Tenth birthday

A haiku

Public domain image created by ChatGPT

tenth birthday — on the pillow a teddy bear-shaped damp spot

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Turning ten is often imagined as a step toward growing up, yet childhood has its own quiet ways of holding on. The teddy bear-shaped damp spot speaks of comfort sought in the dark, where even tears leave behind the outline of something once held close, reminding us that tenderness rarely disappears all at once.

First published on NaHaiWriMo.

Curious how these small moments become haiku? I’ve written a short guide called *The Three-Minute Haiku System*, which shows a simple way to turn an observation into a draft haiku in just a few minutes.