Vlad

I LOVE the parallel rhyming at the beginging of every paragraph. Very cool

I like the concept of what you write about, and have never been able to do it myself. The work seems a bit choppy overall, perhaps reflective of the topic?

This doesn't seem to be finished. Each individual stanza seems to be fine, but most of them don't feel well together, in my opinion. Hmm... Every other one seems to go well, maybe I missed something, like two voices?

I like this. I could read it, without the structure sticking out and poking me in the eye. You know it's doing it's job properly when you hardly even notice it.

Ditto on what Falcon said - you know exactly who did and didn't like you, and personally I believe this is a cry for attention. I'm sorry if it's come down to stuff like this for you, but You can forge your own path.

w00t - haikus... And oddly enough (maybe it's just me because I did a whole quest on haikus) these seemed more easily readable than.... stories in the Assembly room... well, it probably is just me, because I ordered my food in haiku at McDonalds One number seven Root beer without any ice It's "to go" of course

Forgive me if this seems a bit choppy, but I'm cramped for time, and most of this is taken directly from websites. History of Haiku In Japan, short poems have a long history. The earliest Japanese poetry, such as that of the Manyoshu, written in 759 A.D., includes stirring narrative, dramatic and short lyrical poems which scholars believe were originally written as part of the pre-Buddhist or early Shinto ceremonial rituals (Haiku). This includes prayers to celebrate and pacify the gods, for safe voyages, formal eulogies on the death of an Emperor or Empress and various rituals. The 5 syllable, 7 syllable, 5 syllable haiku has evolved and been reinvented many times over the centuries. One such form is the 31 syllable “waka” composed of five 5-7-5-7-7 syllable phrases. Developed as the early imperial court of the late eighth century consolidated cultural, social and political forms, the waka took its place as one of the important regularized poetic forms of the period. Within imperial circles, minor officials and scribes gained recognition as poem-providers and word specialists due to their ability to compose waka (Haiku). In Brazil, sometimes people like to write haiku using "Guilherme de Almeida style". This means a haiku with the rhyme following the rule taught by a famous Brazilian writer named Guilherme de Almeida (one of the first to introduce haiku poetry in Portuguese). It has a rich kind of rhyme that goes like this: (X rimes with X and O rimes with O) - - - - X - O - - - - O - - - - X When writing haiku, one idea is the organic nature of the arrangement of poetic lines. This is how well they reflect the voice of the poet reading them. Different people will read even the most common of sentences differently and will naturally pause in different places. This is the organic aspect. People can use commas, extended spaces and line breaks to accurately reflect the pauses in the voice between sets of words, i.e. the mouthful, between difficult syllabic combinations, or for personal inflections or style. In theory then, a reader could capture these subtle nuances that the writer places upon the words and the meaning of the Haiku by reading the piece with sensitive attentions to a shifting of emphasis through spacing, subordination, or the stretching of lines with additional space between its words or phrases. Because of these rhythmic structures, Japanese haiku and tanka can be memorized with little or no effort, which is one of the major reasons for the longevity of these literary forms. On the other hand, there is no such inherent mnemonic quality to 5-7-5 English haiku, which are indeed difficult to commit to memory. Moreover, there is no discernible rhythmic structure to such an arrangement, due to the disparate length of English syllables. (The mnemonic quality of 5-7-5 Japanese phrases is much closer to that of metered rhymes in English.) These factors combined with the fact that English carries significantly more information per syllable than Japanese indicate that using the 5-7-5 form does not necessarily provide an analogous condition for writing haiku in English. This is not to say, however, that all who write in 5-7-5 should stop doing so. The 5-7-5 English haiku as a derivative of Japanese haiku has its place in the world of poetry, just as 5-7-5 Chinese haiku is another such derivative, seemingly containing about three times as much information as a Japanese haiku. Today, many bilingual poets and translators in the mainstream North American haiku scene agree that something in the vicinity of 11 English syllables is a suitable approximation of 17 Japanese syllables, in order to convey the brevity and fragmented quality found in Japanese haiku. As to the form, some American poets advocate writing in 3-5-3 syllables or 2-3-2 accented beats. While rigid structuring can be accomplished in 5-7-5 haiku with relative ease due to a greater degree of freedom provided by the extra syllables, such structuring in shorter haiku will have the effect of imposing much more stringent rules on English haiku than on Japanese haiku, thereby severely limiting its potential. The cutting divides the Haiku into two parts, with a certain imaginative distance between the two sections, but the two sections must remain, to a degree, independent of each other. Both sections must enrich the understanding of the other. To make this cutting in English, either the first or the second line ends normally with a colon, long dash or ellipsis. As explained above, 5-7-5 segmentation is not a division based on content as people think of it in English. Strictly in terms of content, the classic Japanese haiku are composed of two major parts of varying lengths, such as 5-12, 12-5, 8-9, 9-8, 7-10, and 10-7, in the generally decreasing order of prevalence, with the first two being the most prevalent. I hope this helps, I'm going to try and condense this when I get the chance. Edit: condensed as much as I could w/o losing meaning. Sources http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/1132.php http://www.lsi.usp.br/usp/rod/poet/hai_rime.html http://www.creativeideasforyou.com/nuanceonoth.html http://www.ahapoetry.com/keirule.htm http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/#howtowritehaiku

