Tempting overlook
green hills distant call our names
the trail maze confoundsHail the desert king
loyal, we stiff arm salute
stand at ease, refusedAt painted sunset
smooth brushstrokes fail to evoke,
your presence requiredBeneath rocky crags
under lifeless stone and sand
tiny eyes peer outSummer sun beats down
weak smiles conceal winter’s sins
tears soak arid earth
Swab the poop deck clean
Hoist the sails and scrape the hull
Romancing the seaMonths upon the waves
Land and women forgotten
Cabin boys bewareStowaways revealed
Passengers must pay full fare
Sharks pick up the tabThe Jolly Roger’s
rictus grin beckons you join
brotherhood regretsShiver me timbers
cannonade’s volley strikes true
flotsam my altarFire burns the water
bright, the mast, a candle dies
moonlight shimmers coldFathomless graveyard
wreck-strewn, riches lost, now what?
Final adventure
OK, leave it to the Japanese to have a name for the 17 syllable trash I’ve been writing.
Haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 phonetic units in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a kireji, or “cutting word”; and a kigo, or seasonal reference.
Senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 morae. Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.
Zappai is a form of Japanese poetry rooted in haikai. It is related to, but separate from, haiku and senryū. Lee Gurga defines zappai as a form of poetry that “includes all types of seventeen syllable poems that do not have the proper formal or technical characteristics of haiku.”
(wikipedia)
I’m guessin’ that I’ve hit the mark on writing an actual haiku about 5% of the time, a senryū about 5% of the time and the rest of them are all zappai.
I’m good with that.
Of course, I couldn’t give a fuck either way. I don’t do this to appease some jerk-off poetry gods. I do this because I’m bored to tears and yet my narrative juices have dried up and now my story-mind is a useless husk.
Regardless, it’s an interesting tidbit to know that there’s an actual name to this drivel I’ve been peddling. And no, I won’t be changing the Tuesday offering’s name. Haiku purists can go fuck themselves.
Hmm, that was harsh. Being a software developer, I know what good code looks like. I know what exquisite code looks like. And, I know the effort that’s required to write such code. Adding that “Una poca de gracia”, that “little bit of grace” necessary to take a zappai to the level of a haiku can demonstrate poetic awareness and attention to craft necessary to prove one is not just a hack.
I’ll aways be a hack.
Terrifying thoughts
slither between pleasant dreams
unease haunts your daySlime drips down your thigh
cool green ooze pools beneath you
melting popsiclesHorrific demons
from realms suppressed since childhood
sing sweet lullabiesDrifts of sand tremble
shudders belie hidden bulk
sleeping giants wakeDesert blooms unfold
glaucous glands leak toxic goo
resigned surrender
Thor tosses Mjolnir
crushing thunder rings our ears
soft rain billows downPaintbrush and lupens
bask in sunlight, drink their fill
winter obliviousStorm clouds intimidate
mortals optimistic plans
gods make no amendsVirga drapes her locks
wispy tendrils dangle low
impotent showersCumulus portends
precipitation in waves
west winds blow them clearThirsty grounds beckon
gravid clouds to spill their loads
sorry, not your turn
My apocalypse
arrives without instructions
corn cakes anyoneThe potter’s wheel spins
soft clay glides beneath skilled hands
hard fired stone revealedGrain centuries old
stored safe to stave off famine
sustenance wastedBarley and water
experiment forgotten
lo and behold beerAlone in the dark
strange sprouts whisper bold secrets
ergot tastes of death
Feeling lucky punk
preparation sets the tone
serendipityUniverse favors
those with low expectations
be happy with lessShitty odds aside
fortune favors the foolhardy
says the survivorWith Dixie chickens
and chances with bartenders
and songs sung so wellYour fate has been set
stars are mapped planets aligned
sail the course assignedDestiny debunked
free will is yours to command
take the lonely road
Woodsmen come prepared
flint and steel send burning brands
catching tinder smokes.A single flame blooms
littered leaves and twisty twigs
kindling fears the flame.Lonely travelers
quit their trek in darkened woods
campfire feels like home.Foreboding forests
filled with fantastical freaks
flash in fire’s flicker.Simmering cuppa
blow clear the drifting ashes
satisfying sip.
4 a.m. arrives
new-age bakers flip the switch
machines never tireIs something missing
wheat yeast water salt all there
ah the human touchAutomation takes
gives idleness new meaning
empty incentivesEastward the Levant
its microorganisms
no longer give riseBreak it and share it
bread binds cultures together
without it we starve
A scolding so vile
a dog, pest poison, murder
Anti-theft bird feederFeasting on acorns
some locations forgotten
old oaks nod sagely
On desolate Mars
forsaken dreams lie waiting
train rides to nowhereBuild a second home
a contingency backup
first one forsaken
Wolves prowl the alleys
while collies sip hot coffee
with bourbon chasersWhat wee hours business
contrived in desperation
gives daylight solace
A hard day’s slaving
at labor meant for machines,
tavern ale awaits.
Wave the bartender
a silver for the table,
let’s toast to friendship.
Blow the frothy foam,
tip your tankard, feel the burn
gasp and wipe your lips.
Tall tales grow bold,
boasts of conquest beg belief,
grins belie the truth.
Conversation ebbs,
backs are slapped, patrons drift out
time to stumble home.
I found an interesting voice synthesizer site ElevenLabs and wondered if it would read poetry. Haikus need pacing, which this fails at. Still this is entirely fake — no humans involved.
