he sends the text
to his mother
instead of her

Kendall Harvey

naughty text sent
thirty seconds later
sorry mom . . .

Katie McDaniel

I definitely related to this senryu. Not only does it evoke the awkwardness that both you and your parent feel when that text is sent, but it also immediately made me feel the panic of realizing that you sent the text to the wrong person right after you hit send. It feels like time moves In slow-motion as you try to re-open your phone and hit the cancel button before the text is actually sent, but nine times out of ten you manage to hit the cancel button just after the message is sent. Megan

This haiku was my favorite because of how awkward it is. I have never actually done this, but I have sent texts to the wrong people. A regular text to the wrong person is awkward to being with so I can only imagine a dirty text accidentally sent to your mom. I found this haiku so awkward because of the permanency of it. There is no taking back that text. Just the thought of it is funny. The way the haiku was written was very successful along with the context. Jessica

we've met once before
a simple passing
we both pretend to text

Moli Copple

room full of strangers
I pretend
to text someone

Megan Vail

I like haiku because it talks about something everybody does but never really discusses. I know at least in my case, if I’m in a crowd of people I don’t know, I get my phone out and pretend to text instead of looking around and risking awkward eye contact with strangers. Kendall

I think this is amazing because this is something everyonehas done before! Everyone has walked in a room where they don’t know someone, and they don’t want to look like a lonely loser so they pull out their phones and pretend to text so they look busy and like they know something. No one wants people to know that they are uncomfortable and look dumb so they use that phone to make themselves look busy. It’s just a classic way to not look like a dork, is to use your phone. I’ve done it, I didn’t want to look like I was that girl in the corner so I pulled out my phone and pretended like I knew everyone. I just love the way it captures the awkward way you feel, because everyone’s been in this situation. Katie

naughty text sent
thirty seconds later
sorry mom . . .

we've met once before
a simple passing
we both pretend to text

naughty text sent
thirty seconds later
sorry mom . . .

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

naughty text sent
thirty seconds later
sorry mom . . .

bottom quarter champion

we say goodbye
then
walk the same way

biggest crush
goes in for a hug
for the girl behind me

we say goodbye
then
walk the same way

biggest crush
goes in for a hug
for the girl behind me

Lexie Huston

in the cafeteria
someone waves
to the person behind me

Wanda June

we say goodbye
then
walk the same way

Hailee Peck

saying goodbye
but we walk to class
in the same direction

Sendin Bajric

TOP half champion

naughty text sent
thirty seconds later
sorry mom . . .

CHAMPION

naughty text sent
thirty seconds later
sorry mom . . .
 

singing in the restroom
two feet in the stall
spotted too late

BOTTOM half champion

singing my song
into the mirror . . .
I see your reflection

Jessica Claussen

I think of a young woman, maybe 15 or 16. She lost her father very recently, which left her completely and utterly heartbroken. It’s been about 6 months, and she’s just beginning to come out of her quiet, depressed times. She’s rediscovering her passion for singing (something her father shared with her), but only in the privacy of her own bathroom where no one else can hear. She begins to sing the song her dad always sang just for her without really realizing it. As soon as she recognizes the melody, her eyes fill with tears. As she goes to rinse her face off in the sink, she sees her dad smiling in the mirror. Maybe he was the one really singing all along. Lexie

singing in the restroom
two feet in the stall
spotted too late

Eric Landgrebe

I really enjoyed this one because this is something that seems to happen to me somewhat frequently. I love singing in the shower and in the bathroom, and sometimes I’ll carelessly do this in a public restroom—only to realize that I’m not alone! This haiku really seems to capture the awkwardness of this kind of situation—its awkward both for the restroom singer, and the unsuspecting person in the stall. While being awkward and relatable, I also really like this one because it is quite humorous. The last line, “spotted too late” has a really strong voice behind it. I definitely chuckled the hardest when I read this particular haiku. Wanda

strange smells
I realize
this is the men's room

Lexie Huston

This haiku is fantastic because it has the to great elements of aesthetics (the smell of the bathroom) and awkwardness (it being the wrong bathroom). It is a beautiful intertwining of both. These two things, in my opinion, make for a fantastic haiku that really makes the reader feel in the moment, and is funny because they feel the embarrassment of the writer. Conner

early morning shower
both her towels
gone

Stefanie Davis

singing in the restroom
two feet in the stall
spotted too late

early morning shower
both her towels
gone

singing in the restroom
two feet in the stall
spotted too late

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

singing in the restroom
two feet in the stall
spotted too late

bottom quarter champion

dinner date
talking with hands
I hit the waiter's butt

dinner date
talking with hands
I hit the waiter's butt

stage kiss
with my best friend
nervous laughter

dinner date
talking with hands
I hit the waiter's butt

Courtney Gallup

first date
he asks her
to split the bill

Conner Kerrigan

at the mall
I spot my crush
I'm with my mom

Moli Copple

stage kiss
with my best friend
nervous laughter

Catherine Hixson

watching a movie
with my parents
sex scene

Catherine Hixson

I like this senryu most because it reminds me of the awkward moments with my parents while happening across a sex scene. Dad will make a big deal of it and try to cover my eyes while we change the channel or try to fast forward through the scene. But it’s too late and we all know what’s going to happen and from then on the entire movie is ruined because . . . I’m with my parents. I think it’s funny that no matter what age I am dad will always act the same on this subject. Stef

risqué scene
she quickly fast-forwards—
her father excuses himself

Elise Scannell

I really like this one because not only is it a matter in which people never talk about, but it has happened to me. That moment when you’re watching a movie you picked only to forget about the one sex scene. There’s no words exchanged between father and daughter, but you can just feel the awkward tension. That is one moment you just try to forget about, but somehow always sticks in the back of your head. Merissa

