Free Form Haiku. A Cicada Shell by Matsuo Basho A cicada shell; it sang itself utterly away While Penaikuians have learnt the traditional haiku form which is a strict syllable count of 5-7-5, We have yet to experiment with a free form haiku. A free form haiku, we would like to define it, does not follow a a syllable count. Modern, free-form haiku often break this structure to focus on the sensory experience and capturing a moment in time rather than rigid syllable counts. Today, for our writing session, we encourage you to experiment with free form haiku that captures a single moment with sharp sensory experience. There is no syllable count. However, THE SHORTER, THE BETTER. Once you've finished writing, tag us with