How to write a CINQUAIN POEM
A cinquain is composed of five lines and each line has a set number of syllables. In this regard it has similarities to a haiku and is fair game for play. I’ve been using this form as a vehicle for collaborations with other people. The following cinquain are all I’ve done so far - unedited. The syllable requirements are listed with the first example in which, well, we were just getting warmed up! The first TWO cinquain below were composed with Tom and Dawn Cassidy on Nov. 2nd, just this past Tuesday, after Dawn won a very brief Yahtzee game:
(2 syllables) collar
(4 syllables) burglar jail cell
(6 syllables) do the fish laughter sigh
(8 syllables) Mormons remarry their X’s
(2 syllables) olive
twist’ems
oh those bastards
pom pom pool ball jump jump
red pom blue pool yellow ball jump
Go Bob!
Here are more that were authored last month by John M. Bennett and myself. The capitalization remains as originally written down:
EAT IT
SANDWICH IN HEAT
FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET
BAG OF SOGGY WHITE BREAD AND MEAT
GAG OFF
TWIN GOOP
SAVES YOUR SUNSET
SAND BAR WITH BURNING HUT
My Foot Stinks like Rotting Hot Dog
FOOT PRINTS
NOSTRIL
ON THE PINK SHELF
PEARLS BOUNCING OFF THE EDGE
ELASTIC EARS AND TWINKLING EYES
FORK CLOCK
SPANKY
MY FRUITY SHIRT
IT’S SLEEVES ARE TICKLING YOU
Blindly Crawling Under the Bed
Naked
SHOOT WALL
PRIMARY DOTS
STRUNG UPON THE WINDOW
SPATTERING MILK and CHEERIOS
HOT DAMN!
LATER
COUGHING TUNA
AND YOU ARE IN THE TRUNK
Kicking the lid thinking Sandwich
cell phone
Occupy N,S,E,W,NW,NE,SE,SW,MW Wall Street
Sent to an Iowa City mail artist for http://occupyallthethings.blogspot.com/
Look at this Flickr slideshow for really great photos that are tagged with “Occupy Wall Street”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/occupywallstreet/interesting/show/
LINT HEAD – Dedicated to Mark Bloch – Hack by Al Ackerman of C. Mehrl Bennett’s Lint Event
A. Dry a load of green clothes and then gather lint from the dryer vent filter. Carry the lint into a movie theater and when the feature comes on cover your head with glue and glue the lint to your head. Then tie on a blindfold and stumble through the theater making weird sounds and doing your best to find B and C.
B. Dry a load of blue clothes and then gather lint from the dryer vent filter. Carry the lint into a movie theater and when the feature comes on cover your head with glue and glue the lint to your head. Then tie on a blindfold and stumble through the theater making weird sounds and doing your best to find A and C.
C. Dry a load of red clothes and then gather lint from the dryer vent filter. Carry the lint into a movie theater and when the feature comes on cover your head with glue and glue the lint to your head. Then tie on a blindfold and stumble through the theater making weird sounds and doing your best to find A and B.
When the ushers come give the name C. Mehrl Bennett.
My Name is BAWA
SIX PIECES STOLEN AND TRANSFORMED FROM C. MEHRL BENNETT BY BLASTER AL
1. Stand in back of a class room full of first graders and scream out your name, as in “My name is BAWA “ Get out of there before anyone can grab you.
2. Get all dressed up for the sock hop. Walk across town to the tennis court where the dance is being held. Stand behind the fence and scream out” My name is Bawa!” until authorities drive you away.
3. BAWA CONTEST FOR TWO PEOPLE: You sit propped up in bed reading a book but also facing the other person, who sits in a chair staring at you questioningly. Every few seconds glance up from your book and shout “BAWA!” Do this until the other person complains that you are in his room without being invited.
4. Hold open front door so that only your forearm and hand get wet, as it is raining outside. Stay there for a long time in that position, shouting BAWA, until you catch a bad cold.
5. At an art gallery with a display of small press chapbooks, leave a small press chapbook with a cover that says VENGENCE OF BAWA; when no one is looking start setting fire to the other chapbooks.
6. In jail for arson, pull out a piece of pumpkin pie you have brought with you under your clothes and say to the guards, “This is Bawa, my little one. Is he not beautiful?” Before anyone can respond, smash the pie against the wall, wet your pants, and cry out “Murdering devils!”
Today’s Digital Beats
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Asemic Strip
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What It Says
WHAT IT SAYS is the title of the only book of text poetry that I’ve ever written. The text was culled, edited, and patched in part from my VISUAL POETRY that came before it. Much of it is stil very visual in it’s text form. This book is available via P.O.D. or via FREE PDF file at: http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/what-it-says/17447720?productTrackingContext=author_spotlight_2127147_
HERE is a link to a YOU TUBE video by Nancy Huth of a reading I did from this book during the 2010 Avant Writing Symposium at The Ohio State University. Note: My middle name is spelled M-E-H-R-L, though it is commonly miss-spelled by most people.)
String Theory for Matt Taggart
Matt Taggart enjoys putting together fluxus projects that everyone can contribute to via his mailed or online invitations. “String Theory” includes his mailed string with instructions to attach three found objects to it along with the name of contributor and contributor’s “string theory” written on a small white paper, which should also be attached, and then a photo should be taken of strung objects as documentation to mail to Matt in Montana. I’m not always perfect at following directions, so my photo doesn’t include the little white note, but I did attach the note with string to my photo before mailing it to Matthew. YOU CAN DO THIS TOO! Just visit Matthew’s website with info about his project by clicking HERE
STRING THEORY by C. Mehrl Bennett
A jump rope, a yoyo, and a flashlight are tied onto a string.
Three people choose one item each to perform with for a predetermined amount of time.
The person with flashlight turns off all the lights in vicinity and turns on the flashlight. Everyone proceeds to play with their props. Playtime is over when the person with the flashlight turns the lights back on.
Today’s CMB Digital Beats
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