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Trail of Dreams My dream song begins as shadows in the dark. Far off through a misty cloud of restless sleep, a distant spark subdued and soft in the fog of midnight deep. And so I creep into the clouds of my mind to seek, to find. Black, grey and white give way to light at first merging into blues in flight then spreading wide with rainbow colors for my golden guide. There is a river and emerald hills before me, beckoning, "be free". It's now up to me to choose the dreamscape path into the forest, city streets, the sea, or just fly. Explore or play, I'll solve a mystery or splash in this birdbath, the possibilities are as endless as the sky Wake or stay? ~~Judi Van Gorder Dreamsong

After a strenuous day, you may find yourself dreaming about mystical, enchanted worlds, with strange friendly creatures. Images of the mind, seem to help lessen our burdens that accumulated during our daily encounters. Dreams can relax the mind, and prepare us to face the real world of the next day. With practice we can actually train the mind to repeat this process on a regular basis. The Carousel It’s been an exhausting day, not a thing went right, Work had been demanding, I needed sleep tonight. My head pressed the pillow, covers are pleasantly warm, Eyes close, my mind drifts...a dream begins to form. Children enter a Carousel House, anticipation on their face. They came to ride the animals, within that sheltered place. Calliope music is carefree, trumpets and cymbals are loud, Rat-a-tat-tat of snare drums, mingle with the crowd. The ride seems very short, excitement is on the rise; When the Carousel stops, disappointment fills their eyes. Faces change constantly, children stream through the door, Music starts...the Carousel turns; the ride begins once more. Deeper tugs my slumber, on anxieties of the day, Visions I dreamed of, melted slowly and drifted away. The Carousel lingers, yet it’s different some how, Music stopped, children are gone, what will happen now? It's evening...lights are out, the door is finally closed. Pale light awash on dusty windows; a golden moon arose. Magic dust is everywhere, glittering in moonbeam light, In swirling currents and eddies...Oh...such a gala sight! From depths of dark shadows, they hasten into view. Tiny Elves; Gnomes, and Goblins, just to mention a few. Sprites; Fairies; Nymphs and Brownies...none are left behind; Munchkins; Leprechauns; Pixies, and Imps; beings of every kind. These creatures of reverie, are not frightened by my size. I am caught in a fantasy, I can't believe my eyes. Hark! is that music, I hear it from within? The Carousel has come to life...a ride is about to begin. Outstretched hands lead me, into a friendly throng, Music is silvery-sweet, but...I won't remember the song. Voices titter and giggle, they hasten to catch a ride. When all are in their places, magic happens inside. It matters not I am different; we delight in every ride, I feel slightly giddy, with strange friends at my side. Oh to soon...morning light arrests my nighttime vision, The fantasy dream is fading...ending that transition. Images of my slumber, quickly vanish from my mind. Sunlight jangles my memory, erasing each and every kind. Anxieties I had of yesterday, are magically washed away. I feel rested and full of energy, it’s time to start another day. YarnSpinner copyright 2013

#3 US National Poetry Month is April, Poets challenged to write one poem a day for the month of April. A moment before sleep This early April sky, grey darkened by night, moistened by recent rain and cooled by a north wind, invites me to lower my lids and drift into the starlight that prinks its plain. ---------- ~~ Judi Van Gorder

