Off-Set Double Pedal – Haiku Contest Winners
Posted By Omar On January 27, 2012 @ 8:00 pm In Event Review | No Comments
A brass band masta
Jam on my pedal blasta
Would be so nasta
Congratulations to Charlie Campagna of Hockessin, Delaware! He’s the winner of the Off-Set double bass pedal [1].
It was very difficult to establish criteria for the winner of this contest, since it is somewhat subjective. I decided right from the beginning that the poem would have to immediately impact me in some way: with humor, fancy rhyming, or just plain ridiculousness. The moment I read the poem above, it made me laugh right away, and the rhyming was very clever. Of course, some word trickery had to be performed for it to work, but creativity was the idea, and it worked out quite nicely. So congratulations Charlie!
After the contest was over, subscribers to The Paradiddler newsletter were informed that many entries were received, and that it would be very difficult to select a winner (which, in fact, it was). I ran this by Charles Fisher [2], owner of the Off-Set Bass Pedal Company, and he came up with a brilliant idea: ‘Why not have two winners then?’ Fantastic! But the subscribers of the newsletter should have known…
The January 24th newsletter said the following: “Don't forget to visit The Paradiddler this Friday, 8:00pm, for the winners of the Off-Set pedal.” So now I had to decide on the second winner.
Another criteria for haiku greatness is if the poem moved me in some way, an inspiration. The second winner did just that. It was not a haiku poem, but a haiku poem of haiku poems, all strung together, to tell a story - a biography, of sorts. It even has a title: “To Keep Me From Sinking”:
I was digging holes so deep
There was no bottom
As my hopes lost sight
I would watch the weeks go by
Numb to everything
There was no bright light
There was nothing shining through
The dark empty room
But as I was weak
Unable to keep afloat
Feet upon the edge
There, came down a rope
A shimmering light of hope
That gave me reason
It lifted me up
Told me, "Keep pushing forward!"
It saved all of me
Gave me hope again
Told me, "You will be just fine."
"Chin up, and just try"
It revived in me
Everything I thought was lost
Hope I thought was gone
Kept me from sinking
Told me to keep believing
To embrace myself
Everything I was
All the failures and triumphs
What I could become
Music gave to me
So I want to give it back
As much as I can
With all that I am
To those wanting to listen
To those who need it
My amp pushed to ten
My drumsticks gripped so tightly
I'm calm and ready
To start ambition
To do something amazing
To fashion a rope
For someone to use
To grab, grip, and hold on to
To pull themselves up
Music saved my life
Gave me hope, removed my strife
It could save yours too
Congratulations also to Chad De Soto of Guam – you are the second winner of the Off-Set pedal.
I want thank Charles Fisher once again for making such a great product to help us play drums better, and to make it available to subscribers of this site.
But mostly, I want to thank you, the subscribers and visitors of this site, which would not be possible without you. So until the next contest, keep on drumming, and Charlie and Chad: let us know how it goes with your new pedal!
Article printed from The Paradiddler: http://theparadiddler.com
URL to article: http://theparadiddler.com/2012/01/27/off-set-double-pedal-%e2%80%93-haiku-contest-winners/
URLs in this post:
[1] Off-Set double bass pedal: http://theparadiddler.com/2010/02/16/product-review-off-set-double-bass-drum-pedal/
[2] Charles Fisher: http://theparadiddler.com/2010/09/01/interview-with-charles-fisher-off-set-bass-drum-pedal-company/
[3] Be Sociable, Share!: http://blogplay.com
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8] Image: http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&Url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheparadiddler.com%2F2012%2F01%2F27%2Foff-set-double-pedal-%25e2%2580%2593-haiku-contest-winners%2F&Title=Off-Set%20Double%20Pedal%20%E2%80%93%20Haiku%20Contest%20Winners
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13] Tweet: https://twitter.com/share
Click here to print.