To divide a Haiku poem in two parts, we use a “cutting word”.

This is to separate two sections of the poem in two parts, each of which enriches the other.

Cutting can be done with example a colon, long dash or ellipsis.

Let’s have a look at few examples, I colored the cutting in red:

Basho, Matsuo

In all the rains of May
there is one thing not hidden -
the bridge at Seta Bay.

Hashin

No sky
no earth - but still
snowflakes fall

Once again, remember that not all haiku poems have to contain cutting, few more examples:

Kato, Shuson

I kill an ant
and realize my three children
have been watching.

Natsume, Soseki

On New Year’s Day
I long to meet my parents
as they were before my birth.