First Exercise — Write Down One Thing You Saw Today

One of the most common beginner mistakes is to begin with the question, “What profound thing should I say?” Haiku, however, gains much of its strength not from shrinking a big argument but from noticing a small, concrete moment precisely. Today you do not need to finish a poem. Make one clear observation.

Choose one scene you actually saw. Instead of beginning with an interpretation such as “autumn has come and I feel lonely,” try something like “three wet ginkgo leaves on the bus-stop bench.” Add only what the scene needs: perhaps a color, a position, a movement, or a sound. Precision can make a small scene vivid.

Then temporarily remove your interpretation. If you delete adjectives such as “beautiful,” “lonely,” or “happy,” can the scene still be seen? This does not mean that haiku has no emotion. It means we practice giving readers enough concrete evidence for emotion to arise through the scene itself.

Today’s task is simple: write down three scenes you noticed, on paper or in your phone. Circle the one that stays with you longest. Do not worry yet about 5–7–5 or kigo. Before rules, the first material of haiku is attention.