LesleyScoble.com

Autumn

A series of three Pi-Ku poems

leaves rustling
as
I walk through gold

—Lesley Scoble, September 2026

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Jays caching
nuts
in secret mulch

—Lesley Scoble, September 2026

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The squirrel
waits
in chestnut trees

—Lesley Scoble, September 2026

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NOTES

I love walking in the woods in autumn, listening to my footsteps crunch on the fallen leaves, which was the inspiration for my first Pi-Ku. My second inspiration comes from one of my favourite birds, the jay. During a walk in Regent’s Park, London, we stumbled across a jay busily burying nuts. I watched, fascinated, as I had never known they did that. My third inspiration is, of course, a favourite woodland animal of mine: the squirrel.

Tanka Tuesday
Before reading Melissa’s prompt for Colleen Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday Challenge No. 81, I had never heard of the Pi-Ku poetry form. I’d heard of Pikachu, of course. The Haiku type Pi-Ku form appeals to me because it’s very short — and I do love short poems.

Pi-Ku
The Pi-Ku is a modern poetry form inspired by the first three digits of π (3.14). A variation of the haiku, it uses a three-line syllabic pattern of 3-1-4. While the exact origin of the form is uncertain (whoever first created it is a real Pi in the sky), it has become popular through Pi Day celebrations and contemporary poetry communities.

Click on Details below to read about the poetry form.

Details: The Pi-Ku Poetry Form

The Pi-Ku is a tiny three-line poetry form derived from the first three digits of π=3.14. Whoever first wrote using this form is a mystery.❔ It goes something like this:

Line 1: 3 syllables

Line 2: 1 syllable

Line 3: 4 syllables

Enjoy the following examples by Melissa Lemay:

colors change
leaves
begin to fall

two black cats
walk
across the street

skipping stones
thud!
pi-ku poem

My thanks to Melissa Lemay, Mom With a Blog, for introducing me to this form and for her inspiration.
And my thanks to you, dear reader, for popping by for a read.

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 81, Pi-Ku, 9/8/26