“Hello Everyone!”
Welcome to the Station WIL Haiku Trail.
Let’s pause our path and pen a poem!
Here at Station WIL, we love to take little breaks in our big adventures—to notice the breeze, the birds, and the beauty around us. Writing a haiku is like catching a moment in your hand and letting it flutter on the page. Just three lines, just a few words… but they can carry a whole world.
Yep! A haiku has rules…
Writing this little poem is a challenge—and we love a good challenge here at Station WIL! We know you can do it, and if you need a little help, just ask.
Here are some of the rules:
A haiku is usually about a single moment in time and something from nature—like flowers, a sunset, or your silly dog chasing butterflies. It has only three lines. YAY! That’s a great thing, right? So, it must be easy to write? Well… it gets easier with practice but be ready to put your thinking hat on!
Don’t worry about the number of words! Only count the syllables in the line.
The first line of a haiku has five syllables (Patty counts them on her fingers as she says them slowly).
The second line has seven syllables (now she needs both hands to get to seven),
and the last line has five syllables again (easy cheesy!).
Those are our rules. Why not give it a try? Don’t be afraid to draw a line through a word that doesn’t quite work—but just one line! You might decide later that it was the perfect word after all. Use punctuation if you want to or just skip to the next line if that feels better. Take your time, and don’t be afraid to rewrite it if you come back later with a new idea.
We’ll be sharing some examples on this page, and there’s even a place where you can send us your own haiku! (Wow! You might even see your poem printed right here!)
Haiku get easier and better with practice, so keep trying this little writing—and finger-counting—skill. Before you know it: Ta-da! You’ll be a haiku expert. And Teo and Patty love that you TRY!
Check out Teo’s trail tricks for writing haiku outdoors & Patty’s tips on how to “catch a haiku!”
We can do this together!!
You don’t have to be a great poet to have fun writing haikus! And it is something your whole family might enjoy doing together. A finished haiku is like a little snapshot in words.
Carol wrote one already! Now it’s your turn to try!
Here’s one example of a haiku for you! They can be very simple or a little more complex if you like. That’s up to you. We’re just so happy you enjoy writing them like we do!
Get your very own Station WIL Haiku page here!
You’re exactly right! Haiku is a little harder than it is easy to do, but Teo and Patty, both know you can write beautiful poems with just a little practice! To help you try, we have a Haiku Trail Journal page we made just for you to practice on! Why not give it a try? You may even discover something new and fun and become a Ranger Station WIL Official Haiku Explorer…Cool!
Download your own Haiku Trail Journal Page
