Social Haiku is a daily creative ritual. One metaphor arrives each morning. You have until midnight to respond with three lines. The whole thing takes about thirty seconds — and it might be the most thoughtful thirty seconds of your day.
The Daily Ritual
Receive today's metaphor
Every day at midnight a new metaphor appears — the same one for every player on the planet. It might be a historical figure, a pop culture reference, an everyday object, or something quietly philosophical. Read it slowly. Sit with it for a moment before you write.
Write three lines
The input guides you line by line with live syllable counting: five syllables, then seven, then five again. You don't have to be strict about 5-7-5, but the structure is there to help. Each line unlocks once the previous one is complete.
Submit and receive your score
An AI reader evaluates your haiku across five dimensions: form, imagery, insight, word precision, and overall effect. The feedback is honest and specific — it reads your poem as a poem, not as a spelling test. Maximum score is 25.
Discover how others saw it
After you submit, the anonymous gallery opens. Three to five haikus from other players appear — all written from the same metaphor, all arriving somewhere completely different. This is the best part.
Come back tomorrow
One poem per day. You can't play twice on the same day. A streak counter tracks how many consecutive days you've shown up. There are no reminders unless you want them — the habit is its own reward.
A Few Tips
Read the metaphor aloud. The sound of words carries meaning your eyes might skip. Something will loosen.
Trust your first image. The thing that flashes into your mind when you read the prompt is usually the right starting point. Don't argue with it.
Stay concrete. A specific rusted gate beats an abstract feeling of loss. Name the thing. Let the feeling arrive on its own.
Look for the turn. The best haiku pivots between lines two and three — something shifts, reframes, or opens up. If your third line restates the first two, keep looking.
Don't explain. Cut the last line if it tells us what to feel. The image should do that work silently.
A mediocre score is fine. A 13 today teaches you more than a skipped day. The accumulation is what matters.
How We Score
Form & Structure
Three lines, 5-7-5 syllables (or a purposeful variant). Line breaks feel earned, not arbitrary.
Imagery & Sensory Detail
Concrete, specific images. Sight, sound, texture, temperature. No abstract commentary.
The Turn / Insight
A genuine shift or reframe between lines. Meaning deepens without being stated directly.
Word Precision
Strong nouns and verbs. Economy of language. Zero filler words.
Clarity & Effect
The image and the turn land together. The poem achieves something — emotional, intellectual, or both.
Maximum 25 · A typical haiku scores 13–17 · A perfect 25 is rare and earned
Common Questions
Do I have to use 5-7-5 syllables exactly?
No. The syllable counter is a guide, not a requirement. The scoring rubric rewards purposeful form — which means a deliberate departure from 5-7-5 can score just as well as strict adherence. What doesn't score well is accidentally sloppy counting.
What happens if I miss a day?
Your streak resets to zero. But your history, titles, and achievements stay. You can look at the archive and see what the metaphor was — you just can't submit retroactively. Come back tomorrow.
Can I see the metaphor without submitting?
Yes. Visit /play to see today's metaphor any time. You can take your time before you write. The submission window is open until midnight in your local time.
How does the gallery work?
After you submit, three to five haikus from other players are shown — selected for variety, not just high scores. All submissions are anonymous. The point is to see how differently the same prompt can land in different minds.
What is a streak, exactly?
A streak is the number of consecutive days you've submitted a haiku. Missing a single day breaks the streak back to zero. Create a free account to have your streak tracked and to unlock titles as you go.
Do I need an account?
No. You can play without one. An account lets you track your streak, see your score history on the Journey page, and save your haikus to My Haikus. It's free and takes about ten seconds.
Ready to write?
Today's metaphor is waiting.
Play today