Wise to bite their tongues

Haiku are an ancient form of Japanese poetry that have recently become popular in English. By analysing the articles the Financial Times publishes every day with a computer programme, we have unearthed some accidental but powerful haiku.

The poems follow the form and style of a traditional Japanese haiku — typically a three-line observation about a fleeting moment involving nature with 17 syllables arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern.

A surprising number of these poetic forms are buried inside the hundreds of articles the FT publishes every day, from stories as diverse as the columns of Martin Wolf to the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff and news and reaction to the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

Over the coming weeks we will share these haiku on FT.com and social media. We will also be encouraging readers to share their feedback.

Records suggest Donald Trump avoided paying taxes for years. By Demetri Sevastopulo

real estate taxes
city taxes state taxes
employee taxes

Renzi strikes serious note on Deutsche amid concern of spillover. By James Politi

Italian leaders
would be wise to bite their tongues
a little longer

Forbidden fruits: the siren call of the slot machine. By Susie Boyt

can’t lead your whole life
thinking what would Jane Eyre do
Striding across moors

Shimon Peres — founding father with a mixed record. By David Gardner

a visionary
a peacemaker for whom peace
remained beyond reach

Musk, Mars and the high price of manifest destiny. By FT View

opportunity
to rethink the whole purpose
of sending people

White House Countdown — ‘She gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem.’. By Neil Munshi

a thrice married man
who has bragged about his own
infidelities

How Arnold Palmer transformed the business of sport. By Jurek Martin

Without that handshake
it might never have happened
in the way it did

For more FT haiku go to www.ft.com/hidden-haiku