There are things we only say to the dark — confessions murmured at the edge of sleep, truths too tender for daylight, words that surface only when the rest of the world has gone still. These are the things we offer to the night, trusting it to hold them gently.
For this month's Haiku Feud, we invited poets to explore What the Moon Heard Last Night. In just 17 syllables, they leaned into the intimacy of after-hours — the things whispered when we think no one is listening, the grief that visits after midnight, the wonder that only opens under open sky. The moon, patient and ever-present, receives it all.
What emerged were haiku that feel like secrets carried home: luminous, fleeting, and achingly human. Quiet longings, tender observations, and the strange courage that comes only with darkness. We're honored to present this month's reflections.
🏆 Winner — Apala Kundu
The birth of hickeys,
like tender, purple craters
on the collarbone
🥈 Runner-Up - Brasswax
demented murmur:
how few posing crows compose
attempted murder?
Every submission this month felt like opening a message never meant to be read — raw, honest, and quietly unfinished. Here are the haiku that captured the essence of What the Moon Heard Last Night and stayed with us:
Haiku Feud Submissions
demented murmur:
how few posing crows compose
attempted murder?
by Brasswax
the moon—an open
umbrella blown sideways by
a torrent of stars
by Susan Dines
text analysis
he loves me he loves me not
flower moon listens
by Sari Grandstaff
Turbulent waves crash
A fisherman pleads below
Guide me home safely
by Iain Watson
The birth of hickeys,
like tender, purple craters
on the collarbone
by Apala Kundu
I spilled my secrets
to the moon last night and she
agreed not to share
by Kelly Westhoff
Creativity
A musician finds his notes
Birthing a new song
by Candina Hannah
Lycanthropic oohs
Ululating howls
Groans, bodies, breaths, moans...
by Jeff Moss
The moon is a spy
Its purpose is reconnaissance
Your dreams are not safe
by Jose Rios
Opening of a
window, then the faint whispers
of my loudest secrets.
by Leila Victory
Did the moon hear that
it was my cat chewing treats
I love my cats
by Maya Alfaro
Moon held its breath while
night confessed in broken winds
stars swore they heard too
by Sebastian Carbajal
loud crickets at night
everyone fell fast asleep
loud snores through the night
by Alicia Contreras
Boisterous neighbors
Always squeaking and whistling
Cosmic noise complaint
by Courtney McAllister
Breathe into darkness
Floating it carries a sigh
Peaceful dreams tonight
by Sue Steele
horror movie night
the crowd gasps at the clicking
of the projector
by Cassady O’Reilly-Hahn
Prayers going up
Sometimes like a starry wish
Loud and quiet dreams
by Evelyn Warfel
Cow Flatulation
(The sound the moon heard as the
Bovine jumped over…)
by Peter Freeman
Sound couldn’t make it
Traveling so far from home
But still, she hears joy
by Rin Dunleavy
Join the Next Haiku Feud
Want to see your words featured next time? Follow us on Instagram @haikuists for the next Haiku Feud prompt.
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