Fastest Time To Compose A Sestina

India

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Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India / September 17, 2026

Ael, a young poet from Chennai, India, composed a complete sestina on a phone in 5 minutes and 54.18 seconds. A sestina is a demanding 36-line form in which six end words rotate through six stanzas in a fixed pattern; here the words were stone, river, hand, bird, salt and light, pulled from a Google search moments before the clock started. The unedited screen recording shows every line typed live under an on-screen stopwatch, from the first keystroke to the final word, "stone." That is a tricky form to finish in under six minutes, let alone with a stopwatch running.

Tags: speed, writing, typing, literature, poetry

Rules

- The poem must be an original sestina composed live: six six-line stanzas (36 lines), with no envoi
- End words must follow the traditional sestina rotation (123456, 615243, 364125, 532614, 451362, 246531); minor variants such as plurals are accepted
- The six end words must come from an outside source, such as a Google search, immediately before the attempt; no lines may be prepared in advance
- The timer starts at the first keystroke and stops when the last word of line 36 is typed, and must be visible on screen throughout
- Typing on a phone or a computer is allowed
- Minor typos are allowed if the intended text is clear; a wrong or missing end word disqualifies the attempt
- Must provide one continuous, unedited screen recording
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