An American sentence:
Depicting life in numbered syllables grants illusory control.
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!
The Skeptic's Kaddish ๐ฎ๐ฑ 
There are history books that must be read, biographies too and most certainly many novels to be understood
Yet it is the Poet who brings us the kernel in short syllable
And exposes the root.
๐๐๐ป Abi ๐๐ป๐
๐๐
‘illusory control’
I like that.
๐ค๐๐ป Linda ๐๐ป๐ค
Interesting thought.
๐๐๐ป Dolly ๐๐ป๐
[…] sentence” above was originally conceived (and written incorrectly) in response to David’s introduction to the Ginsberg form of minima poetry this week at The Skeptic’s Kaddish . I was feeling […]
๐
Yellow sun, hurries to make spring well before time. ๐
(climate issues)
๐๐๐ป Angela ๐๐ป๐
oh I like this. I think Iโll live in this one sentence. ๐๐ฅฐ
๐๐๐ป Cindy ๐๐ป๐ ~ you and me both!
Amen David! ๐
Window shopping through broken glass, hands bloodied, I choose that illusion.
Holy shamoley, D., that’s dark! ๐ณ ๐
All under control, just playing with words in 17 syllables.
๐
Or, does it encapsulate truth,
and/or?
Yes, right you are, I should have said, “And”