Updated date:

Aug 16, 2019

Haiku-a-Day Prompts and Examples for National Poetry Month, Today: Live

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What Are Writing Prompts?

Writing prompts are useful tools to spark your creativity and get you writing. You can use them everyday or simply when you have writer's block. Each day, you will find a new word as a writing prompt. Today's prompt is "stunning." You can also see the previous words I've used as prompts below:

Haiku #1

with fervor, he cries

tears that singe his forlorn face

leaving trails of ash

Explanation of Haiku #1

“Singe” is a powerful word. When writing poetry, it is better to use a power word. Rather than using “burn,” I selected to use “singe” to illustrate the strength of the man’s depression. Depression is noted by the fact that the man is crying. “Trails of ash” indicates the depressed mood in the man, showing the color grey as a representation of the depression. The nature element of this haiku is that of human nature.

Haiku #2

poetic pale moon

floating by the orange sun

light and dark dancing

Explanation of Haiku #2

"Poetic" is a graceful word. When the sun and moon cross at sunrise and sunset, I envision this grace. Looking toward the sun and moon, watching day rise and night fall, is a reminder of "out with the old, in with the new." The entire movement between the great star and its nightly sidekick is a dance celebrating the new.

Haiku #3

there’s a little boy

with a palm tree branch

thrashing it with its bough

Explanation of Haiku #3

Child's play. That's what this haiku is about. A young boy beats a palm tree with its own branch. Here, I am giving an example of irony. The tree is basically beating itself. The boy is playing, but with aggression. The metaphor? The boy is the tree.

Haiku #4

the moon, unaware

she admired his mystery

hid behind the clouds

Explanation of Haiku #4

Unaware of its brilliance, the moon is shy in this haiku. This is an example of personification, meaning giving human attributes to inhuman things. I imagined a girl admiring the moon. The moon and the girl are connected, the girl wanting to see it, but the moon thinks it is not beautiful enough.

Haiku #5

moon beams fireflies

fluttering by the bare tree

swallowing the moon

Explanation of Haiku #5

Here, the moon illuminates the fireflies, which are flying around a tree. The light and beauty of the fireflies is so outstanding that they are more beautiful than the moon. There is a kind relationship between the moon and the fireflies where the moon is giving up its light in order for the fireflies to shine.

Haiku #6

ice burning water

miracles swim in ice castles

chaos is a friend

Explanation of Haiku #6

The first line is simply a contrast of words. In the second line, "miracles" is personified by describing them as ice castles. And, the last line is another contrast of words and a contrast to the beginning of the haiku. The entire poem is about society's chaos, but the contrast is that it is something familiar and well-known.

Haiku #7

stunning flamingo

mascot of the everglades

pink is perfection

Explanation of Haiku #7

This is a very simple haiku using nature as a theme. The flamingos are a major nature attraction in the everglades. It's beauty represents the beauty of the everglades, which should be protected. The haiku was written to show how important it is to protect the everglades.

Haiku #8

the sparrow says why

he flies round merry-go-rounds

to see horses live

Explanation of Haiku #8

The merry-go-round represents life spinning in circles. The horses are objects that come to life with color, offering hope for a positive life. The sparrow adds the nature element to the haiku. As the sparrow flies circles around the merry-go-round, he brings life to the merry-go-round. The haiku is about life spinning in chaos, yet turning into beauty.