At seventeen syllables, haiku is the shortest poem in world literature. It is now also the most popular form of poetry in the world, written in nearly every language. And yet, as haiku has spread internationally, one of the most important aspects of the tradition has largely been lost—the community of poets.
In Europe and the United States, haiku is often regarded as the domain of literary elites, but this is not the case in Japan, where haiku is deeply rooted in communal activity. Millions of amateur Japanese poets belong to haiku groups (clubs, really), which are sponsored by different “schools” of haiku, each with its own magazine. Most daily and weekly newspapers carry a haiku column featuring poems submitted by their subscribers, sometimes on the front page.
To help bring back this social dimension, we are inviting our readers to participate in the monthly Tricycle Haiku Challenge. Each month, moderator Clark Strand will select three poems to be published online, one of which will appear with a brief commentary. Each quarter, one of these poems also will appear in the print magazine alongside an extended commentary. In this way, we can begin to follow the seasons together—spring, summer, fall, and winter—and share the joy of haiku together as a community.
Requirements:
Anyone can submit haiku to the monthly challenge using the form below. To be considered for publication, your haiku must:
- Be written in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables:
Getting the syllables of a haiku to sit naturally inside of its seventeen-syllable form is the primary challenge. Each haiku is a word problem in search of a satisfying seventeen-syllable solution. - Contain the “season word” assigned for that month:
A haiku isn’t only a word problem. To the seventeen syllables the poet must add a turn of thought that results in more than seventeen syllables of meaning—along with a word that refers to one of the four seasons. How the poet uses “season words” like autumn sun or dew will typically determine the effectiveness of the poem.
Part of the reason haiku appeals to so many people is that its rules are simple and easy to follow, yet it can take a lifetime to master them. Ten million people currently write haiku in Japanese. There is no reason why millions can’t write haiku in English, too, provided they agree on the basics. The turn of thought you add to that simple formula of 5-7-5 syllables with a season word is entirely up to you.
Submissions close on the last day of the month at 11:59 pm ET, and the results will be posted the week after. Monthly submissions are anonymized and the winning poems are selected in a blind process.
To learn more about the history and principles of haiku, check out Clark Strand’s online course with Tricycle, “Learn to Write Haiku: Mastering the Ancient Art of Serious Play.”
Plus, join Clark Strand from July 10–12, 2026 for a two-day retreat at Garrison Institute to practice using haiku to unite with the natural world. Read more details and register here.
This Month’s Season Word:
Submit as many haiku as you please using the submission form below. Just be sure to include this month’s season word.
Summer season word: “Cumulus Cloud”
a cumulus cloud
weighs over one million pounds
the sky must be strong
It occurred to me that a cloud must weigh something, even though it seemed to float weightless in the heavens. But I wasn’t prepared for the truth of it. The discovery that an average fair-weather cumulus cloud weighed 1.1 million pounds made me look at the sky in a whole new light. —Clark Strand
Submit as many haiku as you please on the season word “cumulus cloud” Your poems must be written in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, respectively, and should focus on a single moment of time happening now.
Be straightforward in your description and try to limit your subject matter. Haiku are nearly always better when they don’t have too many ideas or images. So make your focus the season word* and try to stay close to that.
*REMEMBER: To qualify for the challenge, your haiku must be written in 5-7-5 syllables and include the words “cumulus cloud.”
Haiku Tip: Learn to Write Sciku!
Because haiku is a popular artform, its poets draw on an unusually broad range of material to find topics for their poems. This was always true to some extent, even in Basho’s day. But the trend is more noticeable now than ever. As non-Japanese poets have begun to experiment with the form, haiku have been written on every conceivable subject.
One of the most exciting trends is Sciku—haiku that express the truths of science in 5-7-5. Science is a natural ally of haiku, which draws its subjects primarily from the natural world. In fact, if we look at the traditional sub-categories under which the season words of haiku are organized, we find that they mirror the major branches of science.
The “Heavens” includes meteorology and astronomy. The “Earth” addresses geography, geology, hydrology, and soil science. “Amimals” includes every aspect of zoology—from entomology to ornithology—while “Plants” address dendrology, botany, mycology, and more. Even the “Humanity” category can be regarded as anthropological or sociological in orientation, since haiku sees human beings a belonging to the natural world and, therefore, subject to its laws.
Many haiku poets have drawn inspiration from modern science, including Tokyo University President Akito Arima (1930-2020), a prize-winning theoretical physicist who was also a haiku master. In 2017, the zoologist Andrew Holmes founded The Sciku Project as an online platform for celebrating the formulation of “the latest scientific and mathematical discoveries, thoughts and ideas as scientific haiku.” Several of our Tricycle Monthly Haiku Challenge winning and honorable mention poets have had their work published there.
So don’t shy away from science or technology in your haiku. As long as your poems are written in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables and include the season word for the month, there is no reason to limit your reach as a poet. The theories and discoveries of science are a source of constant wonder in the modern world and thus make good subjects for haiku.
A word about cumulus clouds: Cumulus clouds are large, white, low-lying formations with flat bottoms and clearly defined upper edges that seem to billow or curl. They form as moisture-laden air warms and rises and can appear together in “line formations” or float alone in the sky. Cumulus clouds normally produce little to no precipitation and are therefore considered a sign of fair weather. In haiku poetry, they are associated with summer, when they invite “cloud watching” and provide relief from the heat of the sun.
May’s Winning Poem:
Spring season word: “Violet”
abandoned drainpipe
except for the violets
and the graffiti
— Sari Grandstaff
You can find the honorable mentions, additional commentary, and May’s haiku tips here.
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