“Castle” for my poetry class

So, the assignment was to write something lighthearted and/or nonsensical. We were given a packet of poems as examples and I was most interested in David Trinidad’s poem “Peyton Place - A Haiku Soap Opera,” where he takes 31 episodes of the 1960’s soap opera and writes a haiku for each.

I took “Castle” season three’s 24 episodes and wrote a tanka for each (similar to a haiku, but longer - five lines structured as 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables each. They aren’t all fantastic (and I still need to do some revision) but I think some have their moments and it was really a lot of fun rewatching some of my favorite episodes and writing all these! Can’t wait to share them with the class today.

———-

“Castle - a Tanka TV series”
Season Three, episodes 1-24
released on DVD Sept. 20, 2011

1.
Vinyl gloves. Crime scene.
He’s always one step ahead,
and Beckett, you know
he’s innocent, but why not
make him pay for not calling?

2.
She doesn’t believe
in magic or fate. Castle
just can’t let it go.
Maybe she gave up too soon.
What if she never finds it?

3.
Beckett is sure it’s
the world’s least interesting
doodle. Treasure maps
come in many forms. It ends
with a sweaty hug off screen.

4.
Castle asks Beckett,
“How do you know you’re in love?”
“All the songs make sense.”
First appearance of Doctor
Motorcycle Boy. Uh oh.

5.
In this episode
we learn true love is breaking
someone out of jail.
Castle and Gina fighting.
Beckett says, “I’d get you out.”

6.
Castle, I haven’t
seen you write a single word
this season. Why not?
So what there’s a killer loose.
You are a mystery writer.

7.
Stana Katic, you
are the only woman I’d
totally switch for.
Your hair, your face, and that red
trench coat. Black lace and handcuffs.

8.
Kidnapping cases
are the worst. The team races
to find the boy and
I keep watching but I can’t
find poetry in this one.

9.
A scientist’s death—
it’s “otherworldly.” Castle’s
wild theories, Beckett’s
disbelief. Not a murder—
an alien abduction?

10.
“Castle, you were so
cute back then!” Careful, Beckett.
We all saw his face
after you shook out your hair,
opened another button.

11.
Elevator kiss—
the fictional version of
Beckett, who, of course,
is already fictional.
This show can be so meta.

12.
Castle, you never
should have asked. Now that you know
how Beckett does this
one thing with ice cubes, it’s clear—
magic is a tricky thing.

13.
Finally, a kiss.
Undercover, yes, but still,
unforgettable.
Before, he thought she’d been shot.
What would he do if she was?

14.
Beckett likes to feel
shiny. What would you do if
you won the lottery?
Money doesn’t change you, it
just magnifies who you are.

15.
Let’s take a moment
to say Nathan Fillion
really is handsome.
No longer “Captain Tightpants”
but still, grown in other ways.

16.
Blue room after blue
room. Alarms sound, a dirty
bomb, radiation,
time running out. They’re freezing.
Silence. To be continued.

17.
Castle can’t rewrite
this and Beckett leaves too much
unsaid. They’re dusted
with ice, escape to find fear
and the bomb – pull all the wires.

18.
And now, after all
that, something light, a writer
for a soap opera
killed with an axe. A shipper—
Beckett surprises us all.

19.
Castle jokes too soon—
“Looks like he makes a killer
cup of joe.” Beckett,
don’t look so disapproving.
Your job’s no fun without him.

20.
Many different ways
to get rid of a body.
A pizza oven—
Italian mobsters? Castle’s
sure, but Beckett, not so much.

21.
Beckett spends time with
another writer. Castle
is jealous. And why?
We see how you look at her,
but never say how you feel.

22.
Going rogue from grey
New York to “sunny, chance of
ass-kicking” L.A.
Cameo by that KISS guy.
Beckett, bathing suit, oh my.

23.
Death of a beauty
queen. Black sequin (red herring).
Naked photographs,
scandals, lies. Castle’s jaw dropped
and Beckett just rolled her eyes.

24.
Now we know, of course,
no one’s who they seem to be.
Castle doesn’t know
what they are. It takes Beckett
shot in the heart to find out.