An American sentence:
Does time spent on verse innately imbue it with properties of art?
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!
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 
Time is flexible. One moment can span a lifetime or be less than a breath. Is it any less a life if it lasts one second or years?? Replace life with art. Replace art with poetry.
❤ Muri ❤
💖 verse and art that questions always does to me.. David💖
Nicely painted 👏👏👏
🤍 🤍 Cindy 🤍 🤍
💖🙏🌷
I think time has nothing to do with art. (K)
💞 Kerfe 💞 – this is something I think about because a micropoem can easily take less time to create than a longer poem… but is it any less “art” as a consequence?
-David
You worry too much about if what you do should be considered art. What difference does it make what you call it? And whether your writing time is longer or shorter, the life preparation to get to the place of making it was the same. Things you make don’t just appear out of that moment. There was a lot of hard living and thinking to get you there. That’s actually the most important part of the process.
Artistic properties in this cuckoo verse are voiced in flight from time.
“The cuckoo who is on to himself is halfway out of the clock.” Wilson Mizner
💕 CES 💕 – I like Mizner’s wit & wisdom a great deal.
-David
My like of Mizner’s wit & wisdom’s a lune. ; )
If not, it certainly enhances both the artist’s skills and life. Well done, David.
💝 SP 💝 – thanks!
I have enjoyed epigrams since high school. Your American sentence is fraught with meaning, David. Have a great day! 🙂
💖 Cheryl 💖 – you too!
mastering terse verse is an art! you nailed it here
💚 Laura 💚 – that’s very kind of you.
Thanks!
David
Tick…tock…tick…tick… 😉
❤ ❤ Filipa ❤ ❤
the question rather seems to be whether your art remains open to be playful enough to surrender into the big unknown –
I aspire to that!
🧡
David
how long does it take to get there? all of a moment’s presence
Thanks goodness it only takes a moment – it’s hard for me to be present for any longer than that.
❤
David
“don’t believe everything you think,”
😘
❤
🤗 Cheryl 🤗