Crescent Fib Poem by Paul Hartal

'Crescent Fib' is a mathematically constructed verse: a fib. Its format bears similarity to haiku because of its strict structure. However, the haiku comprises 17 phonetic sounds in three phrases of 5,7 and 5, whereas the fib consists of 20 syllables in 6 lines, arranged in correspondence to the Fibonacci sequence of 1,1,2,3,5,8.

The Fibonacci series involve the Golden Ratio, whose value of 1,618 manifests itself in nature, music and art. Apart from its numerical pattern, this fib also involves the geometrical form of a curved image, both as a written symbol (the word crescent) and as an arrangement of 15 words in a concrete verse pattern. The last line transcends mathematics and description of nature, shifting unexpectedly into a personal and human psychodynamic region.

The fib is a Western form of experimental poetry. Its history dates back to the Middle Ages, has had numerous poetic antecedents and is related to the development of the sonnet. Its contemporary form has been popularized by Gregory K. Pincus.