It all started the week before Commencement 2006. I was feeling a little stressed out, and I sent an email to a friend that included the line “panic attack imminent.” Something about that stayed with me and seemed vaguely poetic somehow. A few hours later, this emerged:
too much commencement
nervous breakdown imminent
please call 911
I sent that in an email to some friends and coworkers, and a few of them replied with their own haiku. Before I knew it, I was counting the syllables of every phrase that went through my head: I was hooked. Other Commencement-related haiku followed, and then my obsession took a new direction.
cross-pollination
wordplay mixed with haiku joy
spawns poem puzzle
now, a new challenge:
you supply the final line
(5-syllable word)
I was talking to some friends at a July 4th gathering and explaining my idea for haiku-like puzzles. I'd written about 20 and was whining somewhat because I’d sent some to a couple of people who hadn’t responded, and my friends requested that I start emailing them out daily. Of course, this just fueled the obsession, and before I knew it I had over 75 puzzles. I decided on 3 a day (Monday through Friday), with the answers sent the following day.
To my surprise, it just grew from there: I kept finding more great words and writing more clues; more people asked to be on the list; I sent daily emails through most of the summer. I didn’t think it would still be going by now, but we’ve now switched to weekly emails, and I have enough puzzles to probably go till Commencement 2007 at least. Click the link to the left if you’d like to be added to the list.
Here are some samples:
(Answers will appear in a new window)
it delays spoilage
does the light stay on inside?
(click here for answer)
a big fish story
somewhat more than strictly true:
(click here for answer)
finger-lickin’ good
donner party barbeque
(click here for answer)
catholicism’s
protestant equivalent:
(click here for answer)