DALL-E’s images are getting sloppy. I can’t seem to generate a quality image anymore. Oh well, beggars and choosers and all that…
The Aegean Sea brings only tears,
as Athena calls me forth.Waves leap high and tempt my fears,
they push me to the North.Notus blows his arid breeze,
back home I fear disaster.But on I row, I huff, I wheeze,
to heed her words, her laughter.For I know all humans, she disdains,
we are her toys, her chattel.Athena’s voice, compelling strain,
refuse and tempt her battle.
Dredging up old DALL-e images, practically grotesque.
I can feel my Sometimerz disease really kicking in these days. Seeking simple rhymes, I fumble and resort to google. Maybe AI is coming at just the right time for me. Apropos of me losing my faculties, simultaneously no longer needing them.
Sun sears vinyl seats
as the horizon dances,
the mirage beckons.The backseat cooler
leaks our precious blue ice-melt.
Next gas ninety miles.Roadside attractions
other-worldly aliens,
dinosaurs loom tall.The map wrong folded
crackles and flaps, resisting
my seventh attempt.Five hundred and one
miles done, cassette tape broken
silent hundreds to come.
Imagine a time
of ships, sails, flags and rigging
and wrecks upon reefsPen a solemn oath
sealed with a venomous curse
bitter and spitefulUpon parchment dear
a last testament writ plain
lies of no regretsCast upon the sea
our curiosity piqued
expired salvationA desperate wish
to connect, to touch a soul
in futures unknown
To challenge the wind
Believe you are first master
Of your broken heartDulcinea’s eyes
Gaze sweet upon my dour face
Her tears like crystalThe swoosh of my blade
Rends the clouds my enemies
They stack against meLeap Rocinante
O’r the sun the liquid moon
Seek impossiblyTo all I survey
Let them know I persevered
Despite my failures
Mists cling to the moors of Scotland,
Eerie silence save the baying hounds.
Moonlight filters through the fog,
A spectral scene of ghostly mounds.The maiden wanders, love forlorn,
Her heart aching with each step.
She searches for her lost love,
In this land of mist and kept.The hounds’ howls echo in the night,
A symphony of sorrow and pain.
But the maiden trudges on,
Through the moorland’s endless reign.For in this land of mist and moon,
Her love is all she needs.
Though the moors may be dreary,
Her heart forever heeds.So let the hounds bay on,
And the mist forever swirl.
For the maiden’s love will guide her,
Through the moors of Scotland, a pearl.
The mist on the moors of Scotland,
Is a ghostly, eerie veil,
The baying of hounds a haunting tune,
That echoes through the gale.The maiden roams the moorlands,
With love forlorn and true,
She searches for her heart’s desire,
In this land so wild and blue.The moon shines bright on heather,
A spectral light so fair,
But the maiden’s love is all she needs,
To guide her through the glare.The hounds they bay, a mournful sound,
A symphony of woe,
But the maiden trudges on and on,
Through the mist and misty snow.For in this land of mist and moon,
Her love is all she needs,
Though the moors may be dreary,
Her heart forever heeds.So let the hounds bay on,
And the mist forever swirl,
For the maiden’s love will guide her,
Through the moors of Scotland, a pearl.
Verse 1:
I grab my paddle and hop in my canoe
The river’s flowing, it’s calling my name
The sun’s shining, the birds are singing too
I’m feeling free, like I’m in a dreamChorus:
Floating down the river, it’s a peaceful ride
The water’s calm, the breeze is light
I’m taking in the sights, just letting my mind glide
Floating down the river, everything’s just rightVerse 2:
I pass by the trees and the bushes so green
The fish are jumping, it’s such a sight to see
I close my eyes and breathe in the air so clean
This moment is perfection, it’s where I wanna beChorus:
Floating down the river, it’s a peaceful ride
The water’s calm, the breeze is light
I’m taking in the sights, just letting my mind glide
Floating down the river, everything’s just rightBridge:
I don’t know where the river will take me
But I’m not in a hurry, I’m just letting it be
I’ll soak in the beauty, and the tranquility
Floating down the river, it’s where I want to beChorus:
Floating down the river, it’s a peaceful ride
The water’s calm, the breeze is light
I’m taking in the sights, just letting my mind glide
Floating down the river, everything’s just rightOutro:
So come and join me, let’s float down the river
Leave your worries behind and let’s just quiver
With the beauty of nature and the peace it delivers
Floating down the river, it’s where we want to be.
Shadows meander
My friend Mike told me about Ellen Dittebrandt who was an impressionist artist living in Oregon who died in a car accident in 2014. This image is generated by Stable Diffusion and looks nothing like her art but, her name was used in the prompt. Clearly AI art-gen still has a ways to go.
peacefully amongst the pines,
silent wolves keep still.
Solitude never
This image came from a simpler prompt which merely named the previously named artist. This engine, Stable Diffusion, although trained on 5.6 billion images gleaned from the internet, fails to appreciate the true nature of Dittebrandt’s work.
feels so all alone, if you
share it with nature.
Styx allows passage
This was created using Dall-e2. Hades sailing the river styx in the style of raphael.
to any who pay the price,
annihilation.
I recommend Ellen Dittebrandt’s artwork, it’s rather pleasing.
Is the mirror a portal
to a world beyond your reach,
past comprehension or experience
beckoning you to join?Would you leap through that surface
trusting failure to pluck you back
to this side of that shimmering veil?Or, upon success, to linger there
breathing exotic scents
stretching in those rarefied airs
tasting elemental flavors
wishing never to return?
Migration over,
sexual frenzy concludes
in orgasmic bliss.
Dappled orange melts
into an ocean of tears
shed in ecstasy.
Descendants flourish
preparing to journey south
to sleep until spring.
Anonymole - apocryphal agitators 