Haiku Examples: 28 Poems That Show How It's Done

These haiku examples come from the archive of a haiku journal, and each one is shown in full with its poet. They are grouped by what the poem does, so you can see a technique at work and try it yourself. The typical poem here runs about eleven words, and the examples range from classic 5-7-5 to much shorter.

Haiku examples in 5-7-5

If you searched for haiku examples in 5-7-5, start here. Counted syllable by syllable, these five come out to five, seven, and five: Mauricio Gonzalez's yellow leaves, Colin Campbell's soft carpet of leaves, Emily Strauss's red squirrel, Angela D. Sargent's snowflakes, and Bob Moreland's loon pair. A few words can be said two ways, such as soil in the Campbell poem, so a strict counter might argue with a syllable.

What they show is that the pattern works best when each line is a complete unit. Strauss gives RED SQUIRREL SCAMPERS a line of its own, then one action and one image per line, and the count never feels forced. On a rough machine count, about one poem in three in the archive fits 5-7-5, so the other shapes below are common too.

One sharp image

The simplest haiku sets down a single image plainly. Juliet Wilson gives LOW MIST and FIFTY MUTE SWANS and then stops. Jessica Hoard's A BLADE OF GEESE is a metaphor so compact that it needs no explanation: the flock cuts the sky open. Sb Wright hears THE WATER SONG in magpies at midday, and Bryan Bridges weighs a crow against its own shadow in eight words.

What these poems show is restraint. There is no stack of adjectives and no stated feeling, only one thing seen clearly and a place to stop.

A turn in the last line

Many strong haiku change direction at the end. The first two lines set a scene, and the last recasts it. Stewart C. Baker's poem begins with a LOPSIDED MOON and ends on ONLY TIME, which lands as a doctor's verdict. In David Williams's poem the thaw uncovers headstones, and the last line turns that into something eerie. Deborah Guzzi's child freezes to a swing and the poem closes on BLOOD ON THE SNOW. Jr Vork's maple leaf fades to brown, and the final two words are HER LAUGHTER.

What these show is that a turn works best when the last line is short and unexplained. The poem trusts the reader to feel the shift.

A season word

A season word places a poem in time with one stroke. K.A. Cummings writes AUTUMN NIGHT and lets the moon be scooped from water. Jackie Maugh Robinson drops yellow leaves into tea and finishes on ZEST OF LEMON, which brings taste into autumn. William Landis's SUMMER MORNING frames a grasshopper and a blade of grass.

What they show is that the season word does double duty. It sets the time and the mood, so the remaining lines are free to be concrete. For more, see autumn haiku, summer haiku, and winter haiku.

Humor

Funny haiku come down to timing. Miriam Sagan begins with HOW THEY FIGHT and lets an old couple's forgetfulness finish the joke. Nancy May's SPATE OF BURGLARIES ends on MISSING GOLDFISH, and her other poem has a robin WEARING SNOW BOOTS. Bill Melton tells a long-legged spider that HOLLYWOOD COULD HAVE BEEN YOURS.

What these show is that humor needs a straight face. The poem reports, the reader laughs, and nobody explains. Some readers would call these senryu, and you can find more in humorous haiku.

Fragment and phrase

A common structure pairs a fragment with a full phrase and leaves a gap between them. Roger Pfingston sets NO NEED TO HURRY, beside a porch light and an icy step. Linzi Garcia opens with FIREFLY IDEAS and closes by answering a question nobody asked. Esther Zimmerman holds WHERE THE GIANT PINE in suspense until NODDING DAFFODILS. Michael Flanagan pairs BUTTERFLIES FLUTTER TO EARTH with the idea that they are REBORN AS OAK LEAVES.

What these show is the value of the gap. The poet does not explain how the parts connect, and the connection is where the poem happens.

Poems that break 5-7-5

Many good haiku ignore the count. Robert Witmer's poem is OUR LOVE TREMBLES, one word of moonlight, and ON THE RIVER. Sarah Clark Monagle fits LEAVES CHANGE and SOUNDS GREEN around a rain that is still falling. Anna Cates puts a FLOWER BUCKET full of rain after a SPRING DREAM. Ramesh Anand needs only MY PARENTS IN SILENCE and a swing.

What these show is that the breath matters more than the count. Each line is a unit, and the poems are shorter than 5-7-5 would allow because nothing more needed saying. For more reading, browse the issues, or go by subject with nature haiku, love haiku, and bird haiku.

Questions readers ask

Do haiku examples have to rhyme?

No. Haiku are normally unrhymed. The poems above lean on image, rhythm, and the break between lines instead.

How many words are in a haiku?

Fewer than most people expect. In this archive the typical three-line poem runs about eleven words, and most fall between roughly 8 and 14.

What makes a haiku example good?

One clear image, a small turn or gap that the reader completes, and no explanation. If the poem tells you how to feel, it is working too hard.

Can a haiku be about something other than nature?

Yes. Nature and the seasons are traditional, but the archive also has haiku about love, city life, work, and family, and funny poems that are closer to senryu.

Last reviewed November 2026. Poems are the work of the poets credited and link to their pages in the original issues.

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