This document provides an introduction to haiku poetry. It explains that haiku are 3 line poems that typically reference a season (kigo) and include a cutting word (kiregi) that changes the direction or flow. It encourages the reader to create a chart of seasonal words for inspiration before writing their own haiku based on sample nature images. The objective is to recognize the origins of haiku and understand the key structural elements of season and cutting word when composing short poems focused on moments of nature.

1. Haiku for You

2. What is haiku?

3. An old pond A frog jumps in Sounds of water

4. Objectives Recognize the inspiration for haiku. Apply two Japanese terms that form the structure of haiku. Write a haiku.

5. Inspiration After the storm A boy wiping the sky From the tables

6. Haiku Term #1 KIGO(kee-go) The season word.

7. The poet master Shiki told his students that they only had to look at one image in nature to create 20 haiku.

8. BLAZE crisp fragrant

9. In preparation for writing your haiku, create a “season images” chart. In a four-column table, write down a dozen words for each season. Click here to see an example: Exercise

10. Season Chart

11. Hints Keep your word choices simple. Visualize a single image. What do you see? Examples are “twinkling firefly” or “shooting star.” 1. 2.

12. Haiku Term #2 KIREGI(kere-eee-gee) The cutting word/symbol.

13. Changes the direction of the poem. Can be a word, dash, exclamation point, ellipsis, or semi-colon. Can simply be a change in phrasing.

14. Express a feeling. Make an observation. Record an action.

15. After the storm A boy wiping the sky From the tables A scene from nature. Recording an action.

16. Looking for the moon In a lonely autumn sky Mountain castle lights

17. One day in early spring A snowman I drink it melts

18. Let’s Write! On the following screens, you’ll see four images – one for each KIGO. Look carefully at each image then write the first line of a haiku.

19. Winter

20. Spring

21. Summer

22. Autumn

23. Email your finished poem using this link: mailto:haiku2006-ELN202@yahoo.com?subject=HAIKU POEMS