Mostly, I read and write uplifting or humorous haiku. But haiku isn’t
always frog ponds and cherry blossoms. There are sad, dark, and macabre
haiku (and senryu) that are less frequently shared.

So, let’s look at some haiku and senryu on the dark side. I’ve pulled the examples below from two of my favorite haiku collections: The Essential Haiku by Robert Hass and Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years. Cue the dreary music!

body bag
not asking
not telling
 —Jerry Kilbride


In my medicine cabinet
the winter fly
Has died of old age
 —Jack Kerouec


stuck to the slab
the    i
of the frozen f sh
  —David Steele


twilight shadows
the outline of a child
in sidewalk chalk
  —Mark Brooks


bearing down
on a borrowed pen
do not resuscitate
  —Yu Chang


waiting for me
to give it life
my death poem
  —Karma Tenzing Wangehuk


somewhere
fireflies are
eating rhinos
  —Scott Metz


The calm,
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss
  — suicide's note by Lanston Hughes


an empty wheelchair
rolls
in from the waves
  —Corvan Den Heuvel


waiting room quiet
an apple core
in the ashtray
  —Gary Hotham


Fallen horse
flies hovering
in the vulture's shadow
  — Geraldine Clinton Little


And for the dark haiku finale, a different kind of frog haiku....

old pond a frog rises belly up
  —Marlene Mountain

Your Turn

Do you know of, or have you written haiku on the dark side? I’d love for you to share it here on Poetry Pop in the comments below.

Speaking of HaikU

I am excited about my newest book, How Do You Haiku? I’m thrilled to be able to share fun ways to “haiku” with kids (and adults). Along with simple instructions, the book is jam-packed with templates and poetry activities for at home and in the classroom. Please take a look and let me know what you think. (No dark haiku here :))

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