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry Invented Forms Haiku Haiku Wannabees When searching for traditional forms, I have run across several invented forms that attempt to emulate or replace the Haiku. Most often they miss the mark, but some are fun to play with. Cinqku is a 5 line haiku attributed to American poet Denis Garrison found at Poetry Bridge. It particularly explores the use of the line break and retains the maximum syllable count of the haiku. (Note: the haiku is a small poem of 17 syllables or less, the Cinqku is more restrictive with a strict syllable count of 17.) The Cinqku should have a turn or surprise in L4 and L5. The elements of the Cinqku are: a pentastich, a poem in 5 lines. syllabic. A strict syllable count of 2-3-4-6-2 syllables per line. composed with a turn or surprise in L4 or L5. untitled. he saw his life flash before his eyes - her smile and waiting arms took hold ---Mike Monteuil Scattered, fragmented, time spins too fast. in stillness I reclaim myself. ------ Judi Van Gorder Dixdeux, French for ten-two, is illustrated by Anthony Fusco in Caulkins' Handbook on Haiku and Other Form Poems, 1970 . . . It appears to have developed as an alternative to the Haiku. The defining feature is the syllable count. The elements of the Dixdeux are: written in any number of tercets. When written in more than one tercet, L3 becomes a refrain. syllabic, with 10-10-2 syllables per line. is unrhymed. titled, unlike the haiku. Hot Topic by Judi Van Gorder an unopened coke sits in closed up truck outside the summer temperature rises KABOOM! sticky brown liquid spatters upholstery meticulous owner finds mess inside KABOOM! The Haikuette is another seemingly, American answer to the haiku and was introduced by Louise Sipfle in the Caulkins Handbook and included in Berg's Pathways. The defining feature is the absence of verbs. The elements of the Haikuette are: a tristich, a 3 line poem. Each line must be a separate entity, yet must contribute to the whole. syllabic, 17 syllables or less. There is no specified syllable count per line. written without verbs. unrhymed. titled. You by Judi Van Gorder fresh freckled Lily sweet fragrance, pink and spicy your face in the sun The Hay(na)ku or Jánakú is an invented verse form inspired by the haiku that is measured by number of words instead of syllables. It was introduced in 2003 by Eileen Tabios, the then publisher of Meritage Press. The name Haynaku is the Tagalog equivalent of Oh My God! The elements of the Hay(na)ku are: a tristich, a poem written in 3 lines. measured by number of words, L1 is one word, L2 is two words and L3 is three words. There is no restriction on number of syllables in the words. unrhymed. variable, the line order can be reversed, or the form can be chained to create a series of Haynakus. November. . . golden leaves crunch under foot ------- jvg Fallen . . from tree, three bones broken. --------jvg Canvas. . . paint splash dribbles onto page. ------- jvg one plus two always equals three --------- --Fred Johnson The Kimo is an Israeli version of the haiku, found at Poetry Kaleidoscope. The defining feature is that there should be no movement in the imagery. The elements of the Kimo are: a tristich, a 3 line poem. syllabic 10-7-6 syllables per line. the images should be stationary unrhymed. My Dog Angel by Judi Van Gorder Coffee grounds and eggshells on kitchen floor next to overturned trash pail, Angel sleeping nearby. Lune is an "American haiku" invented by poet, Robert Kelly, a tristich in 13 syllables. Other than line and syllable count it has none of the classic requirements of the haiku. Instant Poetry Forms The elements of the Lune are: a poem in 3 lines. measured either by 5-3-5 syllables per line rhyme at the discretion of the poet. Today I cried tears of regret. I was not enough. ------ ---Judi Van Gorder Collom Lune, inspired by the Lune and invented by American poet, Jack Collom, the Collom Lune uses word count rather than syllable count and reverses the count to 3-5-3. The elements of the Collom Lune are: a poem in 3 lines. measured by 3-5-3 words per line. my messy desk stacked with books and bills poetry born here ~~jvg The Quinzaine is an internet form found at Shadow Poetry and Instant Poetry for Kids, named from the French quinze (fifteen) for the 15 syllables the poem contains. The elements of the Quinzaine are: a tristich, a 3 line poem. syllabic, 7-5-3 syllables per line. unrhymed. composed of: L1 a statement, L2 and L3 questions related to the statement. Keats by Judi Van Gorder Poet writes in present tense. When is verse in time, is now then? Tetractys is an internet form claiming to be "Britain's answer to the haiku." Ray Stebbing at Shadow Poetry. "Tetractys" is defined by its name. The name given by classical Greek mathematician, Euclid, to his contention that the number series 1,2,3,4 has mystical significance because its sum is 10. The elements of the Tetractys are: a pentastich, a complete poem in a 5 lines. syllabic, with a progressive syllable count 1-2-3-4-10 per line. sometimes written as a Double Tetractys(2 quintains), when doubled the syllabic pattern is reversed, 1-2-3-4-10-10-4-3-2-1. sometimes it is stanzaic, written in any number of quintains. when written in multiple stanzas the syllabic pattern is a Mirrored Tetractys syllables per line 1-2-3-4-10 10-4-3-2-1 1-2-3-4-10 10-4-3-2-1 etc…. unrhymed. Sleep dormant renewal. Recovery, under rated necessity of life. Judi Van Gorder The Trilinea, one more haiku copycat from Berg's Pathways for a Poet, created by Nellie Amos. It appears to me to be a simplified 15th century Italian Stornello with a gimmick. The defining feature is the word "rose" must appear somewhere in the 3 lines which seems a bit contrived to me. The elements of the Trilinea are: a tristich, a poem in 3 lines. syllabic, with syllable count per line, 4-8-4. rhymed, L1 and L3 rhyme. composed to include the word "rose". titled. tattoo by Judi Van Gorder teardrops of dew cling to a red velvet rose the touch of you Today by Judi Van Gorder I rose to see a world of possibilities beckoning me. The Triquain, found in Berg's Pathways for the Poet 1977 appears to be an attempt at combining the haiku and Crapsey cinquain. It was created by L. Stanley Cheney and referred to in both the Caulkins' Handbook and Pathways. This form comes a little closer to the purpose of haiku than some other haiku wannabees. There is another invented form also called a Triquain that appeared on the internet about 25 years later written in a syllabic heptastich. The elements of the Triquain found in Pathways are: a tristich, a poem in 3 lines. It is composed in 3 units, L1 introduces the subject, L2 expands and leads into action, L3 is the enlightenment or question. syllabic, with 2-7-7 syllable count per line. Titled, unlike the haiku. stud by Judi Van Gorder newborn leggy colt struggles to stand first of many challenges Zip is an American haiku knockoff discovered by Lawrence Eberhardt at Poet's Collective at Wikipedia. Created by John Carley this is a 15 syllable haiku i 2 lines. The elements of the zip are: a distich, a poem in 2 lines syllabic, total 15 syllables, line break at the discretion of the poet each line composed with caesura displayed as a double or triple space rather than punctuation such as comma, or ellipsis. untitled shy sun smiles this winter morning frozen stillness greets my day . . . ~ jvg