Thursday, April 20, 2006

Poetry Thursday: Haikus and Limericks and Sonnets - Oh MY!

It's Thursday and I decided to do the Poetry Thursday Thang again this week with some original haiku and limericks and yes, even a sonnet. Are you excited or what??? (Personally, I'd recommend choosing "or what", but hey, that's just me. Heh.) Anyway, here's the deal. Joshilyn of Faster Than Kudzu will be having a new book called "Between, Georgia" hit the bookstore shelves on July 3rd. On her blog, she's running a contest to give away a pewter figurine cast from a sculpture created by her brother, artist Bobby Jackson. Actually, she's giving away two figurines. Cool, yes? She's giving away one for the best original haiku and one for the best original limerick, with "best" being judged by a couple of Joss's friends. Since y'all KNOW how much I love haiku and limericks and since I also have trouble resisting a challenge, I had to at least try. Joss said people can enter as often as they like, so I've entered a few times already and may yet enter more if I come up with something else I like before the deadline. If you want to enter, just follow the link in the paragraph above! I thought for Poetry Thursday, I'd share my entries here. You know, share the joy! Because I'm sure reading this stuff will make you feel ever-so-joyful, right? Right?? Yep, that's what I thought. Before we begin, let me mention three pertinent facts so some of the poems don't leave you saying "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (name that pop culture reference!) 1) The main character of Joss's new book was born to one family and raised by another and the figure in the prize represents those two families in the form of a fox and a bear. 2) Horace is a dog in an unpublished children's book Joss and her friend Lily wrote and Bobby illustrated. 3) Even though limericks are traditionally quite bawdy, Joss asked us to keep the limerick vulgarity level at PG-13 or below. So here we go! Here are my 3 haiku entries (all pretty non-smartass for a change): Some Bobby Jackson art would look so beautiful here shining on my desk. Here a girl is born, There stolen. Destined to live between fox and bear. Huge gentle bear paws show 'neath a cherry red skirt on a quiet fox. And here are my 5 limerick entries, which were much more fun to write (I looooves me some limericks!): We all love a doggy named Horace. Just list' to the praise-singing chorus! If he's naughty or mean, doesn't matter - we're keen! And we hope you'll write more stories for us. A totem that's cast out of pewter, now tell me - what could be cuter? Send it here double-time to stop Deb's bad rhyme. It'll be like a button to mute her! Intimidation might get what I need-o. Perhaps that should be my new credo! If you like my poems best then I need not request the help of a hulk name of Guido. My last limerick went a bit far. I know threats cannot make me a star! Please accept my remorse toward you and your horse. Can I buy you a drink at the bar? On the 3rd of July in '06 in the stores is a book we'll all pick. If the critics don't love it we'll tell them to shove it, 'Cause that would just prove that they're...um...not very nice or smart people. Ahem. And what about the sonnet, you may be wondering? Well, here's what Joss had to say at the end of her post: "Please put Shakespearian sonnets on the subject of Johnny Depp's physical perfection here. Be sure to make liberal use of risque puns and use figurative language to imply extreme naughtiness. Also, link to pictures. It's not a contest or anything. I would just LIKE you to." Even though it wasn't a contest, and even though quite frankly Mr. Depp is not at the top of my personal Celebrity Hottie List, still...I just Could NOT Resist the challenge. I didn't link to photos, but I DID write a Shakespearian-form sonnet (14 lines, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg). And as an added bonus, since my husband's name is Johnny, if I ever need to give him a poem, all I have to do is change the eye color from brown to blue and change the line about pirates to something about engineers and TaDaaa! GOLD! Har, mateys! So here it is, my "Sonnet to Mr. Depp": Ah Johnny, your deep brown eyes and chiseled lips Doth make me oh so faint and weak. You make me want to grind my hips Against your rounded manly cheek. No, not your face - the other end So nicely filling out your pants. To even pirates you can lend An air that makes me want to dance A dance upon your bounding main. I know t'would be such perfect bliss. I now throw caution down the drain And lift my face to meet your kiss. But then, alas, I hear a bell. It's morning. Time to wake up. Hell. Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it? Sniff. For today's Daily Art Thang, a photo - no, two photos - neither of which have the slightest thing to do with any of the poetry above. At one point I thought I might draw a cartoon of Guido, but I ran out of time. (I'm SEWING y'know!! HA!) Instead, I hope you enjoy the lovely (in my opinion!) sight of the wild phlox that grows along the stream that borders our road. Or to put it in local-speak "them thar blue flars down by the crick". "Wild Phlox" "Blue Flars Down by the Crick"