There once was a llama of gold
Whose image was one to behold
The bloggers did love it
And unwaveringly covet
So to the new contest entrolled
A haiku is sort-of a poem
Though many who read them don\’t know \’em
The rules are unbending
From start until ending
Just one added word and you blow \’em
And put these two in combination
And soon you have made a sensation
Just write health haikus
And aim to amuse
And you will earn gold acclimation
And now comes the part that\’s unnerving
For lots of them were quite deserving
But I\’ll end the drama
And hand out the Llama
But from what I choose I\’m not swerving
So as I present my selections
The ones who have won my affection
Look down to the bottom
That\’s where I have got \’em
I sure hope you grasp my directions
The first choice had me singing gaily
By Hillary Gorman Israeli
A Healthcare lament
To put on the vent
The system\’s survives only frailly
(1)
The second tells what may undo us
A fine haiku by Leigh St-Louis
\”Cold\” is her word
Of life uninsured
Oh how the Canadians must view us!
(2)
The third winner now I am tellin\’
A reader who\’s named Mary Ellen
A likeness so true
\’tween health and haiku
An entry that was quite compellin\’
(3)
The next is from good doctor Smack
Who showed that for shame she does lack
Those socks from the llamas
Will match my pajamas
But why not use hair from a yak?
(4)
The final haiku I\’m presenting
That Limpens gal who\’s unrelenting
She wrote a whole post
But what touched me most
The hours of a life residenting
(5)
But wait, guys, the party\’s not ending
For other gold llamas I\’m sending
To those who unswerving
Have done things deserving
And so now my rhymes are extending
A nurse named Kim got us united
A medblogger track was farsighted
She got us to Vegas
Not having to beg us
And next year you all are invited
a blogger from far away nation
made blogworld his lone destination
so bongi\’s awarded
his praise is accorded
given sans capitalization
And so now this rhyming is ended
My neruons\’ last energy spended
Now please stop your crying
And always keep trying
To win a gold llama so splendid
——————————————————–
Haiku winner #1
our healthcare system
is on a ventilator
should we pull the tube?
Haiku winner #2
can’t afford health care.
and can’t move to canada.
situation: cold.
Haiku winner #3
Healthcare like Haiku
law bound and bureaucratic
theories change, rules same
Haiku winner #4
Distractible Mind
If you send me llama hair
I will knit you socks.
Haiku winner #5
Dark when he leaves home,
Dark when he returns from work.
Resident Life.
I am afraid that these aren’t really haiku!English-language haiku consist of “three content categories”:
Nature haiku / Human haiku (senryu) / Human plus nature haiku (hybrids).
(see: E. St Jacques for more examples)
in construction:
three lines with 17 or fewer “on” (not syllables) in total.
tend to be about nature
include a kigo, or season word
serious
written in the present tense
relates a moment of discovery/surprise (the “aha!” moment):
includes a kireji (cutting word*)
*Kireji (??? cutting word) is the term for words used in Japanese traditional poetry. It is regarded as a requirement in traditional haiku.
I have been introduced to another haiku family:
HUMAN HAIKU OR SENRY?
A Japanese form of short poetry with the same structure as haiku.
include only references to some aspect of human nature (physical or psychological)
or to human artifacts
possesses no references to the natural world
has no season words
subject: foibles
darkly humorous
often cynical
Senry? Karai (????, 1718-1790) (see Haiku)
A typical example from the collection:
??? dorob? wo
?????? toraete mireba
????? wagako nari
The robber,
when I catch,
my own son
I am afraid that these aren’t really haiku!English-language haiku consist of “three content categories”:
Nature haiku / Human haiku (senryu) / Human plus nature haiku (hybrids).
(see: E. St Jacques for more examples)
in construction:
three lines with 17 or fewer “on” (not syllables) in total.
tend to be about nature
include a kigo, or season word
serious
written in the present tense
relates a moment of discovery/surprise (the “aha!” moment):
includes a kireji (cutting word*)
*Kireji (??? cutting word) is the term for words used in Japanese traditional poetry. It is regarded as a requirement in traditional haiku.
I have been introduced to another haiku family:
HUMAN HAIKU OR SENRY?
A Japanese form of short poetry with the same structure as haiku.
include only references to some aspect of human nature (physical or psychological)
or to human artifacts
possesses no references to the natural world
has no season words
subject: foibles
darkly humorous
often cynical
Senry? Karai (????, 1718-1790) (see Haiku)
A typical example from the collection:
??? dorob? wo
?????? toraete mireba
????? wagako nari
The robber,
when I catch,
my own son
Bravo!
Bravo!
Are you referring to the entrants or to my poems? I purposefully wrote limericks (llamericks), not haiku.Now, if you are talking about the entrants, you should know that I have low standards (although evidently my readers’ standards are lower).
Are you referring to the entrants or to my poems? I purposefully wrote limericks (llamericks), not haiku.Now, if you are talking about the entrants, you should know that I have low standards (although evidently my readers’ standards are lower).
I think somebody’s jealous . . .
I think somebody’s jealous . . .
So for those of us who meant to submit one but missed the deadline….when is the next haiku drive?
So for those of us who meant to submit one but missed the deadline….when is the next haiku drive?
What I find, Rob, is creative writing that encourages those of a certain age, like myself, to take things a step further! To stretch the brain, and truly write a more difficult haiku, such as the Japanese form suggests, really taxes the brain and exercises it. You can see Brain Gym being incorporated into senior’s activities, and marketing strategies.Writing limericks is fun, too, and yes, I knew that was what you had done. There are several rhyming dictionaries that help the mentally challenged, like myself!
But the haiku, or senryu is really difficult. I love trying to go one step further. Just thought I’d provide a little more information. I cannot, yet write a pure haiku, I’m still working at it. Poetry is really developing as a hobby for many. As a former elementary teacher, it is heart warming.
And, no, mary ellen, jealous? I don’t believe in awards. There are too many people working too hard every day just trying their best who never get rewarded for doing their jobs to the very best of their abilities. Single moms, people fighting physical and mental disabilities, and the working poor who try so very hard.
What I find, Rob, is creative writing that encourages those of a certain age, like myself, to take things a step further! To stretch the brain, and truly write a more difficult haiku, such as the Japanese form suggests, really taxes the brain and exercises it. You can see Brain Gym being incorporated into senior’s activities, and marketing strategies.Writing limericks is fun, too, and yes, I knew that was what you had done. There are several rhyming dictionaries that help the mentally challenged, like myself!
But the haiku, or senryu is really difficult. I love trying to go one step further. Just thought I’d provide a little more information. I cannot, yet write a pure haiku, I’m still working at it. Poetry is really developing as a hobby for many. As a former elementary teacher, it is heart warming.
And, no, mary ellen, jealous? I don’t believe in awards. There are too many people working too hard every day just trying their best who never get rewarded for doing their jobs to the very best of their abilities. Single moms, people fighting physical and mental disabilities, and the working poor who try so very hard.
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