Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Lion's Mane

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative (though this week, we once again have an offering from Mr. Holmes) and then be inspired to write a poem related to it in some way. All forms of poetry are permitted, and further down the page there is a selection you might like to consider using over the coming weeks.

This week my featured form is the haiku.

Shadow Poetry gives this “popular” definition:

Haiku (also called nature or seasonal haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Haiku is usually written in the present tense and focuses on nature (seasons).

It does then give a link to a more detailed description. In essence, when writing in English, you can use 17 syllables or less.

An ideal haiku should be short/long/short - but that depends on the haiku itself. There is nothing wrong with 5/7/5, if that is what you want to write.

Haiku is generally not written in one long run on sentence. It is generally written in two parts. You have a fragment on the first or the last line, then you have the body of the haiku.


Here is my example poem, recalling my emotions on Mr. Holmes finally moving out:


The wild season ends
Strange—Mr. Holmes never seemed
the retiring type



As always, this is simply something to consider for the future. Any form of poetry is welcome this week—and every week! Here are a few suggestions for you:

221B verselet, abecedarian poetry, acrostic poetry, alexandrine, ballad, beeswing, blackout poetry, blues stanza, bref double, Burns stanza, call and response, chastushka, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, Cornish verse, curtal sonnet, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, elegiac stanza, elfje, englyn, epigram, epitaph, epulaeryu, Etheree, fable, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, Italian sonnet, jueju, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, mathnawī, mini-monoverse, palindrome poetry, pantoum, Parallelismus Membrorum, poem cycle, quintilla, renga, riddle, rime couée, Schüttelreim, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triangular triplet, triolet, Tyburn, villanelle


Please leave all your poems inspired by The Lion’s Mane in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

Limerick

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

MacPhearson dead, back scored. “The Mane!”
Sans Watson, Holmes sleuths, but in vain.
Some herrings were red –
Capillata, instead,
Was the fish that had caused all the pain.

Re: Limerick

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Clearly Holmes needed his conductor of light to spur him on.

Re: Limerick

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I love those last 3 lines - very clever.

RE: Limerick

[debriswoman]

Neatly summarised, and Watson missed.

Re: Limerick

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Hee, hee. I like the red herrings. I hope the jellyfish ate them. School masters don't make for tasty snacks.

Re: Limerick

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Bravo: well cooked, this fish dish. And neatly fitted in, the Sans Watson.

A Haiku for the Defence

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Brought by a strong gale
A prisoner in a small pool
Afraid, it struck out

Re: A Haiku for the Defence

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Yes, the jellyfish really wasn't a villain - it was just an unfortunate set of circumstances.

RE: A Haiku for the Defence

[debriswoman]

Indeed, an innocent.

Re: A Haiku for the Defence

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Yes, the poor jellyfish! He was just doing what jellyfish do.

Re: A Haiku for the Defence

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

A good idea, and a good haiku.

Re: A Haiku for the Defence

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Poor critter. Another frame for murder.

A haiku

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I had given myself up entirely to that soothing life of Nature for which I had so often yearned during the long years spent amid the gloom of London. Gloom can mean different things to different people, of course...


The gloom of London
Sherlock Holmes’s landlady
has another gin

Re: A haiku

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I am unsure how to interpret this verse, since it depends on punctuation. I trust you are not referring to me as "The gloom of London", but instead pointing out that due to the gloom of London, his landlady is driven to another glass.

RE: A haiku

[debriswoman]

All will soon look brighter, ma'am:-)

Your poem, Mrs H

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I do not think any of us believed Mr Holmes would retire.

Re: Your poem, Mrs H

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I do sometimes worry about his new housekeeper. Is she swift enough to put out the furnishings as he sets them alight?

RE: Your poem, Mrs H

[debriswoman]

Agreed.

Re: Your poem, Mrs H

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I never thought he'd retire without Watson. Harold Smacks-of-the-Worst!

Re: Haiku: Ripples

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, great last line - a dark double-meaning ^^"

Re: Haiku: Ripples

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! Very cool last line. Love it.

Re: Haiku: Ripples

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

That last line is indeed masterly.

Re: Haiku: Ripples

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Which in this case was quite literally true. Very clever!

attempt haiku

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Trod the lion's mane
King of the briny jungle
Hear the lion's roar!

RE: attempt haiku

[debriswoman]

I particularly like the second line:-)