Friday, May 21, 2010

The Mystic Guru Which is Me

Today in English I had to write a Tanka and a Haiku. I felt like Matsuo Bashō or somebody. For you unknowing ones, a Tanka is an unrhyming poem of five lines with (in this order) five syllables, seven syllables, five, seven and seven. A Haiku is just like that except without the last two lines of seven syllables (so five, seven and five).
The Tanka I wrote (which I'm very proud of, in the way which the father of a serial murderer is proud of his serial murdering progeny) goes as follows:
Palm fronds in the wind
Swaying like silken hankies
And lots of leaves fall
From the sky like dying birds
Wind takes them to drifting graves
I thought that one was a wee bit too angsty. So I decided I would lighten the Haiku up.
Water flows like tea
Great multitudes of the stuff
Drowns many large rats
I hope I got the syllables right. Tell me if I didn't. I'm off to go have a cup of Chai tea.

7 comments:

  1. Oooh, I love haikus and tankas! *is a shameless poetry geek*

    You did very well on these, Spammy! I particularly liked the tanka's atmosphere. I like dark poetry. :D

    I really enjoyed the haike, too! That last line is a gem. :D

    I think you got the syllables right on all of them, except for the second line in the haiku. I counted eight, but I could be wrong. :)

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  2. Criminy! Typo alert: haikU (Not haike.) I really, really need to learn to type properly . . . :S

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  3. @Zella--Yikes! There are eight syllables on the second line of the Haiku! No worries, though, I'll change it to 'Great multitudes of the stuff' I think that'll work.

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  4. Spammy, Yes, that fixes it! Well done! :)

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  5. *chokes on tea* How coincidental, that I happened to be drinking tea while reading your haiku. It drowns rats, huh? *sets down tea gingerly*
    Very nice Spammy. :D

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  6. Also, I apologize for expectorating tea on this page. :S It says not to above the comments box.
    (I believe that's what that word means, no? Tea inhaled into my lungs then ending up coughed out would count, right?)

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  7. @Feathers--Expectorating just means spitting. So yes, that would count ;-(
    Thank you, anyway :S

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Please do not expectorate on this web page. Thank you.