An American sentence:
Too young to feel so worn out, he had lived enough to recognize it.
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 🇮🇱 
Fully relate to this one.
❤️🙏🏻 Bridgette 🙏🏻❤️ ~ sorry; that’s rough
Shavuah Tov, David. Well done.
🤍 😻 Dolly 😻 🤍 ~ thanks; you too
My pleasure, David.
Sad, but true! I really admire you, David.❤️ In one sentence, you say so much.
💛 🧡 ❤️ Filipa ❤️ 🧡 💛
too relatable from my vantage point and you’re too young to go there but ai do love the well written sentence! You’re def too young.. 💗😆
💓🙏🏻 Cindy 🙏🏻💓 ~ too young, and yet!
hahaha .. Yet; key word 💗
Wow. It is a sad commentary on our society and psyche!
💔🙏🏻 Muri 🙏🏻💔 ~ sadly true
Been there many times
🖤🙏🏻 Sadje 🙏🏻🖤 ~ me too
Aren’t you too young to be there too many times!
Well – that’s exactly what the American Sentence is about…
😅🧐
Ain’t this the truth!
🤎🙏🏻 Annette 🙏🏻🤎 ~ sadly, yes
Deep!
💟 🙏🏻 Sangeetha 🙏🏻 💟
Very relatable
💘 🙏🏻 Maria 🙏🏻 💘 ~ aw, thanks!
You’re welcome, David 🙂
Hmm . That’s me every Monday morning 😜
💝🙏🏻 Nigel 🙏🏻💝 ~ it’s too many of us.
I suppose both
But then there is that missing part; far too young and far too old
For each one –
Stand beneath a gentle fountain
Wash away all those yestedays.
Roll up the blinds
Open the windows wide
Then sip your coffee
I’m sure you back at your writing desk for a while now.
Amazing sentence construction
Wishing you the best of Saturdays
💖🙏🏻 Abi 🙏🏻💖 ~ I love how you write
Thank you Poet, you warm my heart. I’m glad I can write to you like that💖💖