Pirate Haiku: Bilge-sucking Poems of Booty, Grog, and Wenches for Scurvy Sea Dogs

Fun and witty

A fun approach to japanese poetry. This book is certain to make anyone who likes poems and pirates smile and go Arrrrrhhhhh!!!!!

A Book Full of Giggles and Guffaws

Now here's a how-de-doo! Michael P. Spradlin, a successful writer of children's books, takes on adult type topics in the form of haiku - and makes it work. According to the dictionary (in case the reader has forgotten) 'A haiku is a non-rhymed verse genre. In Japanese, haiku has five sounds in the first part, seven in the second, and five again in the last part, using three horizontal lines. Haiku should use objective sensory images, and avoid subjective commentary.' Well, Spradlin doesn't stick to formulas or hard fast rules, but he does manage to keep the concept of haiku in this book devoted to Pirate talk. His subtitle makes his point ' Bilge-sucking poems of booty, grog, and wenches for scurvy sea dogs'. It is as though Spradlin is having as much fun finding ways to express his jibs as we have in reading them! Pirates don't declare (5) all of our precious loot as (7) taxable income. (5) Point made. The rules are intact and the message is fun. He gives variations on the theme of drinking and the resultant hangovers: Grog Hangovers may be one thing that can explain Pirate surliness. We don't like raiding with hangovers; the screaming gives you a headache. Spradlin divides his poems into eight sections: A Pirate's Life for Me, Rum and Grog, On the Spanish Main, Wenches, In the South Pacific, Pirates V. Ninjas, Alone on an Island, and Crack on, Mateys. The real pun of this little book lies in the Introductions in which the author explains that these ditties were discovered in a long lost journal of the pirate One-Leg Sterling and explains the derivation of the voyage to the different parts of the raucous sea. It is a fun journey, one that will likely leave the reader memorizing favorite Haiku poems to entertain friends. This is a fine stocking stuffer (or whatever container you choose to favour!). Grady Harp

No text was provided for this review.