Creative Writing - Phase Five
If there is anything this week that prompts you to write something, please tag me so I can come take a read, if you would please. With that said, then class is now in session.
... and so we begin.
Haiku’s – Poetry & Prose
With poetry, you can describe all your sorrows and desires, compose your passing thoughts, and with it, the belief in some sort, or form of beauty; and describe all those things with loving, quiet, yet humble sincerity, and express yourself by the simplest of things such as your own environment, images from your dreams, memories stored away, to something as small as seeing a bird in flight, or an ocean wave crashing over rocks or rolling up and over a sandy beach and retreat ever so silently.
There are many forms of poetry to choose from and learn to understand. For the sake of time, we shall talk about a few here. First, the Haiku.
Haiku comes from a “first verse” called hokku; they often look incomplete as they originate from a linked verse poem where the second verse finishes the first verse. They have a special place in the multi-poet, multi-linking verse poem known as Renga, or Renku, that enjoyed a renaissance in 17th-century Japan.
By the time of Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), the hokku had begun to appear as an independent poem and was also incorporated in haibun (a combination of prose and hokku), and haiga (a combination of painting with hokku). In the late 19th century, Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902) renamed the standalone hokku to haiku.
Why is Haiku so important? It is one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry. ... Most haiku poems contain themes that are simple to understand but give the reader new insight into a well-known experience or situation. The modern form of haiku dates from the 1890s, and is developed from earlier forms of poetry, hokku and haikai.
A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression.
Here are a few examples:
Rain washes lovers,
And they frolic unashamed,
Real love has no shame.
Heartbeats sing as one,
we feel the quiet music,
our medley of love.
Water softly runs,
and at the edge where land meets,
a fawn sips, wide-eyed.
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Next, we will explore couplets. This is also considered as part of the prose family.
Couplets are set in two-line stanzas. They are generally a minimum of four to complete a piece, and they have no maximum.
Here is an example:
Surrounded
What do you do
when the end is almost over?
What do you say
when all the words have gone away?
What do you dare
when feeling is drained from your soul?
What do you want
for that last second of life?
Who are you
when even you cannot remember?
When did all this begin
and when will it all end?
What was that solitary moment
that altered time’s passage?
Why did things go so wrong;
you feel surrounded by emptiness?
In this piece, I specifically wanted to use the who, what and when aspect where each brought about a non-conclusive question leading to another. You can also do this yourself when experimenting with words.
This couplet, no matter where you read it, is left open-ended. You can do it this way or set couplets to conclusions on a good note for the reader, such as this one.
There Was
Only one beginning when God created the world,
when he created man and woman.
Only one God, one Jesus,
but billions of wanna-be’s.
Only one us,
but even us, doesn’t last forever.
But it is the end of the world,
only as I know it.
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There are also formula pieces that require some thought. Here are two different variations.
The first I call:
A Cryptic Poem
Never accept
except
when asked
asked by whom
whom no one knows
knows what
what are you talking about.
I will never tell you.
Never.
That one holds no punctuation except the last three lines, yet each line connects in a cryptic form of explanation, with the end stand-alone line leaving the reader to ponder over any form of mystery or message that may be underneath the content. But is there a mystery there? What do you see from reading this yourself?
This next one can either be the hardest or easiest form to write. Many have been written by Prosers here. It is called an Acrostic. Take any word and write a piece that will encompass that word in your prose.
This is called:
A Greeting
Honoring the traditional greeting,
Engaging in the simple form of speech,
Let the meeting of each letter begin,
Lest we forget that very first word,
Of which begins each line you read.
And if you did read the first letter to each line, then I can but say, “Hello.”
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This is something I have enjoyed doing many times over, and it is also a great way to become familiar with your Dictionary and/or Thesaurus. I call it Alphabet Poetry, but in fact it is known as free-thought verse. The difficulty scale is much higher than normal free verse.
I have done all 26 letters of the alphabet this way.
As with the two examples below, create a piece based on any single letter of the alphabet. The prime challenge is to have 10 lines, between 18-25 words, which includes the title.
From beginning to end, every word starts with the same letter and should connect making perfect sense.
Therefore, you need to be familiar with your Dictionary and Thesaurus. In doing these, this will also help you to extend your vocabulary knowledge and usage.
Writing with W’s
Wages wagered,
wasted wantonly.
Wealth’s weariness
weaves weird welcome’s.
Weighing welchers
whining whispers,
wishy-washy wisecracks
withstanding world woe;
watcher winners, win.
Running R’s
Romance runs rampant,
reacting readily,
realizing reality,
recalls rectitude;
reflecting romantic
reincarnations,
resounding respect,
riding rhythm’s riches,
remembered.
If nothing else, these are good writing exercises to help you think before you simply jot down a few words. It allows you to ponder and think more heavily (or lightly) when starting any piece of work.
