April 17 is National Haiku Poetry Day — a day to try and create this simple and short form of poetry. This form of poetry is prevalent in Japan and normally consists of 3 lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. Sensory language is commonly used in haiku poems, which are normally inspired by nature, seasons, beauty, or an individual experience or event. The haiku is one of the oldest and most well-known poems. It is written in three lines. The first line has five syllables, the second two, and the third also two. There are many famous poets who wrote haiku such as Matsuo Basho, William Blake, T.S. Eliot and Maya Angelou. Writing a haiku requires skill and precision to capture an entire moment or emotion in just 17 syllables. If you are writing English haiku, it does not have to follow the syllable count of Japanese haiku. The typical length of haiku in English language journals is 10-14 syllables versus the 5-7-5 syllables used in the Japanese language.  

Observed annually on April 17, National Haiku Poetry Day!

In 2007, Sari Granstaff created National Haiku Poetry Day, and it was officially recognized by the Haiku Foundation in 2012.