Day 94 (CS Day 17) - Insect Tanka

"It's National Poetry Month! Write a poem or make something inspired by a poem you like"

I decided to create tanka, a classical Japanese poetry style similar to haiku in that you have a set number of syllables per line. Tanka are 5-7-5-7-7 and often depend on puns and double entendres for meaning (I have no such skill). They were frequently introduced with a bit of prose describing the feeling, thoughts, mood, scenery, or any other bit of information about why or when it was composed, that gave further depth and context to the short poems.

When a friend asked me to name a favorite insect I replied:

The tiger beetle

Mantispids are another

Mantids, can't deny

My favorite's hard to pin

Can't even choose an Order!

On discovering my beloved mantids belonged with vile roaches on the cladogram:

Preying mantids may

evolutionarily

be predatory

elongated cockroaches,

I pray not show revulsion

Comments

Maceo

Last night I lost my beloved Maceo. I've had him since he was six weeks old and he just turned 17 on April 1st. I miss him dearly already. Rest well sweet boy.

The Heian Book Report

I've started re-reading my Heian-era Japanese Literature books (all English translations) and thought I'd write a few thoughts about each while it's fresh in my mind. I started with Hojoki and Tsurezuregusa . So, this is just my announcement, you can read a bit more about my Heian Obsession here and I will post all of the book reports to this page .

Day 104 CS Day 27 - Bee Spa

"Create something in collaboration with another CreativeSprinter Today" One of the Spa's clients For the 27th project, I consulted with my friend and fellow artist AS in New England. She works in a greenhouse and when asked via email what insect first came to mind, she wrote: "I think of BEES because I have been working in beeswax and I love what bees do and produce. Also, my coworker and I made a "Bee Spa" for all the fuzzy bumble bees that pass out on the ground (I think the colder temps make them sluggish?)...and we also have a "Bee Necropolis" where we lovingly put all the bees that have died." I was intrigued by both ideas - the spa and the necropolis, but decided I might have a better chance at depicting the spa. I asked AS what the Bee Spa looked like: "...[it] is a selection of lovely cut flowers with pollen offerings plus potted plants in a protected area where the bumbles will not be disturbed a...

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