Robot Haiku Madness

by Andrew Watson
My Friday Project this time around incorporated random images, an ancient Japanese poetry form, and some Beat Poet ambiance. Dig? I had everyone create Haiku's from various images I had downloaded from the internet (not THOSE kinds of images). To refresh your memory of what a Haiku is, it's a short form of three line poetry with the syllable structure of 5-7-5 (the classic Western version anyways). An example for your oh so Zen pleasure is from poet Daniel Burch Fiddler

The pink blossom sighs
Remembering the soft kiss
Of many butterflies

My twist on this beautifully simple poetic structure for the Friday Project probably would have Mr. Fiddler feeling a bit on the ill side.
So here's how it went down.
- Everyone blindly picked three images from a hat
- They did a warm-up haiku with each image as a line syllable
- They had to think up a company name based on the three images
- write three haiku's with your new company name in mind, but each haiku must have a different identity or emotion connected to it
- lastly, everyone had to recite their haiku to the group to the smooth sounds of some jazz playing in the background. Finger snaps-a-plenty.

Here are a few examples of what they came up with

Mullet Caps

Luxurious, sleek
Mullets on fashionable
hats. Become sexy

- Laura Myers

Greenman Vendors

A green doll for cheap
Your son or daughter will love
Brown stick included

- Alfredo San Martin

Raging Clown's Shining Guitars

Women will want you
Wield your ax you god of rock
Make the women scream

- Charlie Martinez

I don't know about you, but I'm inspired.

Comments

[Paul Furukawa, Executive Director, CAMP]

Andrew -

Loved your ROBOT Haiku Madness. Traditionalists might add two more expectations: a reference to a season of the year and an unexpected or "ah-ha" moment. Great and fun way to introduce an Eastern discipline to a Western audience.

- Paul F