It's lonely in here. :(

I could pass on a poem or two from William Crustacean if you like while I'm working.

As Dave Rubach said of William Crustacean, the problem with him is that he doesn't know what poetry's for.

He's in a 'haiku' period at the moment.

Mr Crustacean
writes extremely strange haikus
about cows and whales.



..........................................................................................

That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

Gutteral nonsense
Is the usual result
Of English haiku.

(William Crustacean, 'The Collected Poems of William Crustacean, self published).

Haikus are funny
Especially if they are
About marshmallows.



:--

Do something pretty while you can...

A cow kicked my leg.
I wasn't very happy.
Now it's a sandwich.

(William Crustacean, 'The Collected Poems of William Crustacean, self published).

As yet I don't know what he thinks about marshmallows.

MissP, get in here!

A field full of flax,
The sky on the ground:
Sussex in Summer.

Much nicer than William C, indeed very evocative, I like it;

but if intended to be haiku must be 5-7-5.

I didn't say I'd done a good haiku, just a haiku; I'm just trying to destroy WC's reputation a bit more, whereas yours rises.

Go '5 - 7 - 5'
If you want to write 'haiku';
All there is to it.

'Five and seven and five,
The words fall into lines;
Is this better form?'

Thanks for the clarification. When I looked for a definition of 'haiku' while originally working on the verse about the flax (several years ago...) I found several conflicting definitions, one of which (IIRC) suggested that as the rules about what could be used as a syllable weren't the same in English as in Japanese trying to stick rigidly to the Japanese pattern needn't be absolutely required, but as the Encylcopaedia Britannica agrees with you about 5-7-5 I'll try to follow that pattern henceforth.
It's been quite a few years since I actually attended any classes about the English language, however, and I'm not actually sure about what does count as a syllable for poetic purposes... Is the presence of at least one vowel (implied, even if not actually written) absolutely required? Do I recall correctly that a terminal letter 's' (as in 'flowers') counts as a syllable in its own right? And that although all of the vowels in the word 'ground' belong with the initial consonants the terminal "_nd" also counts as a full syllable? If so then...

'Fields of flax,
The sky upon the ground;
A Sussex summer.'

Or, if "ground" counts as just one syllable rather than as two...

'Fields full of flax,
The sky is upon the ground;
A Sussex summer.'

Now you need Violet or an Eyrie, I think.

You're an incomparably better poet than WC (though of course I denigrated the WC version of LOTR and you liked it!) but a formula is a formula.

I am so pedantic today ---

Ok, let me try...

William Crustacean
Would be very much improved
By melted butter

Sounds like one of his, but he hasn't the sense of humour to make himself the victim. Remember the virtual marshmallows --- the book is the next best thing to me in a chat room --- !!!

Started book this morning before work. Looking good so far...

Gets better as it goes. Book one was a rushed skit. But fun. Met any penguins yet?

Simon did a thread called 'About the Nextarillion' entries in which will always get my attention quick, but it's so full of long waffle by me and other Tolkien afficionados that it may take about a minute to load ---

More about the Nextarillion?

No penguins yet, alas. Just loads of cats.

I know just where you are then. Which is more than I can say for those cats at the moment. You're waking me up again ---

Sleeeeeep Dave. Sleeeeeeep.

Cheeeese cake ---