Poem: All a-Twitter

ALL A-TWITTER

The poems below are what I am calling Twi-Ku - a Haiku format adapted specifically for Twitter. The verses carry the same three lines as in Haiku, but instead of counting syllables, characters are counted. There are really only three rules for Twi-Ku: 1) they must be three lines (and pressing "return" between lines 1 and 2 and 2 and 3 will each count for one character), 2) they must be exactly 140 characters (so if you were posting them to Twitter, the character count would register "0" after typing the last character), and 3) up to five symbols or punctuation marks may be used to complete the full 140 characters. These first three Twi-Kus are variations on a theme from the Aesop's Fable "The Jay and the Peacock." It is hoped that there will be many more Twi-Kus in the future.

THE JAY AND THE PEACOCK (Aesop's Fables)

A jay venturing into a yard where peacocks used to walk found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the peacocks when they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted toward the peacocks. When he came near them they soon discovered the jay, and striding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the jay could do no better than go back to the other jays, who were watching his behavior from a distance. They were equally annoyed with him and told him:

" . . . "IT IS NOT ONLY FINE FEATHERS THAT MAKE FINE BIRDS" . . .

The bright orange Nikes perched on the shelf
Snatched quickly by the boy with hoop dreams
A blur of color chasing balls soo far from the net

The bright orange Nikes perched on the shelf
Snatched quickly by the boy with hoop dreams-
But relinquished quietly to the man with no shoes

The bright orange Nikes perched on the shelf
Snatched quickly by the boy with hoop dreams
Slam dunk slam dunk swoosh - his name on the shoes

"All a-Twitter" copyright 2017 Dorothy A. Birsic

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