Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #96 Little Ones ... Sedoka

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday August 4th at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the first weekend meditation of August 2019. This month our theme is "Field Of Flowers", but that's not the theme for this weekend meditation. For this weekend meditation I have chosen to challenge you to create an other kind of Japanese poetry ... Sedoka. I will explain what Sedoka is.

For this "special feature "Little Ones" I have created a new logo and maybe I will use this special feature more often here at CDHK, not only in the weekends, but maybe also as an extra feature on weekdays.

For this logo I have used a renown Japanese woodblock by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and it's titled: Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave.

Maybe you can remember that special feature "Little Ones" that I used often here at CDHK, maybe if you are a long time member you will surely know that special feature.

Sedoka:

A Sedoka is an unrhymed poem composed of two katauta. A katauta has three lines with the syllable pattern 5-7-7 and is complete in itself and able to stand alone. A Sedoka therefore has the syllable count: 5-7-7, 5-7-7.

In order to be correct, each katauta must be able to be read independently, but also create a cohesive singular work in the Sedoka. Often a Sedoka will address the same subject from different perspectives.

An example:

dark clouds cloak the night;
chilly winds creak gnarled branches,
grasping as bony fingers.

disturbed raven squawks
at frightened children - screaming,
then laughing - they throw him treats

© James Dean Chase

Face In The Mirror (image found on viewbug) (image © beamiyoung)

Here is a Sedoka I wrote several years ago:

behind a veil of clouds
she hides her bright face
she ... the queen of night's sky

in the mirror she looks
at her once beautiful face
mother of two boys and girls

© Chèvrefeuille

I think it's a nice Japanese poetry form and next to haiku and tanka, I think Sedoka fits us all. Try it yourself.

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday August 4th at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until August 11th at noon (CEST). Have a great weekend!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #45 Gogyohka, a modern way of writing/creating tanka

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday August 12th at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend-meditation. This time I have a nice "trip along memory-lane" feature for you. Maybe you can remember our special feature "Little Ones", a feature in which I introduced other small forms of poetry. For this weekend I have done that too.

Logo Little Ones feature

For this weekend meditation I have chosen a modern way of tanka-writing known as "gogyohka", a poetry form invented by Enta Kusakabe. I had never heard of this poetry form, but as I read about `gogyohka` on the website Finger Printing Eyes of Pat my attention was immediately caught.

Gogyohka is a nice new way of writing - creating tanka and here is how it works:

Gogyohka is a new form of poetry which has been developed in Japan. Gogyohka simply means verse which is written in five lines, but each line generally represents one phrase and has a different feel to five-line verse commonly found in Western poetry.

I wasted time,

and now

doth time

waste

me.

To be

or

not to be,

that is

the question

If you make each short phrase stand alone as a separate line in this way, then you have something a little different to what is generally considered standard 5-line verse in the Western sense.

This new form of verse was developed by a poet called Enta Kusakabe. The idea was to take the traditional form of Tanka poetry (which is written in five lines) and liberate its structure, creating a freer form of verse. Kusakabe, who was born in 1938, first came up with the concept in 1957. From the 1990s onwards he began his efforts to spread Gogyohka as a new movement in poetry, and there are now around half a million people writing this form of verse in Japan.

There is a long tradition of lay people writing short poetry in Japanese society  (currently there are around three million Japanese writing Haiku, one million writing Tanka and one million writing Senryu).

Traditional Tanka is based on a 5,7,5,7,7 syllable pattern. For languages such as English, however, it is difficult to compose verse within these restraints. Non-Japanese Tanka is, therefore, written freely in five lines, like Gogyohka. That is to say, Gogyohka is already being written internationally in the form of Tanka.

While a degree of freedom is inevitable in Tanka, in the case of Gogyohka the freedom of the verse is natural, and this can be used to great effect: the freedom of expression in Tanka is passive, whereas the freedom in Gogyohka is active and vibrant.

Kusakabe believes that all languages share an inherent quality, that words are a form of breath which can be uttered and felt. He came to the conclusion that this kind of poetry would work in any language and that writing it would help people to develop their thoughts. He resolved to spread the word about Gogyohka around the world.

There are a few people in New York who have already joined the Gogyohka cause, so Kusakabe decided to begin his global mission there.

◇Here is an example of a Gogyohka.

What kind of

stained glass

have your

rose-coloured cheeks

passed through

                                       Enta Kusakabe

It's a wonderful kind of poetry I think, but I couldn't come up with a good "gogyohka", because I have to dive somewhat deeper in this matter. Therefore it's a great idea to make the "gogyohka" the theme for this weekend-meditation.

This weekend-meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday August 12th at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until August 19th at noon (CEST). Have a great weekend.



Carpe Diem Special #208 Sara McNulty's 4th "fantasy" shadorma

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First this: Through circumstances I forgot to publish the 4th CD-special by Sara yesterday. I was to busy with the new edition of Souchou, our own e-zine. So here it is the last CD-special of April in which I will 'highlight' haiku by Sara McNulty, our 'time'-kukai winner.

