The Air in Me Blows In Devilish Ways

The Air in Me Blows in Devilish Ways

Wow! This has been a busy week…so before we move forward we need to step back to the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago I issued a challenge for readers to submit a Senryu in the typical 5-7-5 form with thoughts about the outcome of the George Zimmerman trial and honestly the response was enough to take my breath away, not. In truth I had two responses which are posted below.

The first response came from Darnell Rudd Mandleblatt from Eugene, Oregon and she sent the following:

American Way?
See strangers as dangerous?
So embarrassing!

Darnell Rudd Mandelblatt

Thanks Darnell, your poem is indeed thought provoking.

Our next offering also came from Eugene and before you purists get the hairs on the back of your neck all brittle I’ll say at the get-go, that this is not a Senryu, it does not meet the 5-7-5 form, but, I believe it still carries a strong message, besides that, the contributor is my sister and she said if I don’t post it, she’ll see that I’m written out of the family will.

How do we understand
when a young teen walks into a store
with a hooded sweat shirt, and does not return home?

Where is the justice?

Kay Loe

Thanks Kay, I think many others may be asking the same question. Oh, before I forget, the check is not in the mail.

Again, thanks to Darnell and Kay.

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Now let’s talk about last week’s blog.

I received several comments about last week’s blog, most quite favorable, one not so much. Thanks to those who are weekly finding favor with this effort, I’m having a ball. This blog is growing every week with new readers.

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Over the summer I have been introduced to several sites where the writing process is taught, encouraged and provides avenues for you to grow, no matter how long you’ve been at it.

The first on my list is an organization located here in Portland, Oregon called The Attic Institute, a place where writing in all genres are shared and taught. In addition, The Attic has been opening their doors the first Friday of each month with open Mic. readings, which I have attended and have been able to read some of my work.

My thanks to The Attic Institute for the fine work you do. You can find The Attic Institute online at http://atticinstitute.com/

The other resource I was just introduced to by me friend Larry is a neat little web site called Narrative Magazine. These folks provide information on writing of all styles and can be quite helpful. You’ll find them at http://narrativemagazine.com … check them out.

The last site I want to recommend to anyone that is a part of the LGBT Community,... you need to know about Lambda Literary…this web site features writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories, and a host of other forms. Some of these writers are folk that I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing on KBOO-FM. To find out more go to www.lambdaliterary.org

~~~

The next time we get together I’ll introduce you to a writer by the name of Andrea Hollander, a truly gifted poet.

Until then thanks for hanging out with me and for reading my blog.

Dan

The Air in Me Breathes The Beauty of Cinquain

The Air I Breathe Includes Cinquains

I am one day late in posting this week's blog...but the dog ate my homework.

The art of writing Cinquains is taught in many school systems from about middle school all the way up through college but sadly has lost a lot of steam over the years. Here’s hoping we can stir the air to revive this beautiful form of writing.

Before we get to the rules, here is just a little history. Cinquain is pronounced ‘sin-kane’ not ‘sin-kwane’ and has been used for hundreds of years, starting in Europe where writers like sixteenth and seventeenth-century poets such as Sir Philip Sidney, George Herbert, Edmund Waller, and John Donne frequently employed the form, creating numerous variations. *

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www.poets.org has a more complete history of early cinquain writing.

Edgar Allen Poe employed cinquain in his writing with much success then about 100 years ago an American Woman by the name of Adelaide Crapsey created the American Cinquain using the following criteria. Miss Crapsey designed American Cinquain after the Japanese form of Haiku and Tanka.

THE RULES OF A CINQUAIN

According to www.poetry4kids.com “there are only three rules for writing cinquain

There are actually many different ways to write a cinquain, so I’m just going to teach you how to write a traditional cinquain, as it was defined by the poet who invented it.”

These are the rules:

1.    Cinquains are five lines long.

2.    They have 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second, 6 in the third, 8 in the fourth line, and just 2 in the last line.

3.    Cinquains do not need to rhyme, but you can include rhymes if you want to.

Now that you have a little history and know the rules to writing cinquain, I want to introduce you to Eileen Grantors, author of 7 books; her latest is titled “The Pinata-Maker’s Daughter”. Eileen has provided us with three cinquains that tells a brief story, makes us smile and adheres to the three simple rules of writing cinquain.

Puppies

Chubby butts,

So silly, naughty,

Fall asleep mid-play,

Luvies.

Ocean

Blue, eternal

Roaring, crashing, foaming,

At high tide or low,

Power.

Bird song

Caw, coo, whistle,

Wake up, morning is here,

Listen to all who sing along,

Freedom.

My thanks to Eileen for helping us see how easy it is to write this ancient form of poetry.  I would hope that you would be inspired to write your own cinquain. It takes practice but you can do it.

If you would like to read more of Eileen’s work, some of her short stories and poetry can be found at www.authorsden.com.

I hope we’ve stirred the air in you to write your own cinquain.

Next week I’ll post the response to last week’s challenge to write a 5-7-5 senryu around your thoughts regarding the outcome of the George Zimmerman trial.

As always thanks for reading The Air in Me

The Air in Me Releases Pain

The Air in Me Releases Pain

As I wrote in my blog last week the art of writing Haiku and Senryu are bound only by 17 syllables, nature and the human heart. Writing Haiku is about the wonders of nature and all its inhabitants.

On the other hand writing 17 syllables about the human condition; and all of its fickleness, flirtations and foibles end up on the page being called Senryu. Senryu, as it is described at the website http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv4n3/senryu/senryu.html is more than satirical writing but it reaches into the human heart to reveal pain, heartbreak, love, loss of love and many more emotions.

Below you will find a Senryu I wrote that depicts the vision of a young woman I sat across from on the bus. This young woman was visibly upset and I kept that vision in my head long enough to get home so I could put pen to paper.

