How cool is that?
I remember the Obfuscated Perl contest. Not that I think a contest is necessary and I generally don’t like the idea of creative competition. I want community that validates, not confines.
I do think it makes for an interesting exercise though to be rigorous with form. Killhambone and I swap haikus and hexes every day. We’ve been doing it for a long time, well over a year, maybe 2. That daily exercise has give me a strong eye for syllable. There is much to learn I think from boxing language in, locking it down so it squirms and you see what kind of life it has in it. That’s a good part of what being a poet is about for me, that exercise of learning the language.
If anyone cares to try my technique as just such an exercise, here are the constraints I place on myself:
Code Poetry, hex haikuCode Poetry, hex haiku
the right justified line has an interesting look. to approach language as topography; it’s the ultimate explosion–while still addressing meaning and emotional triggers. it all comes from simplicity, really. simple truth in compelling forms. cool, baby.