Tuesday January 10th, 2012

The exercise:

Two haiku about: the butler.

Holy jeez, you guys did an amazing job with yesterday's prompt. Top notch stuff all around.

Mine:

He will serve you tea
with consummate manners while
wishing you were dead

*     *     *

Alfred wants to quit
but he knows too much. It sucks
working for Batman.

10 comments:

Cathryn Leigh said...

Doh, when I first saw the prompt I thought it was Butter and I was already to wax poetic about the making of the stuff. But I see it's the Butler now, and I have to work with that. (Yes I got up early to write. I'm crazy like that.)


The Butler

Impeccably dressed
Door chime beckons form the hall
He brings in the guests

Rhett Butler, you turn
from Scarlett O'Hara with
I don't give a damn

Yes I took liberties with the prompt, 'cause I wanted butter. *giggles* Also, both haiku were written first line last line middle line. Funny how the brain works. :}

Inez said...

Thanks Greg, thanks Marc! This little neck of the web ain't gonna be a small town much longer! Population has exploded - with so much great writing and inspiration for me. So huge thanks again!

The butler . . . 2 ways of dealing with it I suppose. . .

Starched smile, fingers curled
Wracked spine warped to status born
Fused by caustic pride

Eyes anchored to feet
Hide their owners knowing smile:
Rich shit reeks the same

ps. I would totally swap my day job to be batman's butler! ;)

David said...

Nice work everyone


Bowler held in hand
Penguins waddle to and fro
Weeps for his lost job

Murdered in cold blood
Suspects point at each other
The cliché did it

David said...

@Marc like the first one (more on Batman in a sec)

@Cathryn - love that you got us away from the butler archetype and went with Rhett

@Inez - really like that first one - such anger and rigidity in it - the words: starched, curled, wracked, and fused make me feel pain.

As for being Batman's butler - it does suck, cause he cant leave and he cares too much. Poor guy.

morganna said...

Psst! Hey, kid! Wanna
Make a million dollars?
Become a butler.

Butlers and valets:
The new high-paying careers
For the clever man.

Krystin Scott said...

Ding dong goes the bell
Answered with a pleasant smile
Come this way he says

***

Knowing he’ll be called
To wait on them hand and foot
He remains close by

***

Got to hand it to the Japanese, I don't understand how they manage to express so much with so few words.

Nita said...

It never changes.
The plot is always the same.
The butler did it.

(I liked "the cliché did it" better. That was good.)

He answers the door
And runs the house perfectly.
I need a butler.

Anonymous said...

The Butler - haiku

call your baby Jeeves,
a Seinfeld episode states -
his destiny's set

his butler's a maid
a story about nothing
Seinfeld makes me laugh

Greg said...

Sorry I'm late getting here... it's been exhausting so far. I'll try and pop back and add comments later on, but for now, I've barely got time to contribute :)

The butler
No shoes, messy hair,
Bad breath, dandruff everywhere,
The butler don't care.

------
When you said to me,
"Can you buttle for the day?"
I thought you meant sex.

Marc said...

Elor - a butter prompt, hey? Hmm...

I quite like the twist on the prompt in your second haiku :D

Inez - my pleasure!

Your second haiku managed to sneak a laugh out of me :)

David - enjoyed the continuation of the Batman theme, but that last line in your second haiku is brilliant :)

Morganna - I reckon the book deal for a tell all about their employers is a solid retirement plan :P

Krystin - they may have a gift for concise wisdom, but practice can only help us!

I think both of your haiku capture that essential butler image.

Nita - I need a butler too!

Writebite - love your first one :)

Greg - I'm just glad you managed to make it at all! I hope things calm down a bit for you soon. Though I seem to have been saying that to you for quite some time now...

You first one is loads of fun to read aloud :D