Typesetter withdraws;

latterly, letters scurry;

words fall off by 1.

(I AM SAD WHEN BRAVE HAIKUS IMPLODE)

RHOPALIC COUNTDOWN

previous          next          home

contact gabriel

A rhopalic verse is a poetic form (typically a sentence) in which each successive word has one more (or less) letter. The letter count in the title builds from one to ten while the poem shrinks from nine to one. More whimsy than big idea, this haiku tries to have fun describing rhopalic in a rhopalic form. How do the letters of a rhopalic poem feel about the form? Is it childlike amusement, like musical chairs, or a desperate game of elimination? Achieving a final single keystroke by numeral (1) feels like a cheat, but drafts ending with I and A were lacking. Latterly, meaning afterward, is archaic but chosen given the tight double rules (haiku’s syllables and rhopalic letter count). I also like that it sounds like laterally, the sidewise direction of reading. Does this haiku mean something different to you? Contact me!

rhopalic (n)