I liked the moment expressed by this haiku. I think that this is something that a lot of people can relate to which makes people feel more connected to it. I think that this haiku captures the essence of “awkward” more so than any of the others. I think any situation that involves anything risqué and parents is going to automatically be awkward. Maybe there are some people who are very open with their parents about things like that, but for the most part, I feel as if that is a topic that a lot of people try to avoid having with their parents. The best haikus are ones that capture uniquely human moments and I think that this one does that very well. Lindsay

This was my favorite haiku because it makes me laugh every time I read it. It reminds me of my Dad. Since we were little and watched Disney princess movies, every time the prince would kiss the princess, my Dad would, jokingly, turn to my sisters and I and say “close your eyes” or “don’t look”. Back then it was funny, because the cartoon were not awkward. But as we got older and starting watching romantic comedies, when that “risqué scene” comes on, we all just sit still as a rock, then my Dad will say “alright fast forward” after a few super awkward seconds. What is the most awkward though is when my Dad is not watching the movie with us, but happens to walk in on that scene. When we hear him come down the stairs, my sisters and I all just stare at each other, hoping he won’t come by the t.v. Courtney Gerk

This always seems to happen to me at the worst times. I remember this one time in particular that I was watching some movie with my girlfriend at the time and the sex scene had just started to come up. It wasn't awkward with when it was just her, but then I started to hear footsteps upstairs sounding like they were coming down the stairs. I quickly grabbed the remote and began fast-forwarding in an attempt to avoid a potential awkward moment. My dad came downstairs and began talking to us, and I moved my hand for some reason, bumping the remote over and causing it to rewind right to the middle of the sex scene. I fumble for the remote and turn off the TV trying to save any hope of making this any worse. “Well, that was awkward,” my dad replies and continues the previous conversation. It was just pinnacle awkwardness for me that night. Adam

burst of light
scurrying couple
they forgot a sock

Adam Blakey

This is my favorite pair because it’s awkward haiku about an actually awkward subject. Nobody likes to talk about sex, but it still comes up in everyday conversation quite often. I found both of these funny in their own way, and even funnier together. These two were probably the two best awkward haiku that made it onto the matching contest. In my opinion, most of the ones in the contest were cliché and lacked that special aspect that set them apart from the rest. But as for these two, they are both extremely awkward and fantastic at the same time. Courtney Gallup

moans upon moans upon moans
coming from . . .
the parent's bedroom

Sendin Bajric

risqué scene
she quickly fast-forwards—
her father excuses himself

moans upon moans upon moans
coming from . . .
the parent's bedroom

risqué scene
she quickly fast-forwards—
her father excuses himself

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

risqué scene
she quickly fast-forwards—
her father excuses himself

bottom quarter champion

hug from behind
he turns around
. . . not my father

hug from behind
he turns around
. . . not my father

make up on, hair curled, and heels
he rings the door bell
in sneakers and a t-shirt

walking into the car
mom is jamming
Too Sexy and I Know It

Sendin Bajric

hug from behind
he turns around
. . . not my father

Merissa Marx

This is one of my favorite haiku from the awkward selection. When I was trying to select a favorite awkward haiku, I thought about what elements made the best awkward haiku and realized that it is completely different from the typical haiku that we read and write. What makes a wonderful awkward haiku is when it puts the reader in the situation and can raise that awkward feeling. This haiku does that perfectly! Personally, I haven’t hugged anyone from behind that I didn’t know but I have gone up to someone who was turned around and said their name really loud—only to find out that that was not the person who I thought it was. Embarassing? Yes. Elise

This is a simple haiku that many people, including myself, can relate to. It describes an extremely awkward situation that, like a haiku, only takes a moment to experience. There is a lot of emotion in this haiku as well. It begins with love and happiness at getting the chance to surprise your father with a hug. Then there’s the excitement of waiting to see his smile when he turns around. In the last line, there is a moment of confusion with the ellipses which is finally resolved in the embarrassing realization that this person is not your father. It perfectly explains how it would feel to be in this situation. Catherine

mom says
we're moving
silence . . .

Lindsay Quick

make up on, hair curled, and heels
he rings the door bell
in sneakers and a t-shirt

Courtney Gerk

I really thought this one was awesome because the level of awkwardness when she opens the door and they stare at each other is just so great. She becomes embarrassed because she thought the date was much more important, and he gets embarrassed because he feels like he ruined it for her. I just thought it was really funny because I usually dress up nice no matter what because I'm so worried that this exact situation will happen if I don't dress nice. Sendin