May 2025 Featured Haiku
spring snow
three crows circle
the corn stubble
a letter
to my incarcerated brother
slow thaw
on the edge
of an old pond, a child
chasing butterfly
spring snow
three crows circle
the corn stubble
a letter
to my incarcerated brother
slow thaw
on the edge
of an old pond, a child
chasing butterfly

June Haiku Submissions
Open
Submit up to 3 haiku by May 25th
THEME: Start of Summer
burst into full blossom
a skylark sang
Haiku Submission Guidelines
Haiku poetry originated in Japan and was perfected by the great haiku masters: Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, Masaoka Shiki, Kobayashi Issa and Chiyojo. Today haiku is an art form that is practiced internationally, and in the spirit of promoting global peace and contemplative artistic expression, Zen Peacemaker’s showcases three haiku a month on this page.
- Haiku sent must be based on the monthly theme. By submitting, you acknowledge all work is original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere (i.e., no simultaneous submissions please). We consider poems on the internet (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs) to be previously published.
- By sending their haiku, authors agree to its publication on our website and social media.
- We will consider both free form haiku and haiku written using the traditional syllable count of 5-7-5.
- Due to the volume of submissions, we can only contact poets whose haiku will be showcased.
- Haiku submitted before the 25th of the month will be considered to be showcased the following month. Submissions are judged anonymously.
JOIN HERE
“Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo. And in doing so, you must leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself.” – Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
a frog jumps into
the sound of water
is transferred to another candle—
Spring twilight
Entry Form
Co-Editor: Sensei Bob Ertman
Co-Editor: Lorraine Padden
Managing Editor: Clotilde Wright