What is a Haiku?
Guess how many syllables.
Five, seven then five.

So how to make a Tanka?
You add it two more seven.

Last night I
Covered myself in dirt and rocks
Snuggled in to the ditch I dug myself into
Pulled up my covers of grass
Laid my head on a pillow made of gravel

i dressed in cement this morning
Crawled out of the ditch
put on my helmet and nothing could hit me
Indestructible
Cars can run me over and not break my bones
Designed to go over me unnoticed

Am I a speedbump
or a lost tire from an eighteen wheeler
That tried to bypass the rules
And ran off the road
And got covered in dirt and rocks

I always needed something to rebel against
From my school peers who I ******* hated
To my overly dominant mother who was the boss

And the neighbours who were stuffy ******
The controlling school rules I loathed so much

I was always had to rebel against something
It was me against the world and still is?
What amazes me is I made it thru

Physically in one piece but inside...
There was a little bit of chop along the way

But I escaped the crap of life
That ensnared many of my fellow teens
Was this because certain family rules ruled me?

I’ve been tied to a stereotype
With a rope I can’t break.
They think I’m the girl
That will never take a break.

But that’s not me
I don’t fit that list
But they tell me I do
Do I like it? They wish.

Society has many rules
And poems have them, too.
“It has to rhyme”, they say.
“It must have a rhythm, too.”

But I intend to end those rules
       I intend to break free
So maybe my poems aren’t the best,
But at least I’m being me.

Welcome! Welcome! You're at the Circus of Plat,
Come take my hand and never look back.
Let's raise our voices, our smiles and hands,
listen to the trumpets that play in the band.

Boys and girls, it's time for the tour.
Stay on the path to avoid the big cat's claws.
Ignore them sobs from far away,
they're just from the others who didn't play.

You see, here at Plat, we have some rules
Clear cut, dear cut, as rigid as jewels.