Rhymes With Orange HHD: Revenge of the Structure! Clip Show! Greatest Hits!

I’m most definitely a fan of the new free-form verse/limerick/prose/haiku/song parody direction. I think it’s given everyone a number of fantastic new creative outlets depending on time & inclination, and I have been laughing hysterically each week so far.

Having said that, you can all forget about it. For just this week, we’re back to haikus.



During my extensive* research, I discovered that in English, haikus are generally accepted as adhering to the 5-7-5 syllabic format, whereas in Japanese they can pretty much be whatever the fuck you want, syllabically. The important bits in a traditional Japanese haiku involve “kigo” (a seasonal reference, where even random stuff like mentioning a frog means “springtime”), as well as “kireji” (a cutting word or phrase, usually appearing in the last line, which contrasts with the tone set by the first two lines which either juxtaposes or enhances what you were getting at with the first couple of bits). These two thematic elements are what should comprise your entries this week.

As 2-year veterans of haiku creation, we’ve all been doing this for some time, I just thought it would be interesting to address the real deal as it pertains to haiku as a poetic form. So, for this week the haiku as a poem is back, big time, and the 5-7-5 syllabic structure is off (I know this contradicts the title, but whatever), and the concentration is on the actual poetry of saying what you need to say in three independent lines, with no rhymes, and a shitload of limes.

(I just wanted that last sentence to rhyme. No limes, seriously.)

The goal here is to avoid the seductive trap of the “Sentence That Happens To Be 17 Syllables Arranged In Haiku Form.”

I went to the store
And bought a loaf of wheat bread
And paid two dollars

That don't fly.

What does fly is something like:

The spring rain of Kirk
Exhilarating, awesome
Spock’s winter logic looms



Or something like:

The rainbow
I have now tasted an entire bowl
Fuck Skittles



Or:

In a meat grinder cooked
Dylan you son of a bitch
Knock knock stick around



Those three were a preview of both where we’re going this week and what can be done with the syllables. Stick with the haiku 3-line structure, but don’t be bound by syllable count. Be Japanese. Make the poetry matter. Shoehorn, cram & crowbar your artistry into elegant, pointed phrases that complement and reward each other. Use the seasonal thing and the cutting phrase as additional limiting, and freeing, parameters.

So for the actual topics: we’ve already hit the 2 critical ones that needed revisiting (Star Wars and Video Games), so here’s a 3-fold Greatest Hits Clip Show of the topics that I found to be the most absolutest funnest for me, and the ones that I know people had more to say about:

Star Trek

Candy

80s Movies

As the Simpsons once said, “Sorry for the clip show,” but I think we need to revisit this stuff. And as the old saying goes, Let your syllables run wild and free. Stick to 5-7-5 if it’s a comfort zone. And NOTHING’S illegal – a well-tuned limerick or short story or song parody will be just fine, and judged accordingly. This season is Make Up The Rules As You Go Along Season. I just think with the multiple topics, we can all benefit from more stringent parameters. Happy Rhymes With Orange Haiku Hump Song Parody Limerick And/Or Prose Day, team! (Or RWOHHDSPLAOPD, for those needing a new Internet acronym.)


* "research" = going to the Wikipedia “Haiku” page and skimming it for like 2 minutes