Saturday, May 5, 2007

How many syllables?


Half full? Half empty? Tonight...I'll go with full.
Apparently I can only write on this blog thingy when I'm lying in bed with the lights off. I'm not trying to be kinky...I'm just saying. I will sit up with the lights on and nothing comes to me, but the minute I turn off my light and lie down stuff just pops into my head. I kinda feel like Pavlov's dog. Except it's not a bell, but the light switching off.
So tonight I was being schooled (that doesn't look right does it? is "schooled" a real word?) In the ways of creating a Haiku. When looking it up to make sure I understood I found a Haiku to be: a city on N Hainan island, in SE China. Then, I realized that I had been spelling it wrong, so I tried again and found it is: a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons. Hmmm...interesting. I think I can see the grandeur and artistic-ness (again..really don't think that's a word. I'm just making words up) of the Haiku. It can have a certain...
AH HELL! I JUST ACCIDENTIALLY ERASED HALF OF WHAT WAS WRITTEN AND NOW I HAVE TO TRY TO REMEMBER WHAT I HAD WRITTEN!!! AAHHH!
...it can have a certain mystic and beauty about it. But I have to say, I don't think that I'll ever be albe to do it because I have to use my fingers to count out how many syllables I'm using. Between all of the finger-fumbling and my eyes looking up and sideways because I'm trying to think, I'd probably fall off my chair. That's not very creative. So to those who can just spit out a haiku without having to use their fingers, my hat's off to you. I'm sure it is a skill I'll never acquire. So for now, I'll stick with a Tyku. I'll leave you with one. I hope this is right.
Something about a semi-truck and a stop sign
Duck runs with a bleeding leg
tequila
booze
booze
stop sign thing again
quarter
scotch in the shower
firth time for everything
Hey-ay


4 comments:

Lane said...

Here's my fav. haiku of all time:

Lane Hickenbottom.
Yeah, that's my gosh darn* name.
Lane Hickenbottom.

*edited from the original

Lane said...

oops. I didn't count. I forgot that the second line shouldn't use a contraction.

Lane Hickenbottom.
Yeah, that is my gosh darn* name.
Lane Hickenbottom

Hippie McPretty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hippie McPretty said...

Not bad at all.
Here's another interesting haiku. By the Lord Elijah Dupont,

"A ladybug in the snow,
she promised me spring,
but I did not hear."

Amanda

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