Sherku Instructions

It is easy enough to start You are out somewhere Wherever something catches your eye You take a picture Frame it in your mind’s eye Then begin the Linguistic gymnastics You have trained for since birth Take your pen Dip it into the dictionary Find the word Just that shade Just that luster Just that sound So that when they open the book Turn to this page Read these words aloud They step into the frame Feel the breeze on their arm In the shade of the hemlock grove Hear the hissing along the trail And stop To see the snapping turtle

Search results

Go to Google, type "sherku" and search. Did you mean: shark No, I did not mean shark. But I will swim in the deep waters of the internet doing my thing. Always forward, with intensity and passion for the good things in life. Family, friends, and the ability to create more from collaboration than one could alone. sherku is progress in that direction. It may be someone else's name. I will make it my word. What is a sherku?

When is it done?

"Here's a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't." Richard Bach. This quote came via the T4D from Kirk Weisler on Friday. I recall Galway Kinnell at a poetry reading once saying that for him a poem was finished when he had memorized it. Until he had fully memorized it, until it had settled in him, it wasn't finished. I still chuckle from time to time when I find a recipe for cooking some dish or another and part of the instructions say to "test for doneness". On Saturday, Allison and I visited my cousin's art studio in NH. She was having an open house and student art show. On the drive home, we were talking about when a work is finished. She had a class this semester that prepared a work for a show on campus. During the last class before the show, an artist had been invited in to speak with the class and provide some insights. He brought some of his work along and that was good for the class to see as he talked about what he was trying to do. He also provided some feedback to each of the students on their works. Unfortunately, due to the timing of the show the students were not going to be able to make any adjustments. There was not going to be enough time. His approach was to allocate a set time for a piece, and then work on it no more than the allotted time. Allison's approach for now has been to work on a piece as much as it takes to complete it. There are deadlines, like for the show or for the class to submit the work for a grade. So she will work around those deadlines to provide enough time to complete the piece. Do visual artists have this advantage, that you should be able to look at a piece and tell if it is complete? Writers have drafts, in various stages of completeness. Before they are done do they make any more sense than an incomplete or unfinished painting? Do you have a "doneness test" for your writing?

Billy Collins links

For the Billy Collins friends and admirers here are some links I have accumulated. Billy's official web site - The Best Cigarette Internet Archive (to download the Best Cigarette) The Poetry Archive entry for Billy Technorati's listing of all things tagged as "Billy Collins" (automatically updated) Vimeo - Billy Collins reading some of his poems with creative video by others If you find other worthwhile links, please let me know.

Poetry is hard work?

"Most of the human race is equipped to respond to art," Vendler continues. "Every tribe in the world has produced an aesthetic sense that supports and enriches its people and brings the whole person into play, the whole soul. It's the only way to make a well-rounded person, to develop human sympathy." Helen Vendler is quoted in this article in Sunday's Boston Globe. I am not sure if sympathy is the proper word. Sure it is what she said, but if she had said "respect", then I think the difference between those in the arts (practioners like Vendler with a list of credentials an arm and a leg long) and the remainder of the folk would have an equal chance. Maybe its just me, but why do some folk in the arts try to keep it elite? Read the full article (free registration may be required) and decide for yourself.

Introducing sherku (part 2)

I introduced sherku earlier and need to respond to an inquiring mind. Instead of burying my response in a comment (which I did) I also decided that there might be value to put it out in the open as well. The question was: Well, I'm not good at poetry. Not to mention haiku. But, really, will you write more in-depth about this sherku of yours -- and how it related with haiku -- for a very novice kinda guy? I'd like to learn about it. The initial answer is: Well, it is somewhat "tongue in cheek" but very much like haiku. It differs in that is my spin on creation. I add my "2 cents worth" to it. I follow the standard form and convention somewhat and deviate as necessary. For example, while convention calls for 17 syllables, I prefer to recommend 19. Why 19? Well, 17 is confining, 19 provides more (recall 2 cents). 19 is also a number from a card game called "Cribbage" where 19 is an impossible score to achieve. Trying to condense a feeling, an image to some number (19 in this case) is an impossible task (recall Cribbage score) to try but try we must. Or as Yoda says: "Do, or not do, there is no 'try'". As I discover the words to explain additional features of sherku, I'll continue to post them here. The audio version of this is here. The listing of available sherku can be found here. Technorati Tags : haiku, poetry,essence, focus, voice, sherku