Some things are made to endure us. They hold their place while our days move on, silent markers of the lives that brushed past them. Objects become witnesses: they absorb our presence, outlast our absence, and carry the weight of a story long after its teller is gone.
There’s a strange comfort in that durability. These remnants remind us that while time slips through our hands, the world still remembers - etched into surfaces, hidden in corners, waiting to be uncovered.
For our latest Haiku Feud, we asked poets to dwell on that endurance - the quiet persistence of things that remain after we do not. In 17 syllables, they captured both the ache and the beauty of objects that stay behind, testaments to the living who once were:
🏆 Winning Haiku by Peter Freeman
When my grandchildren
read my journal from these days
May they believe it.
🥈 Runner-Up by Lisa-Anna Maust
A pink fossil clings
beneath that gray desk, bells ring-
echo rebelling.
And because every submission was incredible, we’re sharing them all below.
Haiku Feud Submissions
Hand-wrought space junk and
Pollution stick around, but
Life slips through fingers.
by Lisa Farver
It’s not forever
But it seems like it to them
Long live the tortoise
by Stacy Ronk
Trees hold deep secrets
Beneath their skin, and wait for
Our certain demise
by Kurt Young Binter
Rust clings to old keys,
Doors they once opened are gone,
Metal keeps their past.
by London Collins
Century-crusted.
Fine silver spoon I dig up
Under my lilacs.
by Kay “Kro” Kroger
A white rhino dies
As plastic gallons bob on
Oversalted seas.
by Salena Casha
I pass him the helm,
College winds, three kids, our tale
Whalers never sink.
by Sarah Young
Spring morning-glories…
Sprouting on an ancient tree
The tiny mushrooms
by Ibrahim Nureni
Steady hand wrong stroke
Frantic over flatlines the
Scalpel remains calm
by Mecca Foxx
Metal bullets are
Pulled from dead bodies, melted
Down and used again.
by Brock! Brockington
Pen and ink pages
Our memories sealed in time
Journals piled high
by Jodi Kurpiel
Rolling in my grave,
I’ll forever curse you
Years after I’m dead
by Leila Victory
Faith I hold in me
Fully fulfilled, head to toe
Spiritually
by Kayla Diaz
His son returns home
Sword laid over mantelpiece
Blade turned memory
by Savannah Guenthner
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
