A pie they chant is what they want to eat
A crust is made and laid in dish so deep
The fruit is mixed with spice and sugar sweet
The crust is crimped the fruit to hold and keep
Keep vigil by the oven take a seat

This is the last of the cinquians - a Sicilian version written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b-a. I really don't like the metered verses - well, to write anyway.

As is the custom we had pie for dessert at Easter. We are pie people. There are folks who spend way too much time baking cakes and decorating them to look like lambs and Easter bunnies. They slather them with icing and pat on colored coconut shavings or worse cover them in fondant icing and make them look like dioramas of Easter egg hunts. I find those cakes to be inedible. The icing and decorations are too sweet. The food dye and colorants they use have a particularly nasty taste. We will pass up the cake and vote for pie every time! So the pies this year were a pineapple mango pie, a sweet potato pie, and a lemon macaroon pie. All were very delicious and all of them were pretty much consumed.

This is the pineapple mango pie. I decided that since I couldn't find any rhubarb I'd have to improvise. My secret ingredient? Cardamom - just a scant 1/4th teaspoon was enough to give it a little something exotic. It is now only a memory. Because the pie had a lot of moisture I took a before photo thinking it might bubble over and obscure the design on the top. I got lucky as you can see in the second photo!

Resurrection
Sacrificial loving
Redemption promise fulfilled
My Lord and Savior
Easter

The above poem is a Didactic Cinquain. This form is not about syllable count, stressed syllables or meter. Instead it is about word count. The first line has a single word to indicate the title and the subject of the poem. The second line contains 2 words that are adjectives to describe the 1st line. This is followed by the 3rd line containing a 3 word phrase that give insight or information on the subject. The 4th line is 4 words describing the feelings on the subject followed by the last line consisting of a single word which is a synonym or other reference for the subject. Yeah, kind of a lot of rules but still easier than iambic pentameter!

Today is the first day after Easter. We are basking in the joy of Easter Sunday and still recovering from the feasting. There was food in abundance. There was gathered family. There were games and laughter and everyone had a great time. My 9 pound ham was devoured. I think there is probably enough for a couple sandwiches and the bone will become part of some bean soup. I think that by Wednesday there won't be any leftovers in the refrigerator. I suppose that is a good thing...

I have been seeing the Dunning-Kruger Effect up close for many years. I may have been guilty of the inverse. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First the poem and then the explanation.

She doesn’t have a clue
But her confidence is soaring
Not aware her fact’s untrue
Unshaken wisdom pouring
Ignorance she’s roaring

This is an English Cinquain. I like the English, very sensible people. Their version is composed of 5 lines with a rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b-b. There is no meter requirement.

The Dunning-Krueger Effect is defined as a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability to recognize their [own] ineptitude. What that means for me is that the less someone knows the more confident they are believing that they have mastered the skill. The basic premise is that the stupid are too stupid to recognize that they are stupid. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

There is a corollary: high-ability individuals may underestimate their relative competence and may erroneously assume that tasks which are easy for them are also easy for others. I have to fight against this all the time. And that's all I'm going to say.

Bittersweet is the last release
When suffering stops and breath does cease
Divine embrace we rush to find
Perfected joy and peace of mind
Carried to God our prayers increase

Today is Good Friday. For many it is nothing more than the start of the spring sales quarter and possibly a day off work. For the Christian community it is a day of sorrow and feeling the weight and gravity of Jesus' sacrifice to bring us eternal salvation. I'm sure there are plenty of people who do not agree with my characterization of this day - and even more who do not identify with Christianity. I am not expecting your approval or agreement. I do however require your respect of my beliefs. I'm going to invoke "Thumper's Rule" which is "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

The above is a Quintella. A Spanish form of cinquain (poem or stanza of 5 lines). It can have a variety of rhyme schemes as long as there are no more than 2 consecutive rhymed lines and it is written in iambic tetrameter (blech squared). I have embarked on the cinquain boat which has 6 different (recognized) forms which I will explore in the coming week. I always thought that I disliked the sestina but I'm rethinking that in light of iambic pentameter/iambic tetrameter etc...

On love many wise have written
Still we stumble in the darkness
In confusion a lost kitten
On love so many wise have written
Men and women hurt and smitten
Sweet wounds of love’s arrow sharpness
On love so many wise have written
Still we stumble in the darkness

This is a Triolet. This form of poetry was popular in 13th century medieval France. It is composed of 8 lines in iambic tetrameter (blech). The rhyme scheme is ABaAabAB where the 1st, 4th, and 7th lines are identical and the 2nd and 8th lines are identical. So there are lots of rules and the poet must labor under some pretty severe restrictions to get their point across. Since this is kind of a rare form there aren't too many examples. However it is known to have been a favorite of women poets and thus you can imagine the main topic seems to be love. Even the poems that survived and have been recorded have made love their topic. Go figure. Anyway as a penance I wrote this in iambic tetrameter. I will strive to avoid sin and thus this form of poetry. Since it is a penance for me it becomes (I'm pretty sure) a penance for you to have to read this...

Solemn holy week is here
Frivolities repress
Pray our sins redress
Death’s visit no longer fear

Christ died for us upon the cross
Sins confess
Release heart’s distress
Eternal life is not a loss

Of the sacrificial lamb take note
Willingly he died
Tears of blood he cried
Of him prophecy wrote

The tomb could not hold
Truth couldn’t be denied
His body was not inside
Salvation we behold

This is an envelope rhyme where there is a 4 line stanza and the 1st and 4th lines rhyme with a rhyming couplet sandwiched between. It does not have a limit to the number of stanzas except it should be more than one...

