shade used to be.
More themes to read
WinterSpringMoon and StarsTime and AgingTrees and ForestsAll themes
Last reviewed November 2026. Poems are the work of the poets credited and link to their pages in the original issues.