Funny Haiku Prompt
Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. It is a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables (though that is sometimes debated). The simple structure of haiku lends itself to a lot of witty potential. The Huffington Post had an amusing take on a fourth grader’s haiku writing assignment.
Here is an example of clever, dry wit framed in the 5-7-5 of a haiku:
Enter Second Act.
Things aren’t as bad as they seem –
They are much, much worse.
FUNNY HAIKU POETRY PROMPT: Observe the world around you, find humor in the everyday, and write it down in the form of a haiku.
This is a haiku
You could write a better one –
Go ahead and try.
Photo by Nathan Livings. Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Heather Eure.
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Laura Brown says
“Where’s my ocelot?”
“You don’t have an ocelot.”
“Where’s my wombat, then?”
This is kind of a private family joke. So it’s probably funny only to two people in the world. Alternate last line: “Oh. It must be yours.”
Monica Sharman says
Laura, now I have to show you Jackie French’s series that started with Diary of a Wombat:
http://www.amazon.com/Jackie-French/e/B001IXSELA/
Heather Eure says
Any haiku with an ocelot or wombat alternative is a favorite of mine.
Laura Brown says
Those are just fun words to say. Whatever sentence they’re in. Or by themselves.
Sandra Heska King says
the sun is shining
but it’s winter after all
so it won’t last long
Marcy Terwilliger says
Wore my underwear
To Church inside out today
Is this a do over?
Heather Eure says
Haha! Underwear and church. Instant funny. 🙂
Marcy Terwilliger says
whatchamacallit?
dagnabit those doohickeys
you know them wing-dings
Marcy Terwilliger says
I love raised toilets
They make sitting down a breeze
Bet you don’t need one?
Richard Maxson says
Is it bathroom humor time?
Next to the toilet
the towelette waits for wet hands,
it knows if you wash
Marcy Terwilliger says
Richard, yes! If it will make you laugh!
The seat is still up
It wasn’t me was it Lou?
Gentlemen please sit.
Heather Eure says
You can’t go wrong with potty humor. Not ever (says mom of three boys). 😀
Laura Brown says
Evolution
Gar, garble, gargle,
gargoyle, argyle, garbanzo,
gazebo, gazelle.
Bethany Rohde says
That was a fun set of images to shift through. I love what it ends on.
Richard Maxson says
Love this! Do we say Gesundheit ?
Heather Eure says
How fun! Garbanzo’s do seem prehistoric.
Marcy Terwilliger says
Looks like only Laura and I are having fun with this one.
We can blame ourselves
Phone booths are gone, Superman has
Nowhere to change clothes.
Bethany Rohde says
Clever – I like it.
Monica Sharman says
We had a Superman-like phone booth here, once. 🙂
Marcy Terwilliger says
Now Monica, that is funny!
Laura Brown says
Swing the catnip mouse,
make the cat ping-pong her head—
who is more amused?
Bethany Rohde says
Two kids arguing:
Not the blender, she’ll wake up!
–Mother’s Day sunrise
Laura Brown says
Love it.
Marcy Terwilliger says
Me too!
Bethany Rohde says
Thank you!
Donna says
Ha ha ha! Good one. 🙂
That sure brings back funny memories!
Nice to meet you here, Bethany Rhode!
Bethany Rohde says
Thank you, Donna. Nice to meet you too.
Maureen Doallas says
elephants walking
in New York’s Mid-Town Tunnel—
just April thunder
SimplyDarlene says
the imagery! this would make an awesome kids book haiku, miss maureen. 🙂
Bethany Rohde says
This New Year’s Eve-Eve:
Just one last apple fritter
after these nachos.
Donna says
Oh my, sounds like the diet I’m on! 😉
Have you visted our Mischief Cafe yet? There is Shortnin’ Bread awaitin… after the nachos, I mean. 😉
Donna says
Forgot the link… distracted by fritters https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/mischief-cafe/
Karen Mae Zoccoli says
if I could sleep as
sound and deep as my dog does
imagine my state!
Heather Eure says
It’s an enviable state. 😀
Bethany Rohde says
Recuperating:
Your hand finally finds mine
–in the tissue box.
Heather Eure says
Love in the Time of Cold and Flu Season. 😉
Karen Mae Zoccoli says
….forgive me, but couldn’t help myself…
Dear husband of mine
I don’t harbor underwear
try that hamper thing?
Bethany Rohde says
Ha! It is nice to see everyone having fun over here. Thanks for sharing your humorous moments, everyone.
Richard Maxson says
Four Haiku
The road is a gift,
a dark ribbon of surprise
wrapped around the world
The Holsteins I pass,
storm clouds over a green sea;
winter trees, sails furled
Five fingers playing,
seven voices singing,
Haiku short one note
Open wide and laugh,
the doctor is in the air,
still making house calls
SimplyDarlene says
Sir Richard – have you seen the James Herriot television episodes? My family is quite smitten with them… your stacked haikus seem to harken James. 🙂
Richard Maxson says
All Creatures Great and Small? Yes! I loved them. Or is there a new series?
Marcy Terwilliger says
The last one for me for 2014, I’ve enjoyed you all this year.
I’ll keep my flip/phone
No accidental butt calls
To 911, Go laugh!
SimplyDarlene says
“Chew on this haiku,
gnaw on its funny bone,” said
no vegan ever.
Heather Eure says
Fact. Good one, Darlene!
Monica Sharman says
Someone loaned me a violin, and today I took it to get refurbished. I’ve already warned my family that I’ll soon be teaching myself and practicing violin in the house. Here’s my haiku:
violin repair
four good strings, new bow, fixed bridge
it still screeches
G. Smith says
Haiku? Gesundheit.
I don’t think you understand.
What? Need a tissue?
Donna says
LOL!
Maybe you need some tea with that cold?
Head on over to the Mischief Cafe, where the kettle is always on! https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/mischief-cafe/
Diana says
Hey squeaky shoed man
Visiting the museum
Aware and awkward
Jireh Goldsmith says
I like that one cool
Maybe it could be better
Than mine sorry NOT
Just kidding! 🙂
vincent says
I come from a long
line of haikuists. Or should
that be three short lines?…
A haiku’s brief is
to evoke wonder in three
lines. A haiku’s brief…
Jireh Goldsmith says
Hi. I am a seventh grader and I wrote the following haikus:
Sometimes I just laugh
At what I think is funny
But it’s just plain weird
Don’t Speak the Language (title)
“Tweet,tweet” says blue bird
“Chirp, chirp, chirp” says blue jay
“Just go” says blue bird
Just like my sister
Haikus don’t make any sense
Well, maybe sometimes
Behind every
Small sister there is a big
Sister with a bat
Bob says
My Haiku:
I ran to the store
I needed more chocolate
They were all sold out
Melissa says
“summer in Antarctica”
Lonely penguin hop
In the blender, a tragic
Penguin suicide