What is the fuel that lights the soul each day? What would happen if it ever should run out? To cease to live, our flame extinguished- To live to cease, bringing your own despair. Sorrow follows those who seek it, Look up and tell life what it is missing. Exist in harmony with nature's green Stoic state simply stays sublime The air we breathe lights up your day Sun's rays whizzing by so fast Man makes fire to stay warm Fire to survive, burn the candlewax Our souls acting as wicks When it runs out, so do we.

Through the hustle and bustle of daily life, the Cabaret room has always been used for communication both by the eldership and by general membes, as announcement areas and simple want ads, respectively. This became one individual's last hope, and on a crumpled sheet of paper (discarded by its previous owner), a frantic note was scrawled: *ATTENTION* Recently, I was to recieve a large shipment of Ager Termites. Unfortunately a great portion of them is missing, and I am desperate to find the rest. This species is highly dangerous to all moving organisms, so please use extreme caution. Sentimental value only. Generous reward offered. Contact Vlad with information regarding said termites.

1) A Pen Member Zool 2) A distance The length of Annael's nose 3) A place in the Pen Inside of Gyrfalcon's "Bag of Holding" 4) An adjective Quasielectronegative 5) A number The cube root of pi divided by eleven 6) A noun Pants 7) A verb Stalk An adjective Necrophilitic 9) A Color Crayola's infamous "Indian Red" 10) A plural noun Vegetarians 11) A material Butterfly wings 12) A type of light Greenlight (OOC: Hollywood) 13) A part of body Rectal cavity 14) A name for an underling Mini-me 15) An animal (plural) Echidnas 16) An adjective Psuedotriquantized 17) A height Eighteen and one half dekameters 18) A cryptic phrase "Don't worry, it's in my sock!" 19) A verb Combust 20) Any phrase "It's in your goddam sock?!?"

I'd be willing to do something Not sure If I could keep up weekly, but I'd do my best. Good luck!!! P.S. : because so many people don't want to do it weekly, you could have a spot that rotates each week: example: Salynye has it for the first week of every month Wyv for the second Me for the third et cetera

Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I was away for the weekend and didn't check the boards. Missed your away notice, but I didn't have to worry. *hugs*

Kalypso and Vlad Life I print on paper Revealing layers of life Truth in black and white Peel away from evil here But learn lessons of the past A man can be great Or his own worst enemy Through much scrutiny The eyes of society, Always judging and shaping. Are young minds molded? Individuality... Does it still exist? Secrets of the solemn mind Avoid contact with others Pressure to be like- Desire to be alike- Everybody else. Mankind is mindless mirrors Reflecting on each other Clueless clods are men All marching mechanisms Casting off their selves Mindless mayhem thrives on them Life sans reason is not life To fight for a cause Die for a noble purpose Man can never learn Self discovery is key To unlock man-made shackles Some can overcome Slaying stagnation of thought Gaining your true self Looking far within a soul Seeing depth to existence. Edit: Typos

