More haiku

I have been feeling in a very poetic mood recently, largely due to the e-bay haiku competition. It really inspired me to take a look at the things we take for granted in the world and to bring my creativity into even the most mundane actions, such as leaving feedback and selling my old gear to turn a fast buck (and clear out my appartment). The point is that it is precisely the performance of a purely aesthetic act that raises us above the ordinary. Beauty does not have to be superfluous nor secondary to function and indeed well designed functionality has a sort of beauty to it. This is why, for example, the Eiffel tower is both a work of art and a pinnacle of engineering excellence. This is a point that many designers and engineers of the post-war period appear to have forgotten. Just look at the post-war inner-city planning and architecture in any large European city and you will se many ugly, concrete blocks which have been thrown up without the slightest regard to the visual appearance. Even the functionality of such buildings can be called into doubt because they were generally badly lit and poorly laid out. I am not an architect so I will stop there.

Anyway, the point of this post was to add a few haiku to the collection and not to rant about aesthetics and form vs function.

So here they are, the haiku of the week:
Feedback left for a dvd seller after behind-the-scenes negotiations which resulted in a partial refund
Any transaction
successfully completed
brings joy to your life

Yes! I sold my first item on e-bay (but got stiffed with the postage)
Your hard earned money
as it hits my bank account:
the sun shines brightly

And the feedback from the buyer
Snelle levering,
verrassend leuke feedback:
een tevreden man

In English (amazingly it translated perfectly into a haiku)
Fast delivery,
surprisingly good feedback:
a satisfied man