And the Winner is........

This weeks theme was on the word "crescent" which brought many fine entries examining both personal and universal meanings. Master Basho's ghost would be most pleased with the effort and thought that went into each haiku. The mighty K9 also thanks you for participating here in the dog pen while Troll is out in the wilds of Florida hunting.

Our Judge, Alicia Griswold, teaches creative writing at the Art Institute in Atlanta. You can read one of her poems on her blog "sending pages out to dry". Thank you, Alicia!

**Alicia's comments:

Fun read!

I, too, love the moon.

The winner is the 16-syllable haiku by Boxer:

Waning or waxing
hanging low in the sky
my lantern tonight.

            

Before anyone objects to this, let me say, the panicky revision with added “night” merely repeats “night” (see “tonight” in third line) to no advantage. It may follow the rule but makes for an awkward scan and detracts from the best line, which I love: “my lantern tonight.”  A missing syllable does less harm than a clumsy word.

Might you consider including either the word “moon” at the start of line 2 or “so” after “hanging” to get that needed syllable? I liked the simplicity of language and the image of man humping home. Lantern, because it’s familiar and yet anachronistic, feels timeless to me.

Honorable mention (can I do this?): MB’s Ghost #2

 “Both grain Towers fell.
Those that lay sleeping. Throats cut.
Envied by captured.”

Would also love to see Peurile Waites’ comment turned to haiku…

“I am wondering why you walked

back from the mountain.

Was it more dramatic that way?”

**************************

Congratulations, Boxer! Display the badge-of-great-Honor on your blog. You have the awesome responsibility of selecting next week's haiku topic. You are also the winner of a virtual $800 gift certificate to Joe Bob's Gun and Ammo shack, and 3 practice sessions at Nephew's outdoor firing range. Enjoy and well done!

Haiku Monday for 1.10.11: Crescent

*Hosting for Basho's Ghost and Troll this week*

Today I walked back from the mountain in late afternoon. The heavy clouds churned and moved like film sped up, and every so often, a glimpse of crisp deep blue. The wind was so strong I felt like Auntie Em  calling for the dogs and searching the horizon.

The last open sky I saw contained a crescent moon: faint because it faded in the sunset. It hung in the sky with tremendous weight, its arc like a bowl tilted north. Then it was gone.

Illumination.

the sun beneath your waxing

orion above

Mississippi flows

beignets and chicory fill

french quarter morning

From Master Basho's blog:

The winning haiku will be 5-7-5 mora format and appear in the comments section below. Along with the Badge-Of-Great-Honor and other hypothetically fabulous prizes. The winning haiku will be judged by a local and professional poet this week. Your entries will be emailed and one will be selected. Post your entry here or at your own blog. Be sure to link back. A winner will be announced Tuesday. Play on!

Movie Clip Wednesday: Best Movie Set in Winter or Snow

I am late to the party today, but it gave me a chance to check out every one else's picks and avoid a blog jinx -and there would have been one (or two) too, but more about that later.

My admiration for the movie "The Shining" is well known by longtime K9 readers and I believe I have written about it before for MCW for the "best horror" week, but it is the best movie that takes place in snow. Like space horror, snow horror is interesting because of the hardship the environment presents. And in the horror category, snow makes a lovely contrasting canvas for blood spillage.

Thinking about blood and snow naturally led me to think of Fargo, eh, but Boxer already snagged that one so that was out. Next I thought about Dr. Zhivago, but Aunty chose that one. I would have focused on other aspects of the movie, not the tragic love affair between Lara and Zhivago, but the very instructive glimpse of the Bolshevik Revolution. Dr. Z is at first enthusiastic about the revolution but surprise! I never works out they way they say. A scene that stands out is Dr. Zhivago senior coming back to his own home to find that several other families had been moved in and he was now relegated to one room. And if he didnt like that, he could be shot instead. So the younger Z and his bride flee to the country house to try and escape the oppressive super-state. The scene where they arrive by sleigh at the house which is completely iced over inside and out is a truly gorgeous piece of celluloid. It's too long though and I would have only chosen it because of the snow.

Let's see...Ice Station Zebra? The Thing? already taken. what to do what to do?

K9. Trust the force.


Thirty years ago, there was a rare Hollywood occurrence. A sequel as good as, and possibly better than, the original. That movie was "The Empire Strikes Back" which features one of the best snow battles ever. Filmed at Härdangerjøkulen Glacier in Finse Norway, the winter and snow backdrop allows for some innovative scenes: Luke being kept from freezing to death by being inserted into the warm guts of a fileted Tauntaun and of course, the incredible battle with the Imperial Walkers:

Thank God some fanboy "maked a speeded up battle just for fun" because the battle of Hoth is actually10 minutes long. Enjoy, and Happy Movie Clip Wednesday.