C is for Curiosity

is for curiosity and creativity and as a writer those two go hand in hand. Yesterday in RhyPiBoMo our lesson was about Ballads and strange little poetry types and our homework was to write a short ballad about learning to Rhyme. My 1am contribution to the FB page for the participants was this...






A Writerly Ballad...(to the tune of 'Clementine'-for a laugh at 1am)
In a tea room with a tea spoon
Contemplating rhyming lines
Sighed a writer
Writing tighter
Chasing that elusive sign
That the words there on the paper
Would have meter beat and time
And would please an eager reader
In a hardback or online.
But the waiter spilled hot coffee
On the crucial bit of prose
That the writer could not remember
And so the story goes.

we are also expected to produce a poem similar to an Haiku which an American woman Adelaide Crapsey invented her own distinct style of five line poetry called a Cinquain.

A Cinquain is a stanza with five lines and each line has a required number of syllables.  2-4-6-8-2 syllables

Adelaide Crapsey did not invent the five-line poem as there were many that predated hers. The Sicilian quintain, the English quintain, the Spanish quintella, the Japanese tanka, and the French cinquain already existed. Her invention was to give this five line art form a distinctly American flavour. Her  knowledge of metrics was considered very advanced. She was inspired by Japanese haiku and tanka and believed her Cinquain "to be the shortest and simplest possible in English verse."

1Rules:

One word title                                                                              2 syllables

2 adjectives that describe the topic                                              4 syllables

3 words that express action                                                         6 syllables

4 words that express a feeling                                                     8 syllables

1 word that refers to the title                                                       2 syllables

 *

                                                                                     TOTAL 22 syllables

like any new game it is about learning the rules. So I am off to try this out...watch this space...

  okay several hours later here are my attempts, one more traditional and one contemporary.

Wonder
Open eyes bright
gaze up at distant stars
pondering such majesty, my
cosmos


Speeding
tyres and brake
velocity squealing
excited grin flashing red  blue
law wins

Today in RhyPiBoMo   we are learning about Limericks and Haiku and

 Homework is One limerick, one haiku

Limerick

There once was a girl in Australia

at poetry she was a failure

stressed by meter and rhyme

and haiku's three lines

so with limerick she will regale ya

Haiku

5-7-5

Dry dust of summer

Cool rain falling traps the heat

Raise mist in Autumn

Your voice lilts softly

Melody calling our hearts

Mother of music.

All poetry takes practice. First learn the rules, then practice using the rules and read plenty of other things that follow the rules to see how it is done.

 I have a LOT of practice to be getting on with. :) 

C is also for cramps. In an attempt to increase my health and w ell being I moved my computer upward so I am standing  instead of sitting all day. I have a gym mat for my feet and the computer sits at a height that keeps my back in good alignment and my hands in the right position to prevent issues with my - well - hands. The problem with this is, as my older son so kindly pointed out, that I should have eased into it not "Gone cold turkey". He says occupational health and safety encourages twenty minutes standing and twenty sitting with regular breaks away from the keyboard altogether. So what did I do. Two straight days of standing up and doing leg stretches and walking on the spot and hey presto a whole day of cramping. So I took a break and went to have my flu shot. My legs are still cramping so I best have a massage or a hot spa and aromatherapy with soothing music. NAH I will keep typing and maybe go to bed early, that should do it.


52 week art this week is Simplicity and I managed to produce three pieces. Chalk on black card.

 balloon

 Juggler

  

moon.

Now for RhyPiBoMo I also needed to read a book. I read Hand Hand Fingers Thumb  

which I love and Parrot Carrot which I don't. I have yet to analyse them in terms of their metric foot and all the other things gurgling in my brain but I have read them.

Blogging my book day 3. Today I engaged in some serious discussion with my brains trust about the various differences and similarities in cultural mythologies. I also started a new folder of gathered information and had a look at some amazing art denoting jinn and genies. .I am planning a word sprint with my sprint group this evening but not until I ease the pain in the leg of mine. Ah the joys. Hang on while I put the computer back down to a sitting height. Okay, that was not too difficult. I can move it up and down quite quickly so it looks like I can do the 20/20 thing.
Back to my book. I am going to post this post now but I will come back and edit with a word count before the day has ended.