Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Haiku Winner + Spooky Announcement



*


It's a scary thang to judge this heah Haiku round on account of y'all bein' so clevah. Lemme say, right heah at the top of the post how touched I is that so many wif' other considerations played this week--

Curmudgeon waltzin' off to some (minor!) surgery but tossin' in his contemplative entry first; Boxer-Babe wif' work-weeks from hell overshadowin' her still turned in a ditty that made Aunty chuckle; Moi, a sister-sufferer of all thangs deadline, a true professional, but she bounced over to give us a loveable fright.




Karl, rises from the deep to cast an image of a ghostly schooner, Czar, doin' double duty as editor for several contentious points, managed to guide Aunty into hitherto unknown ghostly territory; Red-Anon rolled Haiku out like clouds across the Big Sky, despite havin' yet to SET UP A BLOG (hint!).An' then, Troll-Man, our Founder, who emerged from the mists of hiatus to Haiku wif' us. A huge round of thanks to all who participated, even if only as ANON observers.




Y'all is a great group of fun-hearted folks. 'Tis a privilege when ya visit Aunty's porches. Thanky thanky!

This week we had particularly fine visuals; they truly added to the fun. Moi's big ole shadowy dawg, an' Fleur's delectable neck, Troll's very scary visuals of OWS, Foamy's misty portrait of her brother, Czar's local history goes ghostal, Princess's music clip, an', a scene from the movie Ghost, Rafa D's own artwork, then Chick9's handpainted gobblin. The challenge wuz not to choose the winner based on the visuals--but to keep visuals as mah ace in the hole in view of any tie.

Wif' so many terrific entries, the judge's job be real tough--an' Aunty's fall back is The Rules. More'n one stellar entry misses the rule mark this week on account of a lack of a Kigo--the seasonal/ nature reference. Oh an' I squirm to apply the Rules 'cause some of the most evocative Haiku had to be set aside.




Twistin' mah hanky in anxiety over this point, I has wondered iffin' this be mah own fault? When the theme GHOST is served up a week a'fore Halloween, is it assumed that the seasonal reference is understood in context? If so mah sincere apologies. On t'other hand, some entries are complete thoughts with nary a wisp of Halloween needed to make them cogent--so in those selections, there is apparently no assumption of Halloween...oh the pressure!!

At least three of yore Haiku have excellent Kierji --the switch from the first impression to a wholly other idea--yet whole/ unified when juxtaposed. When Kierji is done well, it makes Haiky jump at me--the set up, then the unexpected direction/ endin'. But...arrrgggh!!! some of them lacked the seasonal reference ....groan. Boxer-Babe returned to point out her own oversight of The Rules--perhaps for omission of a ghost synonym--so I'll use her entry to illustrate:

Boxer's frame of reference was the movie
Ghost ( Princess too). If y'all has seen this movie, mayhap ya recall that titillatin' Demi Moore- Pat Swayze scene of throwin' a clay --er, vase? Anyhoo, Boxer wrote:

Throwing pottery
was never the same again
still, a dumb movie


The first idea evokes a passionate, mud slick embrace--takin' yore mind in one direction, then "still, a dumb movie" dumps a bucket of cold water on the overheated potters. When spoken aloud this Haiku sounds so natural, not as crafted verse. The two ideas do present an integrated movie review, one memorable scene in an otherwise silly movie. Well done B-Babe!

An' Moi's really wunnerful heart-stoppin' moment that most all dawg owners know well:

Lo, what spectral smudge
at midnight haunts my room? Phew!
‘tis only the dog.

We's set up fer a Bates Motel scene in Poe style--relief! It's jes' Ole Mangy.


Fleur's wink to romantic snag is another example of takin' the reader (listener--again, a natural flow when recited aloud) in one direction, then a surprise conclusion.


My heart is a wraith;
haunted and caught, tangled in
your barbed-wire love.

Foamy offered us a reflective on loss..I wanted to reach mah hand out too, the sense of yearnin' wuz so strong. Alas, minus a seasonal reference---grrrrr!



Fishy an' Princess gave us literary Haiku, invokin' Dickens an' Dante--very cool.

But thar's so many fun entries this week--playful is the right note, perhaps, fer Halloween:

Karl's Ghostbusters, Chickory's smilin' Jack- o-Lantern, Princess's candy reward...

and--jes' edgin' by a wisp to the winner's spot? FISHY wif'


All Hallows Eve:

Apparitions swarm
eerily through night shadows.
Chocoholics all!


Two lines of scary but wif' a funny finish:

Congratulations Fishy!


* Announcement: Frankenstein is a'comin'.

