Short Haiku Poem About Letting Go of the Past: Live the Now

A Short Haiku Poem About Living in the Present Moment

Echoes of the past
mute the blessings of the now—
deaf to hope and change.

Justin Farley

Embracing the Now

We all have a tendency to hang onto past moments and memories, regardless if they are good or bad. We can’t seem to get over a past pain, convinced we can never heal. And we can’t seem to stop comparing amazing moments of the past to present realities. While memories enrich our experiences, holding on to them too tightly can keep us from truly living and from experiencing peace, experiencing contentment. My short haiku on trying to live in the present moment is a call to you and me to release our grip on yesterday and ground ourselves in the now. Every dawn offers fresh opportunities, new adventures, and endless possibilities.

Click Here To Check Out My Poetry Collection About Spring And Hope

The Art of Letting Go

Why is letting go so important? Because as long as we trap our mind in the past it continues to impose old beliefs and false assumptions on the present and future.  Holding onto past regrets or glories prevents us from fully experiencing the richness of the present. Either life today will never be as good as yesterday, or it can never allow us to heal from old wounds we keep re-opening. Learning the art of letting go is transformative—it frees mental and emotional space, allowing us to appreciate life’s current joys and challenges with clarity and openness.

Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting or diminishing the value of our past. Instead, it’s about acknowledging and accepting what was, allowing it to increase our wisdom so that we don’t repeat past mistakes. It’s about being grateful for past joys but not letting them keep us from new ones. It’s choosing to live actively in the moment rather than passively in yesterday’s shadows. It allows us to quit replaying our glory days and make new joys today.

Blooming in the Present Moment

I’ve tried to articulate in the haiku how the past mutes our ears and blinds our eyes to the miracle of the present moment. Each instant of awareness becomes a small seed that roots us to world around us and becomes a fresh blossom that opens to reveal beauty previously unnoticed. Living mindfully allows us to appreciate simple pleasures—a genuine conversation, the scent of fresh rain, laughter with friends—that we might have overlooked if we’d been distracted by old memories or worries.

To bloom in the present means cultivating mindfulness. It’s about intentionally engaging with the world around us right now as it is, noticing sensations, emotions, and experiences as they occur. Practicing mindfulness might involve activities such as quiet reflection, spending time in nature, journaling, or simply pausing during our busy day to breathe deeply and reset.

Living in the now enriches our lives by helping us fully embrace both joy and challenge with open hearts. When we let go of what was and stop anxiously grasping for what’s next, we discover the depth and beauty inherent in each moment. Awareness is the key, though. We’ve become so accustomed to living in the past that we have to consciously notice when we’re doing in. We have to tell our mind, “Stop” and bring our attention back to what’s going on around us. 

Life isn’t meant to be lived backward or forward—it’s lived right here, right now. The haiku on mindfulness gently urges us stop listening to the echoes of the past and be able to hear joys of the now and the possibility for change. This simple yet profound truth inspires us to live fully, joyfully, and consciously, making each moment meaningful.

An Easy Mindfulness Exercise To Help Ground You In The Now

One technique that I’ve found helpful for me, especially when my mind is anxious about the future is called the 5-4-3-2-1 method.

Here’s how it works:

1. Look around and name 5 things that you can see.
2. Now, find 4 things that you can touch, rubbing your fingers across each one and noticing the difference in their textures.
3. Listen closely. What are three different sounds you can hear: The honking of cars? The chirping of a bird? The hum of a refrigerator?
4. What are two things you can smell? I think it’s most helpful to actively seek something to smell if you can’t notice anything in your current position. For example, I may open up the fridge and pick out a strawberry, etc. But at sometimes this isn’t possible. In these moments, it may be necessary to pick a familiar scent you know well. Imagine what it smells like such as the smell of a rose, the smell of fresh cut grass, etc. It doesn’t have to be a pleasant smell either. Sometimes bad odors might be easier to envision such as a skunk’s scent.
5. Last, choose 1 thing you can taste. You may be able to still have the favor of food or drink in your mouth if you have eaten or had something to drink recently. If you can’t taste anything, you can use your imagination. Imagine biting into a juicy orange or a slice of an apple.

Here Are Some Other Poems About Embracing The Present Moment You May Enjoy: