A haiku is a poem of 20 syllables or less constructed in three lines using an image, an action, and a cutting element (Usually a punctuation mark)  that separates the  haiku into two sections.  That might not be the definition you know, but it is the one we will use for this exercise.  It is not a bad idea to stay close to the traditional 5-7-5 syllable scheme, but it is certainly not the end all be all of effective haiku.  Only a pedant is going to sit there and count syllables on you.  Good haiku has neither too little or too much.  Let's leave it at that.

First off, let's create a series of images and actions and make the first two lines of a “potential” haiku.

    •    Nature, and especially the seasons, is the best raw material for haiku.  Go outside and watch nature.  (Yes, move away from your computer and grab a notebook and a pencil!) Find a place where you can just sit and observe what is happening around you. Whenever you “see” something happening, write down that image and action using only nouns and verbs--and occasionally a necessary adjective, and rarely an adverb! The most common sights often make for the best haiku.

For example:  

In her nest of grass

The robin sleeps all day

A single earthworm

Inches across the wet pavement

Three painted monarchs

Dance around a single flower

Lightening flashes

And distant rumbling

Keep doing this until you have at least ten separate images and actions in more or less  five syllable and seven syllable lines.

Now, we will take those images and actions and create a haiku by adding a short thought, question, or statement.

    ▪    In traditional haiku this is called the “cutting.”  The cutting puts a twist into the poem and lets your reader experience the image and action in a new (and often profound--and sometimes funny) way.  A good way to set off this cutting is by adding a semi-colon, double dash or colon at the end of the first section. I generally use a semi-colon in place of a comma and conjunction (so, yet, and, or, nor, for, but).  I use a colon to introduce a statement or a list.  I use the double dash when I want to add a cool thought or sudden insight to complete the haiku.  Try to keep this line between four and seven syllables.

In her nest of grass

The robin sleeps all day;

It must be Sunday.

A single earthworm

Inches across the wet pavement:

Stop the speeding car?

Three painted monarchs

Dance around a single flower--

Sweet waiting nectar!

Lightening flashes

And vague distant rumbling:

Somebody's getting wet.

These may not be the greatest haiku in the world, but I hope you get the basic idea of what I want you to try to do.  The important part of this exercise is to practice creating images and actions using nouns and verbs and essential adjectives,  By adding the cutting I want you to see that even the most common of experiences can have profound and unique meaning.