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Next is the Sonnet, or “Sonetto”, an Italian word meaning, “a little sound or song”. A sonnet is a poem, often a love poem, of 14 rhyming lines. The origin makes sense, since the Italian poet Petrarch developed the first sonnets. But the sonnet form we are most familiar with today is Shakespearean.
This is a classical form that has been used for centuries and is well used to this day as rhyme; but understand, not every piece written today is done in rhyme. Rhyme is left mainly to song lyrics, rap music, and greeting cards. But a bit later, we will get into a formula of rap poetry but in a different context than what you may have learned, or you think you know.
Here is one sonnet, written in a 14-line poem and adheres to a tightly structured thematic organization. Most sonnets are considered almost Shakespearean by nature. Watch how, as you read, this piece begins with a question, then proceeds to answer it in the lines that follows. This is by William Shakespeare. (Not one portion of spelling or grammar have been altered)
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May.
And summer’s lese hath all to short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
By they eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,
Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest.
So long as men can breath or eyes can see,
So long lives this and gives life to thee.
Notice if you will, how the couplets are entwined and how the quatrain follows accordingly (a quatrain is a stanza or poem consisting of four lines that follow one another)? Also note, each line begins with a capital letter, which also, in this day and age, is not always done and/or required (usually requested by publishers of literary magazines); the same hold true with rhyme.
Take out some time for yourself, to write your own sonnet. Each sentence: 10 syllables. Try the first sentence as a place you know well. Connect the second line and continue to write of this place you know. The third line: what is it you are trying to say about this place, and a fourth line: try to make the last word rhyme with the last word in sentence two. If that isn’t possible, try changing words until the last words of lines 2 and 4 rhyme.
Remember, the sonnet is 14 lines, so the next set of four, lines 6 and 8 should rhyme. The next set, 10 and 12 should rhyme. The final two lines 13 and 14 must rhyme. As you write about this place, ask yourself why you picked it, why is it interesting.
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Onward and upward and now a little bit of rap.
A little history.
In the 1970’s, inspired by DJ Kool Herc (One of the first rappers at the beginning of the hip hop period), Afrika Bambaataa created a street organization called Universal Zulu Nation, centered around hip hop as a means to draw teenagers out of gang life, drugs and violence.
The first hip hop record is widely regarded to be The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”, from 1979. However, much controversy surrounds this assertion as some regard “King Tim III (Personality Jock)” by The Fatback Band, which was released a few weeks before “Rapper’s Delight”, as a rap record. (I put this here because controversy is part of what writing is about.)
Gangsta Rap: The genre evolved from hardcore rap into a distinct form, pioneered in the mid-1980s by rappers such as Schoolly D and Ice-T, and was popularized in the later part of the 1980s by groups like N.W.A.
These are a few of the innovators who made rap what it has come to be today: The musical innovations of pioneering rappers, such as Run DMC, LL Cool J, Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Queen Latifah, helped spark the fire for rap to grow into the hot genre that it is today. Browse through a collection of famous rappers who have influenced the hip-hop scene.
As you have read, rap alone is closely recognized by the music industry and has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 45 years. Rap has rhythm, but it also has a story to tell, and that story is what you create, what you want it to become. Going into the 21st Century, rap has had a major influence on young people and those up into their thirties to even forties. But it isn’t because of rap music itself, but primarily because of how and what the writer exposes in words, and its rawness of generations past, and of the now, and for those here to fight the good fight.
You may be scratching your head asking yourself, so what’s the difference between hip-hop and rap. One common understanding is that hip-hop is a culture, and rapping is one of four elements contained therein—the others being break-dancing, DJing and graffiti. Today, with the other elements not appearing as prominently as they once did, it’s been easy to combine the two together.
Herein is the best version I could come up with on my own.
I Ain’t What I Am Not
I am a marked man,
until the day I die,
I never asked for this
but I’ll always ask myself why
I let myself go as far as I did,
when could have been stopped,
and said I ain’t gonna take it,
you can’t make me break it
for I’m a man tool proud to lay down,
so leave me alone, don’t come back around
and let me live my life as I was born,
seething inside with a flaming scorn;
hating the haters who think they know,
and they don’t have the money for another blo’,
but I keep up the façade I have written,
lust for the lie has been all but bitten,
greed makes a killer of us all,
and it’s just a matter of time,
when we all take that final fall,
but I’m tellin’ you like I’m standin’ here,
of death I have no fear,
but it be the livin’, doin’, and bein’
that scares me the most;
and when judgement day hits,
I welcome the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Rap poetry and music is about pace and timing. Here, you find several commas to give a slight pause (think 1,001, 1,002 etc.). Rap poetry is read quickly with an evocative voice, one of power and emotion, even anger if called for to bring out the expression of the piece.
Rap poetry is often read at poetry slams/jams, and refers to popular cultural areas like music, politics, war, discrimination, and a variety of other emotional concerns.
