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Where I Stand On Poetry
by A bunch of years ago now, a friend tried to convince me to broaden my definition of poetry. On the surface of things, she was slightly successful. I’d taken the position that poetry has to rhyme. I didn’t really mean that and gave her that point in my opening salvo. Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but it does have to have structure. Now, before someone gets upset and starts an angry email about free verse and how it’s the epitome of poetry, I’ll remind you that you’re entirely free to enjoy what you enjoy and use whatever definition you’d like. But you’re not going to convince me. Part of…
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Why Does the Gun Come First?
by Why does the gun Come first for some? I see a Taser and baton And Pepper spray – where have they gone? And does no one teach unarmed techniques? Are the lines so blurred? Where are the words? No thought for de-escalation Shouldn’t that be the foundation To show you care That you’re aware Of more than just the power in your hand? That you understand There are better ways to make your mark Than to crush the life from glowing sparks by
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Haiku on Friday
by So there are times when I’m a haiku addict, and while I mean more writing than reading, there are several books in the house and I have a twitter stream saved that I can skim whenever I feel the need. That stream gives me a cross section from incredible to cringe, but it’s always worth the read. Often, it gives me haiku in different languages; while I can usually work out the French ones, everything else needs a little Google Translate assist when I’m in the mood. All that said, I write a lot of haiku. It’s certainly the lion’s share of my poetry in recent years. Right now,…
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Friday Poetry
by Words strewn across a page Can capture any age Express random thoughts Show battles won or fought A moment set in time An image held in mind Encourage ideas Share hopes and dreams and fears Persuade or strike a blow Or merely say hello Any voice can be heard By simple, printed word by
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You Were Expecting Something About Bad Luck?
by Written a couple of summers back while musing on the perception of meteorology. Weather prediction Is a nasty affliction And accurate you may be But a thousand times right Drown in one rainy night And that’s all people will see by
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A Little Verse for a Friday
by Thought maybe we’d try a sonnet this week. Shakespearean, more or less, but the subject is a little less traditional. There is a place for each of you, and more In the depth of my ever-growing heart Away from prying eyes, I’ll keep you for My memories. Nostalgic, and apart From living life, each moment as I may, I will recall the times that brought me joy As well savour heartache, clutch cherished pain Each artistic scrawl and forgotten toy An instant on the path from then to now An on into the dreams and years ahead The paths you’ll take, the choices showing how You’ll walk a…
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Friday Haiku for 29 September 2017
by Rumpled grey bed sheets Drawn across the horizon Autumn rain waiting Many boxes in, Sorting through a hand of lives For held memories Numbers one to nine Scattered through eighty-one squares Sudoku eats time by
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Haiku on Friday
by Or Friday Haiku. Fri-ku, if you will. Wrapped in a blanket A warm, comfortable jail While claws are trimmed Safe inside the hide The kale begins to vanish Guinea Pig’s victim Social animals Find value in being kind So do some humans by
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Book Review: Grooks
by I finally came up with a copy of the first Grooks collection this year (and now I’m on the hunt for the third). A tiny bit of background: Piet Hein was a member of the Danish Resistance in World War II, as well as a mathematician and inventor. And a poet. Grooks started to appear in the newspaper shortly after the Nazi occupation of Denmark in 1940. They’re quick, witty, and frequently have more than one meaning if you look. The collections, this one included, are short enough to be read in one sitting if you really want to, but more fun to draw out and savour over a few…
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To Haiku or Not to Haiku?
by If it’s not the question, at least it’s a question. For reasons known to only my subconscious, I’ve been writing a lot of haiku lately, and I’ve decided to focus the efforts into a pair of poetry projects. Some of the haiku I’ve been posted, one per day, to Twitter and Facebook, under the #dailyhaiku hashtag. Yes, strictly speaking they’re not all haiku. Some are senryu, some are scifiku (or scifaiku, but I don’t think the ‘a’ is really necessary and I want to pronounce it differently), and some are, well, I’ll get to that in a minute. Crash course: Haiku = traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of…
