Sweet Savannah, how I love thee!

I took a week off from writing to go on a family vacation to Savannah, GA.  We had an amazing time.  However, like most writers, I was inspired by the beautiful scenery of the city.  This poem is special to me because it came to me at different times during my trip.  I jotted down a couple of things that stood out to me and this is what I ended up with.   I hope you like it.

Suddenly Savannah

By: Kristin Cox

As I watched the pretty pink crate myrtle pedals fall unto the uneven

cobblestone sidewalk, I knew that I was in Savannah.

For only in Savannah do you see the ancient trees covered

in moss creating a whimsical feeling in the day,

and spookiness at night.

The tide is high on Savannah Beach as the

 warm tan sand covers my weary feet.

The river front of Savannah is always a joy,

while listening to the sailors scream “ahoy!”

Savannah’s succulent seafood oozes authenticity.

It’s to die for!

Oh how I hate to see my vivacious vacation come to an end,

but don’t worry, I’ll see sweet Savannah again.

What do you think? Haiku or the American Sentence?

Dr. Sue Walker, the poet Laureate of Alabama, suggested a style of poetry called, "The American Sentence."  It's an alternative to the Japanese haiku.  She taught us this style during the National Writing Project Institute. 

Allen Ginsberg was a believer in condense, condense, condense-which is an Ezra Pound dictum.  Ginsberg thought the 17 syllables of the haiku were too limiting in its 5-7-5 syllable lines, making the haiku poem merely an exercise in counting, not feeling, and too arbitrary to be poetry.

Ginsberg's solutions, which first appear in his book Cosmopolitan Greetings, are his American Sentences: One sentence, 17 syllables, end of story.  It makes for a rush of a poem, and if you decide to do so, include the season and an aha! moment as in Japanese haiku. 

I went to Savannah, GA and Tybee Island for the 4th of July holiday.  This American sentence came to me as I sat on the sparkling beach.  Here it is:

My hair wisped in the wind as I looked at the haveanly clear, blue sky.

Written by:  Kristin Cox

I'm Back!!!

Well, I took two days off to rest and spend some time with my children.  I finally finished that "ode" poem today.  It's not my best work; but hopefully, it will inspire someone else.  I hope you like it.   By the way, one of the fellows inspired me to write it during the National Writing Project last month.