A dialog on acrostiche

On Bob Corbett's Haiti list, January 1996

Could you give me some background information regarding the acrostiche. I am in love with a Haitian woman who lives here in the US and a friend recommended I send her one. He implied it was popular in Haitian dating culture and that Haitian women dreamed of getting at least one in their life time. Is this true?

HA! Let's get serious. Of course an acrostiche is very sentimental thing. Anyone would feel admiration coming your way in that form, and certainly apprciate it at a different level. The key here is that if you are going to write one for your friend, it has to come from within. They can be quite corny (spelling does not count). Acrostiches usually have a poetic voice; although often the express more adulatory sentiments. Recently I read a series of them written to the may presidential candidates in the 1990 election.

Dating a Haitian woman should not be so particular in that Haitian women are no different from women all over the world. The appreciate love, tender attention, and have equally similar reactions in adversity, jalousy, cheating etc. An apparent tendency to cherish certain things may have to do with their experience of the world.

In Haiti women did not have so much of a say in things until recent years. Not too long ago the legislation of the country supported that married women were minors needing marital approval in business dealings. Since such attitude were sanctionned by the law of the country, one can see a reason why women there sought to excercise some form of control on a sentimental level. Other controls involved good cooking, cleanly pressed clothing for their husbands, themselves and their children, fidelity and passionate love making. There is alot to discover in the attitude of Haitian women as to the superficiality of their behavior; we have taken somethings for granted.

My suggestion to Mike is that you approach the situation as you would any woman, anywhere on the globe. If you heart start singing her name, echo these feelings to her as frankly as you can. Some of the phrases of that acrostiche may even come to you in a dream. It better express your true sentiments; otherwise it may sound like a used car salesman spill to her. Let your own magic take over.

BUY FLOWERS. Don't ever forget this one; even if she seems to despise them at first; you yourself may feel clumsy, (guys don do this kind of things anymore... GOOD LUCK!) Flowers grow on women (period).

Write back to the list and let us know how it went; or if you prefer, write directly; I'd like to know.

Charmant

I was bemused by the acrostiche subject . . . as a non-Haitian married to a Haitian woman I somehow succeeded in dating and marrying her without having heard of such a thing -- so Mike is already streets ahead of where I was! I wonder if the woman in question knows what it is -- my wife responded with a blank look and I'll ask my mother when I asked her about it as a result of this correspondence!

Tony Glaser

Hey Mike,

I don't know if your last statement is true, but it is certainly nice for a gentleman to take the time to compose an ACROSTICHE for a woman, Haitian or otherwise.

This is the way it goes ( I am no expert, I have only written a few), you put her first name horizontally at the left margin and you make a sentence or an idea with each letter of her name.

I hope someone else offers more detail.

bj

Hi Mike,

My husband showed me your note on his E-mail account and I was really amused to read about your plight. I think I can help you out. I remember getting many acrostiche from young suitors, and I must admit they (the acrostiche) were pretty pleasant to receive.

Basically the acrostiche is a poem that you write to your lover/friend/object of desire. The idea is to use all the letters in your friend's first name (and last name also if you want to be really ambitious). Each line of the poem should start with a word whose first letter is in the person's name, taken in sequence. So that if you read the first letter of each line vertically, it would spell out her name. For example if her name is Nicole, the acrostiche would be:

No one in the world is as lovely as you
I relish the sweet moments we spend together
C.....
O....
L.....
E.....

Well, I'm not a poet, but you get the idea. Say wonderful and tender things with each line of this personalized poem which is supposed to praise the one you love and tell her how much you care. Let your imagination run wild and have fun.

Bye,
Carline

hi

Where or who gave the ideal that all Haitian women dream about getting a acrostiche at least once in a life time. As a haitian women i find them meaningless because Haitian man have used them too much to be original, if I were you I would send her something that she has not gotten before, how do you know that another man did not send her one already. Send her a bouquet of out of season flower with in invitation to dinner or better yet if u have not done so already introduce yourself to her. My point is be original and creative. Good luck to you

yoli

You know an Acrostiche is always welcomed. Don't give the poor man that advice. You know how it is about you worldly Haitian women, anything from a man is appreciated, especially if it is the man creation. An Acrostiche from Mike would be very much appreciated by his Haitian woman. You imagine Mike being a poet! He can do wonders with the letters of his friend's name.

I wish I had the time to write and Acrostivche for
Yolanda, you know you like what is out of the ordinary
Once in lifetime, every woman's dream is to recieve a message of
Love, a declaration of the desires of
A loving heart to her tender
Nature of mysterious,
Divine, and voluptuous moments, and this world can be conquered by a simple
Acrostiche, Yolanda.

If a person takes to time to let the inspiration flow, he/she can create a nice acrostice. Disclaimer: I did this one in between classes...