American Sentences
The short version is that American Sentences are 17 syllables. Think back to haiku:
5 + 7 + 5 = 17. I know! I’m anti-haiku 17 syllables and pro-American Sentences 17 syllables. [It's my blog and it doesn't have to make sense.]
There are far more authoritative authorities and knowledgeable knowers than I on the subject. Here are some links:
- The official American Sentences page / tribute and info blog by Paul Nelson on the form created by Allen Ginsberg
- About.com page on Ginsberg’s variation on haiku
My American Sentences
I have links for pages of American Sentences I wrote in 2007 and 2008 and American Sentences on writing, but here are some more recent attempts:
08/05/09
Thunder already! I’m tired of begging summer for emotion.
(Yes, i know this is two sentences. I’m a rebel. And I’m counting ”tired” as two syllables, even though the dictionary shows it as one. I grew up in the woods. I have no class.)
08/03/09: “Monday”
I start this week just like last week: wondering why I keep on like this.
08/01/09
Heat turns into your mother, repeating the stories that make you squirm.
07/31/09
Another summer rain day, clouds close enough to press your nose against.
