Download Pilish Poetry, Pi-ku and Pilish Haiku

Pilish Poetry, Pi-ku and Pilish Haiku
by Mark Wendel
March 14 is Pi Day. This year is a once-in-a-millennium event. This year it will be 3/14/15
which follows the sequence of pi beyond three digits. The number pi (the Greek letter π) is the
number used to calculate the area of a circle. It is the number
3.141592653589793… At 9:26, it will be
3/14/15 9:26.
Pilish is a type of writing where each word follows the sequence of pi. The following pilish
poem (written by Joseph Shipley) matches the first 31 digits of π:
But a time I spent wandering in bloomy night;
Yon tower, tinkling chimewise, loftily opportune.
Out, up, and together came sudden to Sunday rite,
The one solemnly off to correct plenilune.*
Pi-ku is a poem written in haiku form, but rather than follow the haiku syllable count of 5-7-5, it
has a syllable count of 3-1-4 such as:
we will rest
here
on shore of pond
Another variation of a pi-ku has a syllable count of 3-14-15.
Pilish haiku is where the letter count of each word follows the sequence of pi and the syllable
count follows the 5-7-5 syllable count. It is actually quite difficult to find references to this, but
here are a few:
was a poem I wrote
gibberish in pilish verse
was haiku diffused
had a bear a place
hibernate to spring awake
new foods awaiting
(variation of above haiku)
had a frog a place
hibernate to spring awake
new flies awaiting
*"Pilish." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 April 2014. Web. 6
March 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilish
All haiku were written by Mark Wendel. (The variation to the last haiku was inspired by Ashira
Malka.)