Wednesday, November 30, 2011

"New Haiku Signs Will Make NYC Streets Safer Through Power Of Poetry"

Here's the story: http://gothamist.com/2011/11/29/new_haiku_signs_will_make_nyc_stree.php#photo-1

And here's a definition of Haiku poetry from Wikipedia:

"Haiku (俳句 haikai verse?) About this sound listen , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:
  • The essence of haiku is "cutting" (kiru).[1] This is often represented by the juxtaposition of two images or ideas[2] and a kireji ("cutting word") between them, a kind of verbal punctuation mark which signals the moment of separation and colours the manner in which the juxtaposed elements are related.[3]
  • Traditional haiku consist of 17 on (also known as morae), in three phrases of 5, 7 and 5 on respectively.[4] Any one of the three phrases may end with the kireji.[5] Although haiku are often stated to have 17 syllables,[6] this is incorrect as syllables and on are not the same.
  • A kigo (seasonal reference), usually drawn from a saijiki, an extensive but defined list of such words. The majority of kigo, but not all, are drawn from the natural world. This, combined with the origins of haiku in pre-industrial Japan, has led to the inaccurate impression that haiku are necessarily nature poems.
"Modern Japanese gendai (現代) haiku are increasingly unlikely to follow the tradition of 17 on or to take nature as their subject, but the use of juxtaposition continues to be honoured in both traditional haiku and gendai.[1] There is a common, although relatively recent, perception that the images juxtaposed must be directly observed everyday objects or occurrences.[7]
In Japanese, haiku are traditionally printed in a single vertical line while haiku in English often appear in three lines to parallel the three phrases of Japanese haiku.[8]"


I think lying John and other city "leaders" should consider this for Racine. I could make a living writing street signs and accident rates would drop dramatically because everyone will be too confused by the signage to drive or walk anywhere.

8 comments:

jedwis said...

That's right Orbs, and everyone will be doing origamy. lol

RWWackoStu said...

Dont believe what you
see and hear because its true
We have no crime here

kkdither said...

I think I'd probably be distracted from reading the sign, and be so entranced with the beauty and originality of the poetry, I'd probably crash my car.

OrbsCorbs said...

"Stop, look, and listen"
Was once for railroad crossings.
Now, it's for each sign.

hale-bopp said...

A haiku by Orbs
A verse I would love to hear
Give that man the job

kkdither said...

Two men writing poems
A rare happening indeed
Irregular prose.

kkdither said...

Oops, should have be three
totally missed stu's haiku.
Most irregular!

OrbsCorbs said...

Haiku!
Gesundheit.