How it works
Write a haiku with two strangers
Haiku Grove is a free place to write haiku with people you’ve never met. Three poets each write one line, and together they make a seventeen-syllable poem none of them could have written alone.
Seed, branch, bloom
- Plant a seed. Write a first line of five syllables. You can give the poem a title, a background and a typeface, and the next two poets see it the way you set it up.
- A stranger adds a branch. Another poet claims your seed. It locks to them for thirty minutes, and nobody else can see what they’re writing. When time’s up we ask “Still working on it?” If they don’t answer within two minutes, the seed goes back to the garden for someone new.
- A third poet makes it bloom. Someone else, anywhere in the world, writes the last line of five syllables. The finished poem joins the Blooms, where everyone can read it and give it a heart.
What is a haiku?
A haiku is a short poem from Japan, usually three lines. The traditional English form counts syllables: five in the first line, seven in the second and five in the last. Haiku often catch one small moment, frequently something in nature or a sign of the season, and many turn or surprise you between the lines.
On Haiku Grove that turn happens between people. Each poet only sees what came before, so the second and third lines can take the poem somewhere the first poet never expected.
old phone in a drawer
three hundred unread goodbyes
still holding their breath
Traditional or free
- Traditional poems follow 5, 7, 5 syllables. Haiku Grove counts them as you type.
- Free poems count words instead: up to 5, 7 and 5 words a line, for when you’d rather follow the sound than the count.
The poet who plants the seed picks the style.
Kind words only
Haiku Grove is for everyone aged 13 and up. Swear words are hidden as you type and can’t be posted. Phone numbers, emails, links and social handles are blocked everywhere, and poets under 18 get extra privacy by default. Pen names are encouraged. Read the full community guidelines.
Questions
Is Haiku Grove free?
Yes. Writing, reading and hearting poems is free.
Who can join?
Anyone aged 13 or older, anywhere in the world. You sign in with your email and choose a pen name. Your email is never shown to other poets.
Do I have to finish a poem in one go?
You have thirty private minutes once you claim a line, plus a little extra if you say you’re still working on it. One poem at a time keeps things moving for everyone.
Can I write on my phone?
Yes. Haiku Grove works in any phone or computer browser.