Delcambre (pronounced Del-comb) is about 20 minutes south of New Iberia. On Sunday evening, we attended a fundraising dinner for the seafood market. I even ate a piece of fried alligator which tasted a lot like fried chicken. We were there to support my cousin Andrew as he participates in a plein air (painting outside) competition. There will be more posts about this later.
Today I want to introduce you to Markavian. I don’t know him, and I’m not sure that’s how to spell his name, but when I took his picture, he proudly told me what his name was. He was beaming from having caught a huge catfish right off the dock. I asked permission to take his picture. There is so much that I love about this picture. His smile. The largest catfish I’ve ever seen. And how it captures the attitude of a fisherman. My husband says that our newspaper’s sports section is usually just men holding fish. It’s true fishing is a big time sport around here. Perhaps Markavian was competing with his brothers. There seemed to be a family in the background, and I caught him just as he was about to go show off his catch of the day.
Yesterday was Pi Day, so my students and I wrote Pi-Ku, which is a small poem based on the number 3.14. Please leave your own small poem in the comments and encourage other writers with your responses.
Catch of the Day
Boy’s pride smile
Margaret Simon, pi-ku draft
caught
largest catfish
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, this is a whole new Haiku form for me! I’m so glad you introduced this today. I’m going to try it out – – you know I love syllable poems. Short ones. And this is a shortened short. đŸ™‚
It may be too short, but you still have other numbers in pi, such as 3.14159, to extend the form. Let me know if you try it.
I love Markavian’s smile and how you focused on that in your poem. I never tried a Pi-ku before, but here goes:
make a catch
smile
share the success
Rose, thanks for trying out the pi-ku form. It’s one that seems easy but when you start working on it, the limited syllable count really shrinks the message. “share the success” tells a lot in 4 syllables. Some extend the form by writing 3.14159 syllables.
a wide smile —
pride–
fish at his side
I love how your last line is a perfect rhyme.
Buffy, all those wonderful long i sounds, and the rhyme is perfect.
Rose your poem captures that wonderful, overflowing, pride-filled moment, like snapping the pic!
I love the pride & joy in this, Rose.
Rose, love the verbs that start each line, and the /s/ Wonderful.
Buffy, adding a comment here to say that your “pride/side” rhyme made me smile
Such a rich post and poem Margaret!, thanks Thought I’d try the Pi-Ku
JOY
catfish catch
beams
inner beauty!
Michelle Kogan, draft
Love the alliteration of beams and beauty.
Nice alliteration, Michelle, and the poem lives up to the title.
Lovely!
Michelle, I love the way your few words capture the joy beaming that inner beauty in Markavian.
Love these pi-kus. I couldn’t follow that form, but this came to me…
Yes, yes
yes I did
I caught this fish
alone!
I did!
My ma
is proud
Daddy too
I caught this fish
I’m over the moon!
Love the joyful excitement, Karen!
This has great voice!
I can feel the exhuberance! Well done.
I love the repetition of yes, yes, yes. I can hear him joyfully saying that to Margaret–Yes, I did catch it.
Margaret, new forms are always fun to try. Yours reflects the picture perfectly. Pi-ku? Why not try it?
catfisher
proud
snagging supper
Jane Heitman Healy, draft
Love the alliteration of s and the idea of snagging supper.
“snagging supper” – perfect!
Jane, wonderful. I love the future look into the dinner this catfish will become.
Love everything about this post! Pi-ku?! Love that idea! Here it goes:
Mockingbird
Sings
I am hopeful.
I think there is always hope in the song of a bird.
“I am hopeful” what a perfect ending to a poem.
“sings” as the single word/syllable in line 2 really dazzles.
Margaret and Markavian, thank you for the sweet inspiration today. What a joyful countenance on his face. I love that catfish, so well captured on line and photo.
Pi-ku, how fun is that? I’ll try one today too.
Weather Report
Cloudy with
bright
smile and a fish
Would love that kind of weather!
I have a bright smile from your poem. You noticed the clouds. It wasn’t raining yet but the clouds were on the move. Great observation and detail in such few words!
Beautiful, Denise, to see beyond the gray clouds and into the gifts of the day!