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

Comments

  1. 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!!
    It 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 !!
    ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, no! Only 50! But, 50 isn't an "only" in this case.

      Delete
  2. More 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.

    https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com/
    theme: Novel Research: novel - interesting, different, unusual

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are correct! Thank you for mentioning it, I just changed it.

      Delete
  3. I actually really like the blitz! Never heard about it before, but yours came out really great. :)

    The Multicolored Diary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you liked it, even if I didn't!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Ha! Maybe that's why I didn't like it! It would be a rap song without the obscenities!

      Delete

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