short poetic forms

Some people say micropoetry (haiku, senryu, tanka, and the like) is "cheating." At what? I haven't gotten any Rolexes or yachts out of it. Yet. (I don't want that stuff anyway. No, really. I'd give it all to charity. I would! Most of it. Well, a lot of it.) But all forms (even character limits on, say, social media posts ... think tweetku / twihaiku / twaiku) have a way of forcing—or rather enhancing—creativity. Or maybe that's deadlines? Or both.

Why I have a short attention span.

[STORM SWIMMING]

Thunder is a splash

sounding in a pool of sky:

lightning’s daring dive.

—Julie Ann Baker Brin,

1st Place
Kansas Authors Club
2022 Literary Contest,
Japanese Forms category

Thanks to category judge Nathanael Stolte, as well as the tireless troupers at KAC for all they do.

[VARIEGATED VENN]


Two ducks on water

making separate ripples;

further out they blend.


—Julie Ann Baker Brin,
Honorable Mention
Kansas Authors Club 2021 Literary Contest,
Japanese Forms category

Thanks to category judge Dr. Cynthia Patton, as well as poetry contest manager Linzi Garcia, and all of the KAC busy bees for everything they do to support and promote Kansas creativity.

[WARCRY]
trees spring their war cry

unleashing helicopters

aerial assault


—Julie Ann Baker Brin,
May 2, 2021
twitter.com/juliebrin

Thanks to the VSS365 (Very Short Story, 365 days a year) writing community for so many great prompts.

Image: Yours Truly. And I'm completely aware that it's a terrible photo. But for some reason images = more engagement on social media. So occasionally I cave. I admit to "phoning it in" when I do.

Alt text: screen shot of twitter post of above haiku, accompanied by lousy photo of some maple seeds — I think — in Bermuda grass — maybe (or whatever kind of grass people in Kansas complain about having in their lawns. We shouldn't have grass in our lawns anyway, unless it's prairie tallgrass and we don't mow it. Well, try to convince my spouse of that. Or society. Anyway, I'm doing plenty of other things for the environment. I digress).

This guy. The reason I'm a Brin. So I suppose he deserves a spot on my site.

[COUNTERPOINT]

I have penned very
little poetry about
you and me because
I suppose that’s precisely
what the two of us should be

—Julie Ann Baker Brin
April 11, 2021
twitter.com/juliebrin

#tanka #NationalPoetryMonth #micropoetry #metapoetry #confessionalpoetry #quintain #shortform

(I know, I should have added #loveisgross ... don't worry, I don't write too many love poems)

[MONOLOGUE]

There’s not a dry eye
in the house but here I am
the only one home

—Julie Ann Baker Brin
#Senryū #tercet #mentalhealth #depression

[ROCK]

comfortably numb
like a boulder or wax works
feeling nothingness

—Julie Ann Baker Brin
May 4, 2021
twitter.com/juliebrin

#vss365 prompt: #waxworx #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MentalHealthAwareness #StopTheStigma #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay #talkaboutit

The book pictured here, Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life, is by Scott Spradlin, a Wichita-based therapist and author, and all-around nice guy. This book is one of many things in my mental health arsenal. What's in yours? Here are some resources for you and/or your loved ones, just in case:

* NAMI HelpLine (National Alliance on Mental Illness): 800-950-NAMI (6264)
* SAMHSA’s National Helpline (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. Administration): 800-662-HELP (4357).
* #StopSuicide, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
* Wichita area, COMCARE: 24-hour crisis hotline: 316-660-7500.

Image credit: Amazon

Which charity would I donate all my riches to, once I'm a famous writer? I'm glad you asked! If I had to pick just one, it would be Alternative Gifts International. They're like one-stop-shopping for charitable giving. I know the hardworking staff (I used to be one of them) and many of their volunteers (I am currently one of them) as well as their incredibly engaged board members (I've attended their public meetings and witnessed them initiating extra meetings so they can help even more). Donating to them is like contributing to 30 different nonprofits at once -- now, that's the kind of "cheating" I like. ;-)

See the page menu at the top for more. And thanks for visiting my portfolio site! —Julie Ann Baker Brin