A concrete haiku, also sometimes known as a visual haiku or a shape haiku, is an arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance.
A concrete haiku is usually shaped or patterned in some way. The way the words are arranged on the page depicts the subject matter.
For example, my haiku about a salmon run, the annual migration of salmon upstream through rapids and up waterfalls to spawn. "Leaping up to three meters out of the water, it’s an impressive show of strength and determination...The salmon are driven by a strong urge to return to the place of their birth to spawn. Only the strongest will make it...(Britannica, "Behold the annual migration of salmon upstream through rapids and up waterfalls")
waterfall
a
up
ing
leap
salmon sight
dip of
out
in
and
Fireflies' Light, 26, September 2022
Another example, LeRoy Gorman's humorous haiku about wearing a "sombrero" (a "broad-brimmed felt or straw hat," typically worn in Mexico and the southwestern US) and the consequence.
no
way
to see
the
mountain
(((((((((((((((((sombrero)))))))))))))))))
Modern Haiku, 38:3, Autumn 2007
way
to see
the
mountain
(((((((((((((((((sombrero)))))))))))))))))
Modern Haiku, 38:3, Autumn 2007
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