Epulaeryu

Developed by Joseph S. Spence Sr.*, the Epulaeryu is a poetic form all about delicious foods. This poetic form is the direct result of experiencing Mediterranean and Far East cultures and enjoying the many succulent, nourishing meals & food during those various travels.

The name can be broken down into two parts, Epulae, which is derived from the Latin work meaning a feast or a form of feast, and Ryu, which was selected from the Asian arts meaning form, style, or a certain way of doing something.

The form itself is best explained by its inventor:

The Epulaeryu form is being enjoyed by many across the world. The comments and responses being received from many are appreciated. It says to me that there are connoisseurs who are enjoying delicious and succulent dishes and drinks. We eat from dishes of varying sizes, and drink from glasses and cups of different shapes. As such, the Epulaeryu form has a different shape and the lines vary in size and syllable count. As one may note, there is an order to all formation of things in life.

The military is an organization with a lot of formations. There is a type of formation for marching, training, fighting, playing sports and the like. There is also a numbering sequence for forms of activities and completion of tasks, like completing a progressive form in martial arts training. Having served in the military had some influence on the form of the Epulaeryu. Working things by the numbers was applied to establish the 7/5/7/5/5/3/1/ form. It’s so much easier to work with things by numbers for me; as one may guess, I had to help my children with their math homework.

Additionally, applying the principles of deductive and inductive logic was a part of the process. Logically, the Epulaeryu flows in a deductive format from the top down. It starts with seven syllables, like a topic sentence, and ends with one. The last syllable is an emotional outpouring about the meal. In the alternative, one may also look at the Epulaeryu in an inductive manner, reading it from the bottom up like an inverted pyramid. It starts with the emotional exclamation point and works upward. Applying inductive logic, one is able to unravel the taste and delicacy of the culinary arts, meals, and drinks.

* Joseph S. Spence, Sr. holds the title of Poet Laureate from Poets.com. He has received four Editor’s Choice Awards from Poetry.com for outstanding achievement during 2005 for the poems: The Beautiful Leaf, A Child’s Dream, Praising Him All The Way, and I Like Tropical Living.


Schematic:

Seven lines with a total of thirty-three syllables

xxxxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx
xxx
x!


Chai Tea

Black tea at the heart of it
Cinnamon, ginger
Star anise and cardamom
Black pepper and cloves
A touch of sweetness
Hot steamed milk
Yum!

Leftovers

Egg noodles with tomatoes
Steak for a stir fry
Creamy potato salad
Macaroni too
Pork fried rice with peas
Chardonnay
Lunch!