Sweatshirt Haiku ~ poetry by bart plantenga

CHAMPIONS  NEW SAME
GIN JACK HEALTH SPORT
Go You’re Way Now

 

PAT MASTER became
an early maker of ready-made
clothes – it’s make your body glad

 

LOVE & QUEST Chrono 7
romantic character soft rich pleasure
constant use daily pleasure

 

Quarter century
The Pre-Miracle Years 1957-1965
The Wonderful Adventure Trough The World

 

Best Arizona Fashion is always
in fashion throughout time throughout the ages
Women always want to be beautiful & desirable

 

Passager Get Fun
In The Powder
Echos of the Snow

 

PAT MASTER
BE PHAT & Hipster
The seeds that were to become

 

Time for a change
of Clothes with the appearance
the 1st edition of the Casualwear

 

Green Valley Super
Hit Design & Quick Delivery Service
Easywear Original Summer Beach

 

American Way Being
7 Ways to Times for Romance
On the Coast You Know

 

Real Event of Life
Time of Excite is in Your Hair
We will Triumph

 

Baseball America You
Are to be a Friend of All
Give Me a Time Point

Author’s Note: I wrote many articles for Paris Passion & The Paris Free Voice in the 1980s-90s, and to have some diversionary fun I would sometimes go out on the street and gather incredible data like this one “story” I produced on the mangled-English printed on sweatshirts. I called it “Sweatshirt Haiku” because, indeed, they had the abrupt and stark feel of haiku, albeit with an absurd or surreal or naively playful aspect to them. We would read them at parties and eventually they gained in charm & meaning.

bart plantenga is the author of novels Beer Mystic, Radio Activity Kills, & Ocean GroOve, short story collection Wiggling Wishbone & novella Spermatagonia: The Isle of Man & wander memoirs: Paris Scratch & NY Sin Phoney in Face Flat Minor. His books YODEL-AY-EE-OOOO: The Secret History of Yodeling Around the World and Yodel in HiFi plus the CD Rough Guide to Yodel have created the misunderstanding that he’s one of the world’s foremost yodel experts. He’s also a DJ & has produced Wreck This Mess in NYC, Paris & Amsterdam since forever. He lives in Amsterdam.

Show bart some love via PayPal at ninplant(at)x24all(dot)nl.