Where does haiku inspiration come from? That’s a good question. When I began writing haiku, I began by reading a lot of it. Basho, Buson, and other celebrated writers, and amateur writers as well. My haiku inspiration comes from life. Just simply, everyday life. Things I see, things I do, things that happen to me. Take for instance, these two that I wrote recently:

warmth of the sun–

a dragonfly settles

on the clothesline

an anole–

green as the plant it sits on

savors the sunlight

These are things I observed while out in my yard and garden. Just part of everyday life, normal in my neighborhood, and yet they make great haiku. There is nature, there is season (sort of), there is vivid imagery, there is phrase and fragment. They don’t rhyme, there is kireji and kigo. What more could you want?

Use the inspiration of everyday life to help you write great haiku!