Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Haiku Monday Winner: X MARKS THE SPOT

I wish I had time to write a synopsis of every haiku submitted this go 'round because if y'all are going to take the time to write and submit, I should at least give a kudo to every haiku. But the alligators of deadlines both personal and professional are nipping at my heels and I also need to eat. And do the dishes. And do something about my hair.

Still, I will give a short shout out to this week's top contenders, who basically boiled down to a bunch of dudes and a lil' lady.

The Dudes:

Czar made me laugh to the point of strained abs with:

Friend’s wife, his IInd--
not too sharp: came home talking
of Malcolm the Tenth.

We all know this man, right? And this gal? And have been at the dinner table or putting green or lift ticket line when something like this has spilled like liquid gold right on out of their mouths, leaving us a story to tell for years, maybe decades to come. I also love the play of Roman numerals here; IInd for second, Tenth for X. So, so cleverly done.

Then there was Troll who snagged my attention with Yum-Yum, which, if I think about it, is probably my most favorite phrase in the entire English language, ever:

Stone Crab Season Starts!
They swim from Bay to Old Bay.
Exoskeletons.

I wanna go have dinner at Troll's house. Scout's honor I'll behave, and I won't even bring up the L for Libertarian word, not once, not at all, and I'll bring the dessert. Just feed me some of those exoskeletons!

From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to Rafe's jazzy rumination on religious xstasy:

Xtreme addiction
Whip the flesh; Xpunge your sin
Jonesing on Jesus

I really love the rhythm of this one, the alliteration of the exes and the jays, but also find compelling the way it paints a picture of something both disturbing and yet sublime, the line where piety ends and frenzy begins.

Curmee, who is getting quite good at this haiku stuff, also snagged my attention, not with food, but with a shorthanded tale evoking cute dudes with washboard abs and leather underwear fighting the invading hordes:

Three hundred remained.
At Thermopylae they died.
Xerxes laughed no more.

And then Karl, who, through an impressive economy of words and structure, ended up creating quite a compelling haiku:

A mark on a chart
A position and a plot
Nope, no guarantee.

I love the way this bounces off the tongue when read out loud. Try it, you'll see what I mean.

Then there's Blowfish, the only blogger (go figure) who crossed over into x-rated territory with the naughty-but-nice, and oh-so-funny:

I thought it was Gee.
Not X. Which signals the spot?
Sweet really is best.

And then backpedaled and said this was about tennis. Whatev', dude, it's still a great haiku. (Fishy, please don't kill him; I think we're cousins once removed on my father's side and I can't afford to lose any paisans.)

The Lil' Lady:

Miz Boxer, who colored us all nostalgic with:

X Ray goggles from
Johnson Smith Catalog was
Christmas wish denied

I think we can all wipe a small tear or stifle a belly laugh at the memories this evokes.

Unfortunately, I have to pick a winner out of the creme of the creamy crop, and it wasn't easy. No sir. Not at all.

So without further foot shuffling, the winner is:

KARL!

It's simple, to the point, action-oriented, heralds anticipation, and then warns of potential disappointment. X marks the treasure, but when it proves not to be there, all effort is x'ed out. Nice. Plus, I just kept coming back to it over, and over.

Congrats, Karl! Looks like you are our host for next week! Those of you who have just begun to play, Blazng and Jean, please keep playing, and thanks to everyone for the big, big fun.

16 comments:

BlazngScarlet said...

XCELLENT CHOICE!

I will admit that Rafe's really stuck in my head ...
But really?
I loved the ALL! =)
(I never envy the Host/Hostesses job of having to choose!)

CONGRATS KARL! =)

Anonymous said...

That's a darned good haiku. Congrats Karl.

Pam said...

Xcellent Choice! Very clever, very simple and very identifiable. Well done, Karl!

czar said...

Karl's a winner every week, just some more than others. Great choice.

grins said...

Yay Karl! congrats. Great haiku.

Jenny said...

Good job, Moi, it ain't easy Judging but Karl's was really good and I think you made the right decision.

Congrats Karl!!!

darkfoam said...

Yup, that one by Karl did have a certain appeal. Good choice! And congrats to Karl.

fishy said...

Congratulations Karl!
I agree with Czar, you do write winners every week. Looking forward to next Monday.

Moi ... what did you do with your hair? (For the record, you can have him! But, he was an avid tennis player for decades until he blew out his rotator cuff. X is the signal for outside the lines so if x is marking the spot you lose. I doubt the old fool knows there ever was a Dr. G or a book)

Karl said...

Buenos días Señora Moi,

Thank you, I'm honored. Everyone has gotten so good. The different perspectives of the players, makes each haiku a treat to read. The although it also makes but the competition much harder to judge.

Thank you for hosting this week! Please take some time and get your hair fixed;)

I will post a topic on Friday.

@ Fishy: If you want him to learn, I could e-mail you a link to the good doctor's work. Strictly for the purpose of intellectual and medical information.

Buzz Kill said...

I liked Karl's haiku a lot too. A man's man poet. I can see Captain Karl plunging a bone-handled dagger into THE spot on a weather and rum stained treasure map - and then killing all who saw. Then imagining Moi doing things with her tongue while reciting this haiku. Win-win, Karl...win-win.

moi said...

Fishy: I've been neglecting my hair color--haven't had time and I HATE sitting in the colorist's chair forever and a day, besides. My blondie friends are all, la, dee, da, the greys blend right in, too bad, so sad for you Missy Brunette! Ergo, I will color until the day I die. It's even in my will--color my damn hair before you lay me out on that rock!

Pee Ess: I used to play tennis, but my brain went right to Dr. G. when I read Blowfish's haiku. That's okay, I understand your need to both protect him and break a botle over his head.

Karl: That's the fun of it, isn't it? All those different perspectives. Looking forward to your topic!

Buzz: I like that: a man's man poet. Also: You and Blowfish should have lunch.

Jean said...

Congratulations, Karl!
You're top-notch, always.

Great job, Moi. Your perspective is always a treat.

Rafael said...

@Karl:
Congrats! Your's was SUPER, as is always!

@Moi:
You are truly the hostess SUPREME... love your flavor on the whole subject of "X". Delicious!!

@Blow/Fishie/Etc. :
Tennis is a game of deuces and love...

You can practice all you want on your own, but it never quite equals the real thing...

Singles, doubles, HELL, even mixed...

Hmmm...still sounds like sex, to ME!

Find me a G that garners an OH!
I'll bet you my bottom,
marked with an X
That the spot where's you sit marks a SPOT that is WET!

HaHa (sorry)

Rafa

Anonymous said...

Nice job Karl, you obviously have the hang of this. Fatigue must be good for your muse! (Ha! That gets him out of the competition for this week ;~) ...)

Moi, great theme, and such a spot-on choice.

Looking forward to your theme of the week, Karl. Hope I'll have time to play.

Serendipity

chickory said...

congratulations to Karl. There were so many good ones -this cycle every cycle. Thanks for hosting MOI.

Karl said...

Good afternoon Moi,

The post is up. The topic is "Venture".

Have a good weekend, all!