Tuesday January 3rd, 2017

The exercise:

Write two haiku about: the coin toss.

Coming up with an idea for the yearlong prompt is a unique challenge. Especially when you've got two very different scenarios that you like equally. It has to be one or the other, so one of them will go unused, at best, for two years. At worst I'll totally forget about the idea by the time my turn comes around again.

So, basically, what I'm saying is that it is only a matter of time before we have a year with two yearlong prompts to play with each month.

No, that year will not be this year. I will figure out a way to choose between them eventually.

Mine:

Cavorting through the
air, will it be heads or tails?
It lands on its edge...

*     *     *

He snatches the coin
out of the air and... heads! Wait.
Was heads win or lose?

4 comments:

morganna said...

Two choices, two sides
Must pick one or the other
Where's my third option?

Heads or tails -- choose quick!
If I could choose, I wouldn't
Have to flip a coin.

Greg said...

@morganna: I think I like your second haiku better for a nice statement of the real problem that a coin toss never solves :) I also like your first though; picking an option not on offer is usually my preference too!

@Marc: well, you could set the yearlong prompt two years in a row yourself, which would reduce the time between them, but also I don't see why we can't have two such prompts. Maybe just do them every four years like the World Cup, or maybe just in years there's been a change of US President so that they're not too often and we have a bonus to look forward to. After all, each one only comes up once a month, so there's enough space for two :)
Or use one for a theme week?
I think your second haiku also wins it for me this time, for that moment of realising that you've tossed the coin, won, and don't know what you've won!

The coin toss
It's bad luck if you
Check which side the coin landed.
Heads -- misfortune comes.

I throw three coins and
Note the pattern to divine
Great futures ahead

[I had trouble finding an acrostic, but I think this one works with the haiku. The specific reference is here if you need it.]

morganna said...

Nice acrostic, Greg. Really appropriate.

Marc said...

Morganna - hah, love your second :D

Greg - I like alternating years with you guys, as I think your dedication to this blog deserves at least that much. Plus I like playing in other folks' tales for a change sometimes!

I might end up using the one I didn't choose as a theme week at some point. We'll see.

That is an excellent choice for your acrostic! Also: I can't choose between yours, as I like them equally :)