20 comments:

chickory said...

yay to the Fish! congratulations! It was difficult, as it always is, but you did a fine job of hosting aunty. thanks for giving us a seasonally appropriate theme. I loved Boxa's too - and agree with it! but so many were great. Good that wraiths like chocolate -and not blood.

moi said...

Another erudite and witty write up, Aunty. Wonderful! And congratulations, Fishy! You tossed several in this week that were winners for me. Boxer had me at "dumb movie," too.

Anonymous said...

Rules.

Taking nothing from the winner, wouldn't judging be simpler if you permitted one Haiku per person?

Congratulations, Fishy.

fishy said...

Aunty,
Thank you! It is always a grand good time to play on your Porches. Great subject this week as is indicated by the number of very fine entries.


I actually had my heart pulled to some others as the winning wit. But! You are right in recognizing we have strayed a bit on the rules of haiku with the kigo and kireji taking a back seat to the 17 syllables. (There are , in fact, many examples of this deficit in most of my entries). I admire your staunch defense of honoring the rules, else we might be calling this game
17 Mondays.

I need to think a bit before announcing next weeks subject. I will follow the classic rules as defined here, requiring a Kigo and, a Kireji as well as the 5-7-5 format. Visuals may be a factor in the final judging and all participants may offer three haiku.


@ Anon,
I hear you! I seriously wish I could be one of those who can zing in there with just a single perfect offering. I cannot ever decide if my brain just runneth over or if I've misplaced my delete button :-)

Next week, following your recommendation, entries will be limited to 3 per contestant.

The Ghost of Deep Blue said...

Hoooooooooooo!

Félicitations to the Fish!

I'm still laughing at Boxer's "dumb movie"
BooHooHooHooHooooo! (ghost laugh)

'tis was a great party. Thank you dear Aunty for being such a great host.

Happy Booooo Day everyone!
Hugs

Jenny said...

Congrats to Fishy! Well done and what a great write up Aunty... thanks for the special mention. One of these weeks I'll actually read the rules? I knew mine was Seasonal but it was what came to mind when I thought of ghost. This is such a fun weekly event and I look forward to Fishy hosting.

Jenny said...

p.s. it really was a dumb movie.

darkfoam said...

Congratulations to Fishy! What a supreme write-up, Aunty. And how difficult it must have been to judge. The haiku were all great...

grins said...

Being sharp as a marble I just now realized what Kierji was. It's what I do best! Here I've been trying to be so serious. Haiku has inherent humor. Ah, to be an English major. I agree, Fishy's was awesome! Congratulations. Aunty, between yours and chicory's write ups I may yet figure out what Haiku is.

Karl said...

Good evening Aunty Belle,

It's always a pleasure when you host.

Congratulations Fishy! Well earned. Should be a fun swim in the pond next week.

Anonymous said...

Hi Miz Belle,

Us newbies maybe didn't know quite enough of the history of this play theme, but it was fun to be allowed to participate. Thanks.

Fishy surely has this down, and understands Haiku well. Your patient and humorous explanation was perfect.

Long day here in the wild west, so I'll just say thanks to all. I learned a lot form this exchange.

Hope all of you have some leftover chocolate after the big evening. You may need it to ward off those chocoholic goblins (or your own transient chocolate cravings).

Red Anon

Fleurdeleo said...

Congrats, Fishy! And thanks, Aunty for a wonderful theme that inspired terrific entries all around!

Rafael said...

Congrats Fish! There were many a good haiku in the mix this week, yores rising like high pie with extra CREAM!

Nicely DONE!!

Anonymous said...

OK Rafael, what is "high pie". New expression to me.

Rafael said...

HaHa, too funny!!

High pie is exactly that...the most deliciously light chocolate cream pie somehow whipped up extra high. My great aunt Rose swore hers was the highest and if one of us kids did something special, we'd get extra cream on top. Me? I ALWAYS did something special...but ended up just as often with a spank'n as a bit of extra cream on top.

Sorry to dissapoint--

Rafa

Anonymous said...

Ah. Chocolate chiffon. Great reward!

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Congrats Fishy and great write-up Aunty.

pam said...

Congrats Fishy! Very trick-or-treaty, that haiku! Sorry I didn't get to participate this week. Promise to get better about the haiku contest! Meanwhile, I have been checking out those fashions here on EtherCap and will put in a comment over on that page.

HAIKU BOSS said...

Aaarh! Aaarh! Aaarh!
Fee Fi Fo FUM
Who's in the mood for a sushi run?

Congrats FISHY, I'm so happy you Won! Not only was it great haiku, but just thinking about a bit of grilled fish frying up with some garlic butter and spinach on the side is making me HUNGRY!

Can't wait to see your theme for this week!

Yore Supreme LEADER!!!

Princess said...

Yes, well done Fishy, your visual snagged it for me. Looking forward to another challenging week.

season season season....