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Another form of poetry is story prose. Think of it as if reading a story to yourself. You can also call this descriptive dialogue as well. Pieces such as these are fun and entertaining and can often draw out many forms of story prose from your memories or current settings.
Story prose is also considered free verse. For the sake of being different, there are no capital letters anywhere in the following piece, which is also an acceptable formula.
i been to heaven
en i jest got back from there,
well, ’bout a hunnert years or so;
ya ’see, i kain’t member the before,
en i only knows i been to heaven,
for the bible tells me so.
i lived me a good life,
had nine chill’ren and a fine wife,
did what the bible said to do,
work hard, raise crops,
raise family, en praise heaven.
every sunday we have family night,
read the gospel en keep our faith tight,
fo’ it tells me to do what’s right,
en believe in the lord,
en stay filled with the spirit of the word.
years have come en gone,
chill’ren growed, the mrs.;
well, she’s gone on,
but i knows i see her soon;
for my time’s a-comin’, sunday, high-noon.
en somewhere out there with days yet to be,
i’ll be back to do it all again;
and some things ain’t gonna be the same,
but living the word on this here earth,
makes me proud I been to heaven.
This next one is free prose with and without rhyme.
No Cross to Bare
I do not bleed as did He.
I wear not thorns that scar.
I have no one to weep for me.
I have no scornful mocking’s.
I am not as strong as He,
nor will I ever be.
My pain is from a different sin.
His was love for humanity.
Mine, the love of a woman.
I have wronged
and been wronged.
I have caused suffering
and have suffered.
What is the plight of my hell?
Surely heaven will hold me
and friends will thus greet me.
All I have done will be forfeit;
for in the long run,
His strength sees me through.
If heaven closes before me,
I hope someone will know that I tried.
Tried to be right.
Tried to keep honor.
Tried to love.
Those are my sins, my scars.
If turned away,
I will fight away the flames from hell.
My courage and faith will be all I have left.
If you notice with this one, the intermingling of two separate thought patterns conjoined. He, as in Jesus, of course, and the self and what they feel and wondering what Jesus may have felt when crucified.
This is one of the things I love about free prose, it allows you to explore a wide range of possibilities in your writing.
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Next is what is known as a Tritina. I have found this to be one of the more difficult pieces to write as it takes a great deal of thought and patience. The lines are grouped into three tercets and a concluding line. Hence, a Tritina has ten lines.
The final movement comes from repeated end words. Here, you will learn a simple format of 1-2-3, 3-2-1, and 2-3-1.
The following, written by Jackson Taylor is: Give, Give Until You Say Goodbye.
The home I left beloved, was beloved. (1)
An apartment with windows on three sides. (2)
Eighteen! My first home! Lucky! New York City! (3)
I took her into the view of the city. (3)
At twenty-three, lustful and blind besides. (2)
Tasting love, cutting keep, your beloved. (1)
Marriage so deep it gripped my hot insides. (2)
A couple, now one, forever our city. (3)
One home, one lease, one love, my beloved. (1)
Beloved sides of this city, I love. (1, 2, 3)
But this portioned love, and now no longer young. (1)
She stole east and I went west.
Two sides, our beloved city in between. (2, 3)
I added the last stanza to this just to see how the relationship would work.
As you can see from the original, the tenth line in this Tritina, has the end words again back in original order.
A single line can be long as you want,
choosing ten syllables or shorter words.
Procrastinate or hesitate, which one?
(Each of the three lines are 10 syllables in length.)
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Now, we move on to the last one.
The following can always be a fun one to do. The Pyramid Poem or an alliteration.
Technically, A pyramid poem is a sound poem of four lines where the first line has one word, the second line two words, and so on. Each word in the poem must begin with the same sound.
For example:
Pepper
Pickled Pepper
Picked Pickled Pepper
Picked Pickled Pepper Pecks
But, in this case, I would like you to try something slightly different (and no, I’m not saying not to do the one above. Though I encourage you to give it a try.)
Write a poem that is ten lines long, not counting the title. The first line begins with 10 syllables, and one less syllable for each line afterward until the last line is one syllable. You should have a total of 55 syllables when completed.
Here is an example:
Listen
Hear the winds as they blow across mountains,
listen closely to rivers and streams,
their surface glistening like silver,
as the sun shines, giving life,
as nature’s wildlife stirs;
no man-made sound heard,
but the world wakes,
in pureness,
constant,
love.
What makes this particularly interesting, is that if you read it from the bottom to top, you get a whole different poem.
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I leave you this:
Constant Poet
When words are connected,
explaining what is;
each reader becomes involved
in understanding the what if.
Is and if,
small words,
both, attached to dreams, to hopes;
allowing possibilities to open new worlds.
What is to dream, is to hope.
If dreams fade,
if hope, destroyed,
possibilities are destroyed.
Is and if,
powerful words.
Continue forth constant poet,
Continue, and become.
Take a listen to Robert Frost’s: The Road Not Taken: https://youtu.be/ebfcZTl-uys