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.

There are a surprising number of these poetic forms 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.

At home in the Himalayas. By Steve King

The sun was shining
and the last of his daughters
had lately married

Free Lunch: Trump supporters on the couch. By Martin Sandbu

More white older more
male more religious and more
likely to be blue

Airlander 10 maiden flight. By Helen Healy

A man takes his seat
as preparations are made
for the maiden flight

Peeping at the gunfight. By Marcus Cotton

A Kashmiri boy
peeps from the door of his home
during a gunfight

Lunch with the FT: Carlo Rovelli. By Ludovic Hunter-Tilney

You’re right he concedes
hands on the table fiddling
with his dessert spoon

Free Lunch: Play the ball, not the man. By Martin Sandbu

Organisations
reflect the priorities
of the powerful

Hunt for wild flowers in the mountains and meadows of Kyrgyzstan. By Robin Lane Fox

To sleep on the floor
of a yurt and to gallop
with hair flowing free

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

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023. All rights reserved.
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