B - Brazilian Haiku and Blitz Poetry
Brazilian Haiku has the 5/7/5 syllables of Japanese haiku, but it rhymes in a pattern of
xxxxa
xbxxxxb
xxxxa
Mud
April arrived wet
The puddles gave way to mud
The dampest spring yet
The Blitz is an invented form by Robert Keim composed of 50 tediously long lines in 25 couplets. Lines are short, but at least two words (except lines 49 and 50, which will be one word), and unrhymed. It is meant to be read as a rush of phrases. After writing several of these I decided that I think they are pretty much a waste of my time. I just don't "get" the point, or see the poetry in them. Maybe you do... I also think they are much too long for what they are; they go on and on and on! The only thinking needed ("thinking" for after all, they are meant to be short bursts of thought) is to plan the ends of lines 47 and 48 so the last lines make sense. It also helps for lines 3 and 47 to sound nice together, since they will form most of the title.
Line 1 is one short, simple phrase ("sow a zinnia seed")
Line 2 is another short, simple phrase starting with the same word as line 1 ("sow it in spring")
Lines 3 and 4 are then phrases beginning with the last word of line 2 ("spring is the time of new beginnings" and "spring in my step")
Lines 5 and 6 are phrases last word of line 4 as their first words
Continue on in this fashion through line 48
Line 49 will be the last word of line 48
Line 50 is the last word of line 47
The title of the poem is the first word of Line 3, a preposition or conjunction, and the first word of line 47
No punctuation
Spring and Soil
sow a zinnia seed
sow it in spring
spring is the time of new beginnings
spring in my step
step out on the town
step out in the garden
garden of Eden
garden of earthly delights
delights the senses
delights offered freely
freely given
freely taken
taken with a grain of salt
taken more than your share
share and share alike
share a cup of tea
Tea for the Tillerman
tea for two
two cups and saucers
two walking side by side
side of the road
side of the argument
argument over nothing
argument over money
money makes the world go ‘round
money love is the root of evil
evil in the garden
evil in our hearts
hearts of gold
hearts aflutter
flutter flutter butterflies
flutter and fly
fly off the handle
fly away home
home on the range
home is where the heart is
is where our love lies
is all we treasure
treasure chest
treasure immeasurable
immeasurable wealth
immeasurable distance
distance traveled
distance covered
covered with a blanket
covered with soil
soil damp with the rain
soil warmed by the sun
sun
rain
©2021 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved
Lisa, I like The Blitz. And I am sure that it is fairly easy to write but you are right, the writing is very tedious. 200 lines!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that getting it steered to the desired ending would be the hardest part. Meaningful rhyme would be next hard.
I liked it, "freely given freely taken" can also apply to the garden of Eden.
!! HAPPY EASTER !!
..
Oh, no! Only 50! But, 50 isn't an "only" in this case.
DeleteMore interesting examples of poetry styles for consideration. The Blitz seems tedious to me. I am always up for trying new forms of haiku. For the Brazilian Haiku, I'm wondering if the last line of x's would be xxxxa because the words wet and yet rhyme.
ReplyDeletehttps://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com/
theme: Novel Research: novel - interesting, different, unusual
You are correct! Thank you for mentioning it, I just changed it.
DeleteI actually really like the blitz! Never heard about it before, but yours came out really great. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Multicolored Diary
I'm glad you liked it, even if I didn't!
DeleteBlitz is fun! Sounds like a rap song ;)
ReplyDeleteQuilting Patchwork & Appliqué
Ha! Maybe that's why I didn't like it! It would be a rap song without the obscenities!
Delete