An American sentence:
Having my first grader injected with a brand new vaccine scares me.
What’s an ‘American Sentence’?
Allen Ginsberg, inventor of the American Sentence, felt that the haiku didnโt 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!
It is unsettling. But what’s the choice. Covid has scared the hell out of the world. ๐
well… we’re holding out for now…
I’m not always sure what I think about American sentences – but this one gets so directly to the heart of the matter it seems the perfect form.
โจ๐๐ปโจ Marion โจ๐๐ปโจ
we can pray for change this pandemic๐๐๐
Definitely.
Thank you…
-David
Vaccines for children have still not been approved, so yeah, its perfectly right to feel scared..?
it’s FDA approved. See here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-emergency-use-children-5-through-11-years-age
Yeah I found out.. well, so far, no serious side effects have been recorded, so nothing to worry about right..? ๐
nobody can really say with 100% certainty… we’re going to hold off for now.
Ohh ok ๐
Always the heart.
๐ thanks, Zy ๐
I’m sorry David and I would be too!!
I’m glad I’m not in your shoes right now.
๐
๐ค Cindy ๐ค
๐๐๐