Writing Fibs (Poetry, that is)
April 02, 2006
Greogry K. over at Gotta Book has invented a new poetry format called The Fib. It's based on the classic Fibonacci Sequence, in which you start with 0 and 1, and keep adding the previous two numbers together to get the next number. So you end up with 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. Gregory proposes using the Fibonacci Sequence to build "a six line, 20 syllable poem with a syllable count by line of 1/1/2/3/5/8." He has some examples on his site here, especially in the comments section.
I have to say, as someone who majored in engineering, and was always a bit of a math geek, but who really loved word, I find this format quite appealing. I haven't been so motivated to write poetry in a long time. And just in time for April, National Poetry Month. Here is my contribution (as posted in the comments on Gotta Book, too), a lament to recent Northern, California weather.
Rain,
Rain,
More rain,
Slate gray skies,
Sullen and squall-filled.
All I ask is to see blue sky.
OK, so it's not high art. But it did make me feel a little bit better to get it out of my system.
Thanks, Greg!