Let me say a few words about Marilyn Monroe: she was born Norma Jean Baker....

[raybear]

The amount of alone-time I'm needing these past couple days is ridiculous. I'm not sure what brought this mood on though I'm not fighting it. I've managed to make contact with a few people anyway, which is good and keeping me balanced, even if I'm not necessarily in my most social mindset and probably somewhat spacey when out.

i leaned over and
whispered in your ear, she's sexy
but that's not why.


There's some program circulating around that creates a "haiku" when you plug in your username. I took the first half of what it produced, but since it didn't complete the final preposition, much less the final sentence, I changed it around to make sense.

I am bothered by a lot of people's attempts at haiku. Not that I'm some sort of expert, but that's the precise reason why I don't engage in it. First off, the topic is supposed to be about the natural world. Secondly, it's not just about 5-7-5 syllables per line -- there's supposed to be a twist. The last line is like a little audible gasp, an "oh" moment, what they call 'a leap' is made and the reader must catch up with the words. I think maybe my fake-haiku almost achieves that effect.

Here are examples from true haiku poets (and the syllables won't fit because they're translated from japanese):

Among the grasses,
A flower blooms white,
Its name unknown
-shiki

The scent and colour
Of the wisteria
Seem far from the moon.
-buson

The voice of the pheasant;
How I longed
For my dead parents!
-basho



I have this fantasy that involves lying in bed next to you...sitting upright, propped against my velvet pillow....you're next to me....we're holding books. Reading quietly together, indulging in a rare luxury. Then turning out the lights and curling up to sleep.

Comments

[lakenaiad.livejournal.com]

Oh yes yes, I know that it's not just about the 5-7-5 format, but is supposed to capture a single moment in time, a snapshot impression, etc. I don't claim to be a Haiku master or even an adept. The form doesn't even really make sense in English. I do them because I think any Haiku I write is going to be pretty funny, and because I like the linguistic challenge of trying to stick to the syllabic limit and still express a single thought as eloquently and succinctly as possible. I don't claim to succeed at this. But it's sort of like writing limericks (which I have never been very good at) - if you get it right, it's this little giggly moment of pleasure, but if you don't it's just a big thud.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

I certainly didn't mean to single you out as some sort of bastard poet! God knows I'm one myself. :) I wasn't so much meaning to criticize people who write them, just explain that it's more than just a simple 5-7-5, much like sonnets are more than just iambic pentameter and whatnot, which is why computer programs that generate them are simultaneously problematic and engaging -- obviously a math-based program won't capture the poetic aspect, but they can be useful in reworking language to inspire the brain.

I used to be pretty good at limericks, and that was before I even engaged in much dirty behavior. Perhaps I should try my hand at them now that I"m more experienced.....

[gotmce99.livejournal.com]

You DEFNITELY should! Dirty limmericks are definitely the best - I take great pleasure in writing bad ones.

mm

[lakenaiad.livejournal.com]

"Bastard Poet" is a label I wear proudly!

There once was a fey ingenue
who caused wordsmith hullabaloo.
She'd try to play poet
but invariably blow it
with bastard attempts at Haiku.

Consider thyself challenged, my young friend!!!

[lakenaiad.livejournal.com]

"Bastard Poet" is a label I wear proudly!

There once was a fey ingenue
who caused wordsmith hullabaloo.
She'd try to play poet
but invariably blow it
with bastard attempts at Haiku.

Consider thyself challenged, my young friend!!!