Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion

I usually write them as a four-line stanza of alternately rhyming iambic tetrameter verse, with a couple of anapestic feet thrown in, then rearrange it into two stanzas of 5-7-5 verse.

Belly, is quite obvious I am not an adherent to the arbitrary rules of the poetry police de jour.

However, I have with perhaps a perversity or iconoclasm, taken the stance that the free and easy beauty of many of these pieces aligns with Zen spirit. Especially the incorporation of humour.

And while most of what is written here is indeed senryu, there is the odd bit of Haiku here and there.

passed the buck


there is an artist
whose madness will bend his thoughts
towards photographs
of what will one day become
the past he renounced.

Thank you, Belly.

sad yet very nice, Guy :)

Madness will consume
You, if you look far into
the eyes of haiku

Thank you, Leslie. Odd, sometimes the sad ones are the fun ones to write.

Nice Zack. And undoubtedly true. I have been tagged as mad. Take that as a cautionary tale.

Thanks Guy, and duly noted. Although, I expected nothing less from a goat loving Frenchman. Lol

LoL! :-)

I've been meaning to post this, but have forgotten to with all of the haiku hilariousness. If anyone is interested in going to Mars, figuratively, you can enter into a contest to have your haiku sent in your name, forever immortalizing you on the red planet. Only 3 will be chosen, but all participants will have their names follow along with the winners. Contest ends on July 1st, and judging starts on the 15th of the same month. Here's the link, good luck pirates! http://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/goingt...

This thread just goes from strength to strength-hats off to each of you.

Great post, Zack-what an interesting competition. Thanks :)

Her eyes are moonlight-
flooded rooms I wander in
dim, unsettled dreams.

She Sells Sea Shells


In her moonlit dreams
I meander like one lost
to the expanse of her.
I look to find my own ground
but in all I see is sea.

Haha, Zack, I didn't know that anyone else knew about that! I've been debating on whether or not I should join.

You guys, all of your haiku's/senryu/tanka or whatever you want to call them are amazing! I'd contribute, but I'd feel inferior.

So your haikus are good enough for Mars, but not us? [Sad face emoticon]

?

Kat, if I made a disparaging comment like that about myself, you’d have a talk with me. There’s nothing wrong with your writing! Report to Guy at once for disciplinary action Jungian analysis.

LoL! Yes, as if that would do any good.

That’s what all the contemporary, “cookbook” psychologists say about it.

Haha, Zack, that's exactly what I'm debating; whether my haiku are actually good enough for Mars.

Ahaha, you're too funny, M! I know there's nothing wrong with my writing, but I'm feeling too sick to actually write haiku, whether good or bad.

And Guy, what does that mean?

Kat! There's no such thing as inferior when it comes to writing, so go to your room and reflect on it young lady..just kidding :)

Your writing is excellent and I admire what you've written. I'm still looking forward to reading the entire story of Kirilee :)

Leslie, you crack me up! Haha. If you want to, you can inbox me your email and I can send you the new version of Fire Touched (what I've written.)

Kat wrote: "..And Guy, what does that mean? ..."

Not much, beyond my being wholly inadequate to be the administrator of either discipline or Jungian anything. I'll fake a dream analysis now and then, but that's about it.

And that my telling you you are a sharp and intelligent writer is likely to be enough to convince you otherwise.

Hey look! The message said that it was message "4646!"

Haha! Great.

Whoa. Wait. Now it's different.. :P

His horse's back screams
The spine, the spine! He cries out,
"Wilbur! How much longer?"

Belly, it reminded me of Aliens :)

spinal floss ain't fun
but beats brushing-dental tips
from the horse's mouth

Piano Scene


This is Spinal Tap
"Lick My Love Pump" and crank it
up to eleven

I believe in you
You can do it if you try
Leader of the pack

awwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwww :(

Believe and it will
happen. Cheers will start rolling.
Go, go, Captain Al!

Sorry, can't come up with something better lol

Exclamation point!
We both knew you could do it
Frank seems like an @$$

lol

Ryan wrote: “spinal floss ain’t fun
but beats brushing-dental tips
from the horse’s mouth”

She thought the pepper
mill a loss, then saw she’d left
the mill on the floss.

LOL!

Good morning, Guy!

Hello M!
How was your busy weekend?

Unexpectedly pleasant, and now I’m in the blissful tranquility of the Tuesday after . . . How was yours?

Busy! Also pleasant in ways I had not been expecting. The Haiku thread has been smoking hot, lately! So much fun to read.

Sigh! I am now feeling the work pile's siren's call. Will stop in intermittently.

Very nice, M.

a determined thief
flood water steals everything
but their last embrace

Wow, Ryan! Each line encloses a concept or an image or both, so the lines combine for a polished and powerful overall effect. In that way, it reminds me of your Dorian/Lydian haiku from a while back.

Thank you, M. I've recently been reading an excellent book - '575' by one, Belly Peterson. Hopefully, between the, chuckles, awe and big belly-laughs, some wisdom has also managed to sneak my way...

Thanks, Belly. As above and yes, you are correct. I rushed in as I wanted to link it to M's clever use of 'The Mill on Floss'. On reflection, 'determined' was what I was really after.

The Eternal Struggle


embracing the thief
the light admits the darkness
to govern the night

biding for prospect
feigning its disadvantage
returning twice bright

Belly wrote: “Yes, nicely done, Ryan. Also, ‘determined’ is a better word choice. ‘Wanton’ wasn't quite right. I believe you had ‘wanton’ there and then edited it. Right?”

I disagree. Wanton means “maliciously cruel,” among other things. It does a less bloodless job than determined of describing the flood water, describes it in a multifaceted way, and is a more colorful word.

This is my attempt to follow Zack’s.


Inked serpentine lines
trail their darkness on vellum:
my father’s drawings.

A torn-down building
merely dreams an afternoon’s
corridors of light.

Perfect, M! Such strong imagery. Love it.

ghosts roaming hallways
whisper thoughts of lost grandeur
beneath a slate sky

my father's castle
lies undefended and dark
- an empty chalice

Thanks, Ryan!

On the other hand, Belly, I may be entirely off base. I seem to have been born in left field.

What intrigues me about some of the poems I read is the use of implication, by means of concrete images, to deliver the story or situation presented by the poem. To me, poetry written that way is powerful. I don’t find it easy to write, though, and I don’t see much of it. Jim Agustin is a natural practitioner of it.

Good morning gents. Great greeting to my morning scone and coffee. Well done.

Good morning, Guy (although it has just ticked over midnight here...). Have a great day!

LoL! This is very funny Al!