There’s a strange electricity when you witness something epic, completely alone, when the world tilts for a second, and you realize no one else saw it but you. It’s both thrilling and lonely, like holding onto a secret too beautiful to keep.
Someone once stood on a rooftop at dusk and watched the sky rip open with lightning, forked veins of fire stretching so far across the horizon they seemed to connect the city’s heartbeat with the stars. No camera could catch it.
We asked poets to capture that exact feeling, the rush of seeing something unforgettable with no one else around, in just 17 syllables for our latest Haiku Feud. What they sent back felt like shared secrets, finally spoken out loud.
Here’s the winning haiku that took first place:
🏆 Winning Haiku by Steven Small
A single red ant
Carrying a gray feather
Tiny Ambition
🥈 Runner-Up by Ibrahim Nureni
Independence Day
an inmate by the flagpole
singing the anthem
And because every submission was incredible, we’re sharing them all below.
Haiku Feud Submissions
The rebirth of self
Perhaps angels were watching
But the world was not
by Christy Sawyer
Worry draped my life.
Emergency surgery.
Angel appears. Exhale.
by Susan Steele
Alone in the woods
A gigantic tree fell down
Yes it made a sound
by Stacy Ronk
Hummingbird mating
dance my front porch sultry stage
she stills, mesmerized
by Jessica Pratt
Full-moon eyes unsure
Of extended palm. one pet.
Wild cat learns love.
by Kaley Johnson
A sea of candles,
Flying as glimmers above,
Shinning the night sky
by Brace Sunshine
Walking, early morn.
Pause, look up, pink canopy.
Cherry blossom bliss.
by Tricia Kissinger
I weep for Gaza.
My son hands me a toy cake.
Smiling, I say, “Yum.”
by Anne Marie Wells
Bleeding edge of dawn
from LaGuardia, skyline
jagged, just the jaw
by Michael Baruch
A trip to the pond
Psilocybin memory
Says the fish caught me
by Joseph Adomavicia
The sun cat-stretching,
splayed on the folds of mountains
yearning towards me.
by Tanya Thamkruphat
Bespoke snowflake lace,
the union of two lost souls
adventure awaits…
by Jodi Kurpiel
Alaskan sea bites
shore. Bubbles roil. Ten humpbacks
arc skyward in trance.
by Kay “Kro” Kroger
Grand rising the fawn
Fog meets creek with gentle lips
Sip of a new day
by Amanda McCarthy
As she walked away
Disappeared into the night
His soul followed her
by Kyle Parker
Join the Next Haiku Feud
Want to see your words featured next time? Follow us on Instagram @haikuists for the next Haiku Feud prompt.
Bring Poetry to Your Next Event
Imagine this same magic live at your event. Our typewriter poets create one-of-a-kind haiku for your guests in real time.
Perfect for:
✨ Weddings
✨ Corporate events
✨ Birthday parties & anniversaries
✨ Brand activations
