There are moments when time loses its rhythm. It stretches too thin or folds in on itself. Seconds linger longer than they should, or disappear before we’re ready. In these spaces, clocks become unreliable and memory takes over — guiding us not by minutes, but by feeling.
When time doesn’t move right, we notice it most. In grief that suspends us. In joy that rushes past. In the in-between moments that refuse to settle into a neat timeline. These are the experiences that remind us time isn’t always linear — it’s emotional, subjective, deeply human.
For this month’s Haiku Feud, we invited poets to explore those disruptions: the pauses, the skips, the moments when time felt misaligned. In just 17 syllables, they captured the tension of waiting, the blur of change, and the quiet realizations that surface when time bends instead of flows.
What emerged were haiku that linger — small reflections of moments when the world slowed, sped up, or stood completely still. We’re honored to share how our poets interpreted time when it didn’t move the way it was supposed to.
🏆 Winning Haiku by Ryan Doyle
end. And it’s over
before I know you, your mouth a
black hole, bending light…
🥈 Runner-Up by Kourtney Jones
Time is running long
like sunlight across a field
Reach through your knowing
And because every submission was incredible, we’re sharing them all below.
Haiku Feud Submissions
friends in love with play
endlessly wrapped in summer
filmed in black and white
by Bobby Croft
Sunlight trapped in oil
The clock's hand stutters on twelve
Breath held in the gears
by Joseph Adomavicia
Eighth grade, Christmas morn
I close my eyes Christmas night
I wake, a grown up
by Jordan Werner
forward is backward
clock strikes 21 not 12
what is time it is
by Kennedy Nieves
Grandma, mom and me…
All of us 40 years old?
Watch power erode.
by Anja Notanja Sieger
A white rhino dies
As plastic gallons bob on
Oversalted seas.
by Salena Casha
Watching the clock tick
Second hand, moves backwards, time
At the DMV
by Bluz Rogers
Two little pink lines
Sluggish months of hurried prep
Ready to meet you?
by Kelly Schultz
If love at first sight
Exists than it probably
Looks something like this
by Allen Feldman
Clocks stop at her fall—
echoes of “justice?” unanswered,
time trembles in grief
by Eric Scupham
Rainy day, snacks and
streaming my favorite show.
Where did the time go?
by Michelle Kessler
Just turned forty-three
For the 3rd time. We all lost
three years to Covid.
by Amalia Levari
I shattered my clock
For lying right to my face
And giving me hope
by Jesyka Bartlett
I am forty two
Just yesterday I was ten
Where did the time go
by Stacey Ronk
I am forty two
Just yesterday I was ten
Where did the time go
by Stacey Ronk
once upon a time
and then it happened again
once upon a time
by Brasswax
Waiting slows life's beat.
Savoring timelessness for
awhile. Long but short.
by Jane Leibowitz
after his last breath
I washed him with a warm cloth—
a strange light bathed us
by Samantha Wallen
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