~~~

Young Woman Alone

Young woman alone

Inked tears trail from swollen eyes,

Permanent stains stay.

~~~

To get a deeper sense of what Senryu writing is all about visit http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv4n3/senryu/senryu.html where you’ll find many Senryu that covers a long list of human emotions.

Now, let’s have a little fun.

I am issuing a challenge for you to write a Senryu and send it to me. I’ll even help with the theme.

There has been an awful lot of news about George Zimmerman being acquitted for the shooting of Trayvon Martin. In 17 syllables using the 5-7-5 pattern send me your thoughts on the outcome of the trial.

Send your Senryu to my email address www.dljohnson365@gmail.com in the subject line write Senryu. I will post the top 10 Senryu I receive by July 29, 2013.

Next week I want to introduce you to the really great writing form known as Cinquain.

As always, thanks for reading The Air in Me.

Dan 

The Air in Me is filled with Haiku and its cousins

The Air in Me is filled with Haiku and its cousins

About fifteen years ago I was introduced to the ancient art of Haiku and its cousins, Senryu, Haibun and Ciniquain. I was immediately drawn to each of them for a number of reasons. The first reason is that each has a purpose; Haiku deals with nature, while Senryu is based on emotions and of course structure is based on the form you use. I also like Haiku because it calls for the writer to be as succinct as possible in just a few words.

Over the next few weeks I will share my understanding of how each of these forms works with samples that will be in my upcoming book.

Haiku:

Most Haiku is written in three lines with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and ending with 5 syllables in the third line. Another form of Haiku that is fun to write is the one line Haiku which generally has from twelve to seventeen syllables.

Haiku deals with both the beauty and devastation of nature; here are two examples that will appear in my upcoming book.

Of key importance in Haiku and Senryu is the drawing of images so vivid the reader can visualize what the writer has offered.

Thin

Thin like wisps of air

allowed madam butterfly

meteoric flight

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Trust Me

Trust only me said
the shade tree to the young grass,
too much sun you’re dead.

Shade is much safer
drink in the morning dewdrops,
grow a greenish sheen.

Safe…warm…comforted,
in my outstretched arms of love
I have you covered

One web site I found that covers the subject of Haiku quite well can be found at www.ahapoetry.com/haiku.htm‎

In next week’s blog we’ll cover the subject of Senryu. As always, thanks for reading The Air in Me.

Photo provided by Jody Miller

Pictures taken at the 2013 Portland Pride Parade

I'm not typically a big fan of parades but this year during the Pride Parade there seemed to be a different atmosphere. The crowd was friendly, the weather delightful and there was a feeling of freedom that at least I felt, especially not knowing about the historic upcoming Supreme Court decision on DOMA and the freedom to marry whom you choose without fear of unwanted and unneeded  discrimination.

Now we must work harder then ever to make sure LGBT Oregonians can have the Freedom to Marry.

The Sovereign Court has always played a big part in Portland's Pride Parade and this year was no exception.

This is a big year for KBOO Community Radio as we're celebrating 45 years of serving Portland and the surrounding area with exciting and innovative programming...Go Big Boo! Oh  by the way if you haven't figured it out, I'm Proud as hell to be a volunteer at KBOO.

Folks from KBOO marching down NW Davis towards the river.

Out Loud Radio has been a vital part of KBOO programming for many years so this year Carla, Jenka and volunteers built this float, and they did a great job!

This lovely lady is Katherine Seibert the Director of Volunteers at Our House of Portland. When I first met Katherine, she was the kitchen manager at Our House and I fixed breakfast for the residents and made soup for lunch. 

This was during some very dark times as many young men and women were dying from HIV/AIDS. I have to say volunteering at Our House was one of the richest experiences of my life.

The Pride Parade is always filled with a carnival atmosphere and this year was no exception. This young lady saw we were taking pictures and wanted to join in on the fun, who could turn down a smiling face like that?