An American sentence:
Seeking personal meaning in religion may reveal profound flaws.
What’s an ‘American Sentence’?
Allen Ginsberg, inventor of the American Sentence, felt that the haiku didn’t work as well in English. Ginsberg decided to remove the line structure of the haiku, maintaining the requirement of 17 syllables total. He felt that removing the line count freed the American Sentence up for the idiosyncrasies of English phonemes.
The requirements:
- Composed in one line;
- Syllabic, 17 syllables;
- Condensed, written with no unnecessary words or articles;
- Complete sentence or sentences;
- Includes a turn or enlightenment.
Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.
–Ben Harper (b. 1969)
Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!
Yes, that is a bumpy ground. Be careful. 🙂
too late…
Profound flaws in oneself or in religion?
Yes.
Love ambiguous answers!
Random monkey’s typing remind me I’m not so far removed from apes….
🙃 Muri 🙃
I see your mind is busy with life’s contradictions this week…(K)
🤎💟 Kerfe 💟🤎
ya know, I think my mind’s always busy with contradictions, but this week, my fingers finally got around to some of them too…
One religion’s profound flaws are another religion concealing 😉
Profound ❣️
Might be better to be Simian with all the monkey business the religions get up to.
🙈🙉🙊 Andrew 🙈🙉🙊
I recognise the look on that gorilla’s face – me when I’m pondering religion! 🙂
🦍 Lesley 🦍
Flaws in the religion or flaws in yourself?
Yes.
beyond religion –
very personal:
meaning arrives
arrives
when it’s good
and ready
I disagree with this premise. I don’t believe that meaning “arrives”. You search for it and find it, and/or you ascribe meaning to something.
I’m too lazy to put this comment into poetic form, but you’re welcome to have at it.
I think it could be both – why couldn’t we have “a-hah” moments sometimes?
Sure! But are those a-hah moments meaning arriving at/finding you? Or you arrive at/finding meaning? 🤔😉
your mileage may vary…