The Haiku Sequence

National Poetry Month|Day 5| April 5 | Prompt #5:

The Haiku—(17 syllables in three lines: 5-7-5, though English haiku often loosen this) is a Japanese form rooted in the practice of mono no aware, the bittersweet awareness of impermanence. A haiku doesn't explain; it shows. It presents a moment so sharply that the meaning arrives in the silence after.

Prompt #5: Write a sequence of 5–7 haiku on a single subject or emotional state. Let each haiku be complete in itself, but let the sequence build. Try a morning routine, a city block, a season of grief, a love affair, a political moment. Notice what you can only say in 17 syllables, and what the white space between poems does.

Poem Of The Day: Five Haikus by Richard Wright

(Drop your poem in the chat or tag me when you’re done.) Happy Writing & Happy Easter (Resurrection) Sunday!

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Saint Trey Wooden is a New York–born poet, essayist, organizer, and strategist based in Brooklyn. His work focuses on Black life, queer experience, political memory, and the everyday practices of care and resistance that shape how communities survive and imagine forward. He is a 2026 Lincoln City Fellow ; a Spring 2026 Brooklyn Poets Fellow; a staff writer at Gaye Magazine; and a contributing columnist at Iansá Magazine, where readers can find more of his published work. You can also find his work here on Substack and on Instagram, and threads @sainttreyw . For inquiries, please email: sainttreyw@gmail.com