As Vlad wanders around the Pen Keep, he sees some flyers and noise from the Cabaret room. Wandering and seeing happy birthday banners everywhere, he quickly pulls out a present for Archaneus, and sets it on the table. "Sixteenth birthdays only come once you know...." "It's yours too" a voice mutters from a corner "What's mine?" "The birthday..." "Of course I have a birthday." "It's today." "What's today?" "Your birthday!" Being thoroughly confused, Vlad wanders off in search of sleep. OOC: I actually woke up today not realizing it's my birthday :|

ok, hmm.... uh huh. I actually wanted the haikus in a seperate thread of their own in the banquet hall. I guess this is fine, but if it's not too much trouble could an elder toss 'em over to the right room? The conversation posts have been moved to http://www.patrickdurham.net/themightypen/index.php?showtopic=10467 --Gwaihir Illiana Wolfsong & Vlad ImmortalGrace & Degenero Angelus Gwaihir & Vlad WrenWind & Vlad

I would put it in the copy room at school. That way I could see all of the tests ahead of time and get perfect scores. Or sell the answers.

Okay, here's the pairings, as promised: Vlad Gwaihir Wrenwind Kalypso Salinye Damon Infernal Illiana Wolfsong Reverie Peredhil - Solivagus Degenero Angelus - ImmortalGrace Nyyark - Appy Alaeha - DoomGaze _________________________ Everybody who I'm partnered with is responsible for sending me the first stanza. You can pick any topic you wish. Of everybody else, the person listed second will write the first stanza. E-mailing and PMing seem to be the best ways to communicate. __________________________________________ And now for the brief lesson in haiku. If the valid forms I've found, 2/3/2=3/3; 5/7/5=7/7; and 4/9/4;7/7 seem the most common. However, if you pick one, you must be consistent throughout. If you don't like the format, finish up the poem, and start a new one with the same partner. If you still have questions, go ahead and ask, I'll do my best to answer them. ___________________________ For everybody that didn't sign up in time for this: put your name down anyways, I'll put you in the drawing for writing in two weeks. Until next time May your sacred Muse always be near Write forever ________________ Edit: Keep your poem in PMs/e-mails/whatever, and only post the final product. Well, that's how I want everybody who's partnered w/ me to do it. All other pairs can do it however they want; you can keep it secret, or let us see your progress. Edit #2: When you post your work, make it in the following format: Title:(Name) and (Name)'s Haiku Description: (Title of your poem) Edit #3: Forgot to put reverie in (sorry) and disregard edit #2.

ok, I'll take it one at a time: Is there a beginning date? Yes, I'm thinking that by Sunday I'll post the first pairings. After that, I will post another set of pairings in two weeks, so that people may write a second one, and for those who missed the first date can join. And end date? Not yet, I'm thinking I will continue this with updates every two weeks, as long as there is demand. If there seems to be a lot of demand, I'm going to regretfully cut it off after three, and then switch it into a monthly thing, seperate from but similar to the quill quest. The communication is to be poetry - is there the further restriction that it will be Haiku only? Yes, hence the name "Haiku Quest". This is supposed to be a dialoge between two people in haiku form. This will stress word choice, get people thinking creatively, and force people to work together to have their comlete poem make sense. Are other types of Haiku allowed? I'm not sure yet, I'd have to do a bit more research first. Offhand, I want to say yes, as long as it is consistent. I've seen haiku that is 2-3-2=3-3 instead of 5-7-5=7-7 and would say that that is also acceptable. For more detailed response on other forms of haiku, see next question Do you think you'd have time to make a small research post on Haiku to educate the Penners? Yes, I was planning on posting it along with the pairings post on Sunday. This will also include a more complete response to the previous question. Are the participants to publish excerpts of their poetic conversations, for the amusement or edification of all? The participants can publish as much, or as little as they feel comfortable posting. I would recommend that the entire conversation gets put on the board, so others may appreciate the writings. I would recommend that you post at least something, so that we can build the community more. Also, I will have an updated list of haiku conversations as they come in. I'm loving the response this has gotten so far - if you're thinking about signing up, go ahead and do it, the two week thing isn't to be taken as a deadline, but a guideline. Go at your own pace with your partner, and make it as long or as short as you want it to be. Most importantly though, have fun!!! Edit: In the process, don't be afraid to give feedback on your partners work. This is about becoming better poets and writers, not about building egos. Try to show the logic of your revisions though, we learn better that way.

