Yes, you can mix math and poetry.
The Fibonacci sequence and poetry might not seem like a natural combination, but the mix of the two can be quite interesting and fun. This lens will explore how the two merge, as well as discuss my own experiences with Fibonacci poetry. Plus, I'll toss in a quick "how-to" lesson for those who might be inspired to create their own poetry.
For starters, the Fibonacci sequence....
Leonardo of Pisa, also known as Leonardo Fibonacci, was an Italian mathematician whose name graces the series of numbers called the Fibonacci sequence. And what is that?Basically, every number in a Fibonacci sequence is the sum of the two numbers before it. So, if you begin your sequence 0, 1, then the math and progression goes....
0+1 = 1 leading to a sequence of 0, 1, 1
1+1 = 2 leading to 0, 1, 1, 2
1+2 = 3 leading to 0, 1, 1, 2, 3
2+3 = 5 leading to 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5
This can continue infinitely. If you're fascinated by math, there's much more detailed information on the numbers and the sequence here, but in terms of Fibonacci poetry, this is more than enough to get you started.
Fibonacci, poetry and Fibonacci poetry
Poets have written poems starting with higher Fibonacci number syllable lines and "counting backwards" to smaller syllable lines as well as writing up to a certain number of syllables and then reversing, creating a "stacked" poem.
Some people have used the Fibonacci numbers to count words instead of syllables. Others have used it to count sentences instead, though this quickly leads to novel length works. The key in all these forms is that the Fibonacci numbers work as a guideline to the form but not to the contents of the poetry itself.
I told a Fib, and soon lot of folks were Fibbing!
A very quick "how-to" guide to Fibs
It's as easy as 1, 1, 2, 3!
1
1
2
3
5
8
Here's an example of my own:
One
Small,
Precise,
Poetic,
Spiraling mixture:
Math plus poetry yields the Fib.
I try not to use words like "the" or "a" in the one syllable lines, and I mention some other guidelines in this post on my blog. I use Fibs as a "warm up" exercise for my writing day, and it really does help me focus on word choice and clarity (and brevity!). But whether you're writing Fibs or another type of Fibonacci poem or any poetry at all and for whatever reason, the most important thing is to write!
Feedback and Fibs
Say hello or leave a Fib or two....
truth
is,
i can
not tell a
lie unless of course
it is just a little white fib
Posted October 08, 2008
God,
all!
It's a fib,
version A.
Edit idea...
No! Is rev B, if still a dog.
IF YOU READ IT BACKWARDS ITS THE SAME POEM.
Posted October 07, 2008
God,
all!
It's a fib,
version A.
Edit idea...
No! Is rev B, if still a dog.
IF YOU READ IT BACKWARDS ITS THE SAME POEM.
Posted October 07, 2008
|
jaktraks
how Posted May 18, 2008 |
i
have
a class
its very
ghetto and
loud to the teacher
most of the time disrespectful
But that's just my class evry single day at my school
Posted March 12, 2008
This is splendid! Terrific idea to use this format for all things Fib.
Posted March 10, 2008
Love that they're called Fibs!
One
Two
It's fun.
Telling Fibs
Makes me feel happy
How often do teachers say that????
Posted March 03, 2008
Greg, here's my very own mini-fib as comment:
Fun!
(two lines, if you include the 0 "beat of silence")
Hope this brings more great things your way,
Lee
Posted February 28, 2008
Hooray for the fibbing genius! I've never attempted one, being bad at math and all, but love reading yours.
Posted February 28, 2008
Woohoo! Love this new page. What a great idea. I can't wait to see what happens here.
Best,
Tricia
Posted February 25, 2008
A few Fib spots on the web....
- the fib review
- A journal devoted solely to Fibonacci poetry with submissions accepted year round.
- The Style Invitational Fib contest results
- The Washington Post's Style Invitational used Fibs as part of a weekly contest. This link has the very funny, smart results.
- Fibs on Slashdot
- Wonderful Fibs and other math-y poetry in the comments here...
- Fibs all around....
- This takes you to a post on my blog where I collected links to various places folks were writing Fibs online. Also, if you look along the right hand side of the blog, there are links to lots of other Fib related stuff on the right hand side.
- Syllable Counter
- If you're writing Fibs (or Haiku or any other syllable specific form), this online syllable counter does a mighty fine job of telling you if you've done a mighty fine job!