Today is the last day before we start the Easter Triduum or three days that start the evening of Holy Thursday and continue to the evening of Easter Sunday. This week we are asked to remember the spotless victim, the life and death of the Messiah that had to happen to ensure our salvation and the promised eternal life. There are Christmas Christians and Easter Christians. I count myself as an Easter Christian. The birth of the Christ is wonderful and joyous and miraculous. Yet it isn't his birth that secures our salvation but his death and resurrection. As an Easter Christian I follow the path to the Crucifixion, mingle my tears with those at the foot of the cross, enter the tomb, and then rejoice when the angel announces that he has risen! All the promises are kept and I can truly celebrate. Christmas celebration pales in comparison to the Easter rejoicing... but right now I'm considering this difficult journey and putting one foot in front of the other.

The degree of restraint required depends
Upon the resistance felt
Remain relatively immobile
There is better recovery
Take measures to prevent errors
Deliberately limited
Release the negative
Some are frightened by the sound
Disconnection and reconnection
Can be visualized
Have more control
Respect the feelings

When chaos swirls around you it is sometimes all you can do to hold your ground. Trying to maintain your own inner calm is a struggle and it is real. I know that giving in to the emotional tidal wave will result in being swept out to sea. So my modus operandi remains that of distancing myself from their drama, focusing on doing my job well, keeping a positive attitude, and most importantly exposing myself to the chaos in small doses to prevent it from knocking me off my course. I am often the "Mother Thing" where I have to enforce the rules and at the same time remain the sounding board and sympathetic ear. It is a difficult balancing act and I have to choose my words carefully and remain neutral in their conflicts.

The above poem is a cento. A cento is a work composed of lines/passages/verses taken from other authors but written in a new form or order. All the lines above were taken from the third edition of the "Manual of Clinical Procedures in Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, & Rodents" by Steven Crow, Sally Walshaw, and Jennifer Boyle. I know that most poets use this form to glean lines from poetry but this was the text I had at hand and I figured there were plenty of good lines to be had!

Frozen beneath bark
The tree sleeps through winter snow
Awakes in spring warmth

This haiku (a three lined poem of 17 syllables speaking of nature) was inspired by the snow followed by the 70 degree temperatures this last weekend. The warm weather and sunny days have caused the trees to literally burst with leaves. The robins have started their early morning squabbling and the sparrows are in full chorus. Sunday was Passion Sunday aka Palm Sunday and we processed from the school to the church singing Alleluia and waving our palm fronds. It was glorious. The choir sang us into our pews and the sun coming through the stained glass windows bathed us in rainbows. This week is Holy week leading up to Easter Sunday. Most of my coworkers look at this as just another week. There are a few of us however that observe Christian tradition. I have continued to read the daily scripture and take a few minutes to pray and meditate. Although things have been in disarray and morale has been very low, I have been productive and kept a positive attitude.

Recipe secret
No matter what it is add
Lots of Velveeta

This is my poem for today - a senyrus. This is a type of haiku in that it is 17 syllables in 3 lines. However the haiku is a serious poem about nature and the senyrus is a about human foibles and are often cynical or humorous. I tried a new recipe that was given to me by a choir member after the last church soup supper. Sparky really liked the soup so I begged and was able to get the recipe.

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
1 pound rice (can be part wild rice or any other exotic type but the wild rice is too expensive to use a pound)
2 cans Cream of Potato Soup
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
10 oz bacon (most packages are either 12 oz or a pound - just use the whole thing) fried crispy and crumbled
1/2 onion diced - saute until tender
2 t. ground spider legs (optional)
4 c. milk + 2 c. water
black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/3 pound Velveeta (secret ingredient)

Cook the rice according to package directions. Make sure you use enough water since you don't want it to be too chewy. Once the Rice is done, stir in the milk and water. Add the soup and stir well. Add the bacon and onion. Again stir well and bring to a boil. Add the spider legs and the pepper - it is hard to tell them apart. Once the soup is boiling add the thinly sliced Velveeta one at a time stirring constantly until the cheese is added and has melted. Immediately remove from the heat and serve. This is a very hearty soup and a bowl has enough dairy in it to kill someone with dairy allergies. If you are lactose intolerant this soup will make you and everyone around you miserable. On the other hand if you like cheesy thick soup this is the ticket!!

I know the time to clean has come in spring
The sun comes up no time to sleep away
I lift the sash to see the birds take wing
Open the door and sweep the floor this day
I dust and mop and scour the sink today
Eschew the fun of cards and games and books
To make my home more spotless than it looks

This is a Rime Royal, a form introduced by Geoffrey Chaucer way back in the middle ages. It consists of 7 lines written in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b-b-c-c. I have to admit that I dislike iambic pentameter. At least to write it. I look like I'm counting with Chisanbop when I write poetry in iambic pentameter. Sparky had to leave the room because it was bothering him. Truth be told it bothered me too. I was going through my notebook of the different poetry forms I've tried over the years but I'm considering skipping the sonnet, rispetto, and the English ode all of which insist on iambic pentameter!

As for the topic I am not alone in the almost primal need to do spring cleaning. It has begun here with the ritual thinning of the closet. I am getting rid of some jackets that I bought and wore once or twice before deciding that I didn't like the way they looked or fit. I have no pangs of conscience since I spent $2.50 on them. I've bagged them and they will be placed in the neighborhood garage sale the first Saturday of May. Yes, Sparky has decided to do the garage sale this time around. We haven't done one since the boys were in middle school so we have plenty to sell. I figure what we don't sell we can donate to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.