As people arrived in the small clearing, Vlad slowly stood up. Some were dissapointed because rumors of a bloodthirty killing machine spread like wildfire, but most wondered what exactly was going on. Vlad saw that a great number of people had arrived and decided to begin his proposition. "I am an aspiring poet. Poetry is what I do best, even if mediocrisy can qualify me. But I love what I do, and I do what I love. "A haiku is Japanese poetry taking the form on three lines, with five, seven, and five syllables respectively. Another author can respond to this haiku - litteraly translated as 'starting verse' - with a tonka. The tonka is two lines, both of seven syllables. The second author then writes a haiku, to which the first suthor can respond to with another tonka. This can go on forever, as if it were a conversation, in poetry form. "What I propose today is that the members of the pen get together and write poetry together. I ask that existing poets join, and help other young 'uns to learn and develop their writing. I will be writing with up to 6 people at a time, so when you sign up, indicate whether you wish to be partnered with me, a poet, or anybody at all. I will respond to you as soon as i can, with your partner's name. "You can communicate through PMs, on chat, in e-mail, or in real life, to be able to co-operate and write the poems. After you have written you can sign up for another, and I will try not to put you with the same partner. The topic can be anything, so long as you have fun." Having issued his idea, Vlad turned and walked towards the Pen Keep, where he sat down in the Cabaret room, making idle talk with patrons.

After Gwaihir got back to the Cabaret Room and told the small search party that Vlad was raving like a lunatic in the woods, few seemed to believe him. In hushed voices, to not alert more people they all set off together, hoping they didn't have a crazy vampire on their hands. When they got there, Vlad was mumbling to himself about "inner peace", and they left and figured he'd snap out of it when the time came. On the way back, things unfortunately complicated themselves a bit. Seeing the entire eldership leave in unison with worried looks isn't a thing that goes ignored. In fact a large portion of the membership had gotten up and quietly follewed them. As the two groups met on the outskirts of the forest, Vlad's ramblings steadily became louder. Wyvern immediately tried to sell tickets to see the lunatic vampire, but most of the writers ignored him and walked past. Peredhil felt it neccessary to stop the horde from all stampeding in, claiming that Vlad wanted peace, and needed to be left alone. As soon as he finished his (polite) speech, the vampire began reciting verse again. Desire I trust Like I would on none other All come together Join me in the wood A challenge I pose to thee Of verse and lined thought The elders retreated from blocking the path and slowly the membership made their way to see what was going on.

(Because I'm not good at flashy intros and pizzaz, you'll get it like it is) (On second though, I'll remind you people why I'm not a patron of the Assembly room) Words mystically flowed through the halls of the mighty pen. The walls seemed more bright, the plants more serene, a touch of spring had fallen near the beginning of winter. Everyone's spirits slightly lifted, everyone was just that much more polite. Some wondered what this was, but most simply dismissed this as the natural effect of the pen. However, a few brave souls dared to investigate. It was mostly the elders, but a few poets came aong as well. Nobody was suspicious of evil, just curious as to what's what, and who's who. Some searched the towers, but felt less of the effect. Others looked in the great rooms and everything was drowned out by the hubbub of everything else going on. Gwaihir chose to simply wander where it felt natural. Into the wiggly cabbage patch. These beings pointed him in the right direction, and a few minutes later he saw Vlad under a tree all by himself. Close your eyes and look Please tell me what you can see If one was pure love The elf looked at the vampire with a strange glance and started to walk away, guessing this couldn't be the source of happiness. Your spirit be cleansed One can never hope too much Leave in peace, Elder Gwaihir stopped and turned around with a slight chuckle. He wondered what the undead would say next. Tell everyone now Let the people gather here I will be waiting

Choice (for Thinas) A choice or dream Is mine alone, But the meaning is For more to learn. That life is not, as it may seem- And we are all just flesh and bone- A mind is everything that one has- And it is for him - enough to yearn. But with visions or no Some must still decide, What they are to do now, And what they will let slide. To each their own - what opinions may be But until that time, none will live free.

great big world and a tiny me everybody thinking similarily how would insignificant little i break the chains and voice a thought of individualy under waves of rebuke THEY force one to conform to agree with the words THEY hold dear a tiny me alone all by myself facing clones of the mind and slaves of the body a speck of dust in the wheel of the great UNIVERSAL machine well oiled smooth operation but i clog the cog THEY are right always so right and constant me is called wrong one day one will rise above the rest of THEM but for now it is know that i dont matter in the scheme in this machine of repetition of ideas centuries so old

Perhaps sticky it instead of repeated bumps?

am i allowed to enter?