Dating dispatches en haiku (5–7–5 syllables) and long form prose to remind you that you don’t need a better half — you are whole.

Dating dispatches en Haiku

Anonymous · honest · yours

Sent me a short film
Sultry short rib; polenta
Thought it would be porn
· · ·
San Francisco
Almost 40 man
To clown conventions he went
Awkward hug goodbye
· · ·
San Francisco
Sandhurst officer
Took me to Churchill Arms but
Not my Prince Harry
· · ·
London
Shroom risotto din
Milanese, chez moi, chef’s kiss…
Arrivederci
· · ·
San Francisco
Hockey player Tim
Would weigh his sweet potatoes
Go Blackhawks, Go Bears
· · ·
Chicago
Le-wis, not Lu-izz
Wore cargo shorts and sexted
Hot — what could have been
· · ·
Blazer slacks, we back
Members like to treat their guests
Every bone says NO!
· · ·
Left my place on foot
Fifty-two minutes it took
Yes, from door to door
· · ·
Fast cars, bad cologne
Sancerre and homemade cookies
Kept that recipe
· · ·
Two weeks in Bhutan
Am I floaty or jet-lagged?
Chopstick fiasco
· · ·
Why did I bring him
To Sicily with my fam
Called me baby: ICK
· · ·
Online advert this
Real-life experience that
Still, giggles prevailed
· · ·
New hot spot in town
Can men ever ask questions?
Well, that was racist
· · ·
Pasta for date two
We have to get a bottle
Wait, it's your birthday?
· · ·
Kissed in hipster frat
Went to pee, forgot his room
Thank god, was rescued
· · ·
Disarming questions
Catholic supermodel
Waitress on shoulders
· · ·
Flying to Paris:
Ill-advised pre DTR
Even if he's “fun”
· · ·
Seafood allergy
Chose a sushi restaurant
More fish in the sea
· · ·
Posh British accent
Primrose Hill makeout on roof
To his mom's surprise
· · ·
He drank my water
Changed his clothes in car before
Seeing full picture
· · ·
Name my five best friends
Could not do it, but great date
One seven courses
· · ·
Eight AM, I'm late
Looks and says perfect timing
Giggles at coffee
· · ·
What pace do you like
Walking? Fast. Dating you? Slow.
Small peck as he leaves
· · ·
Pent up excitement
Yet I cringe when he tells me
I want more kisses
· · ·
Two hours, felt like ten
Captain of conversation
Pencil in mid-June
· · ·
Kiss to say hello
Disconnected at dinner
Kiss to say goodbye
· · ·
Was this a meeting?
Cashmere blazer, corner booth
Can't sleep, on cloud nine
· · ·
Parked his electric
Unicycle then ordered
A jello shot. Cute.
· · ·
San Francisco
Ultra runner doc
Had sisters—a trait we love
Yet left me unread
· · ·
San Francisco
Set timer for non
Verbal communication
Awkward on date one
· · ·
San Francisco
A Napa picnic:
River Rob got so wine drunk
Down for the count. Grass.
· · ·
Napa, CA
Coffee date at 8
Asks about my high school sex
life while in spandex
· · ·
Chose a sushi place
With fluorescent lighting and
played footsie with me
· · ·

Looking for long form?

Be Your Own Boyfriend Dinner for One Time Well Spent Il Était Une Fois Elle Me Dit Manifesto

5 · 7 · 5

What is a Cinq Sept Cinq?

Cinq Sept Cinq, or five seven five, are the syllables in a haiku. Il était une fois (once upon a time…) two best friends living in different cities started a shared note of haikus about their dates. Literary constraint became a creative and cathartic act — honest and humorous vignettes of what it’s like to date in your mid thirties. They had so much fun writing the haikus and sharing the stories behind them that they decided to soft launch it to the internet. This, dear reader, is Cinq Sept Cinq, and you are cordially invited to participate.

Note: the dispatches are all anonymous, submitted via our site and approved by our editors in chief. Eventually, we’ll invite people to submit multiple haikus that chart the course of a relationship. But for now, we’re sticking to one hit wonders.

Read our full manifesto →