As I ran through Sara's oeuvre I ran into several beautiful haiku, but I ran also into a shadorma. I remember that I have done a Carpe Diem "Little Ones" episode somewhere in August 2014 and this is what I told you there about shadorma:

[...] "The Shadorma is a poetic form consisting of a six-line stanza (or sestet). The form is alleged to have originated in Spain. Each stanza has a syllable count of three syllables in the first line, five syllables in the second line, three syllables in the third and fourth lines, seven syllables in the fifth line, and five syllables in the sixth line (3/5/3/3/7/5) for a total of 26 syllables. A poem may consist of one stanza, or an unlimited number of stanzas (a series of shadormas).

It has been suggested that the shadorma is not a historical poetic form as it is alleged to be by those who have recently revived and popularized it. There is no evidence of extant early Spanish poetry using this form. Further, the word shadorma does not appear in Spanish-language dictionaries, and no examples of the early usage of the form appear in poetry textbooks or anthologies. Further, there is no literary criticism regarding its history in Spanish literature. Considering this, the alleged history of the shadorma may be modern hoax (a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth) or the poetic equivalent of an urban legend (a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true). However, the shadorma has been used by many modern writers and is a popular writing exercise in creative writing programs." [...]

Sara wrote a nice shadorma "fantasy" which I love to share here:

She returns to earth
winged spirit
alighting
on a leaf’s silver tear.
Unseen, she observes.

And a nice double shadorma "a cozy evening":

My sister and I
watched old films,
black and white
holiday classics we knew
by heart.  Curled on couch

our arms extended,
palms stroking
gold-brown fur
of a tiger-striped tabby,
green eyes, slits of bliss.

© Sara McNulty 

The goal for this CD-Special is to write a shadorma inspired on the verses by Sara. Here is my attempt:

It's a poetry-form were I am not so familiar with so I will give it a try to write my first Shadorma ever and share it here with you all ...

red Roses
sharing their perfume,
morning mist
and the soft breeze
giving it to the whole wide world,
unknown love

© Chèvrefeuille

This CD-Special is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 3rd at noon (CET). I will post our planned episode, puddles, later on.

Tokubetsudesu #50 one-bun

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to present a new episode of Tokubetsudesu (former Ghost Writer feature) to you and as you can see in our logo ... it's the 50th episode ... a little celebration worth. Without you all I couldn't do this ... so thank you all for being part of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Maybe you can remember our special CDHK feature "Little Ones" in which I presented other little poetry form as for example tanka and cinquain, but there was never a kind of "little" haibun-like form until Hamish introduced kikobun to us in one of our Ghost Writer posts.

This week's Tokubetsudesu episode is inspired on an article I read in this year's summer edition of "Vuursteen" (Fire stone) the seasonly magazine of the Dutch Haiku Circle (Haiku Kring Nederland). In this summer edition, one of the editors, discusses the one-bun invented by Jim Kacian. The one-bun is an ultra-short haibun which has just one line of prose (including the title) and a (one-line) haiku. I will give an example of this one-bun written by Jim himself.

Credits: Universal Light

The light

of the most distant stars, which describes for us the size and age of the universe, won't reach us for aeons, leaving us to imagine ...

dark space the red shift of my mind

(c) Jim Kacian

A wonderful one-bun, but it leaves us with more questions and riddles. For example: What does Jim mean with "the red shift of my mind"?
I am not that familiar with physics, but I know the idea of "red shift"; it means that the red color of the stars shows us that the universe is expanding and that the light of the stars takes more time to reach our beautiful planet, but what does Jim mean with his words "the red shift of my mind"? Can our mind shift from us? Or our soul, our spirit? Or our mood or our attention? Can our thoughts depart from us? Or our memories, our feelings? I don't know .... I will give it a thought, maybe I will come up with an explanation ... or will I let go this idea and leave you with the mystery?

Isn't it a beautiful new "haibun-form"? I had to try it myself and here is my first ever one-bun:

Honeysuckle

shares its sweet perfume as this summer day runs to an end, while I enjoy the coolness and the warmth of her naked body next to mine ...

hot summer day the sweet scent of Honeysuckle and the one I love

(c) Chèvrefeuille

I found another example of a one-bun written by Jim Kacian which I love to share here too, to conclude this Tokubetsudesu episode.

The second week

traveling by myself I cross the continental divide, and everything that once ran in one way now runs in another, down and down

on the surface of dark water my face

(c) Jim Kacian

Well .... I hope you did like this 50th Tokubetsudesu episode and maybe you are caught by the one-bun as invented by Jim Kacian.

This Tokubetsudesu episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until July 3rd at noon (CET). Have fun ... be inspired and share your one-bun with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem's Little Ones #12, Shadorma

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I thought it was time to create a new episode of our Special feature "Little Ones" in which I will introduce this time a poetry-form, from Spain, Europe, called "Shadorma". I hadn't heard of this form earlier, but I ran into a beautiful weblog by Bastet in which the Shadorma was mentioned. Of course I had to look at this form and I realized that it also works with syllables as we know from haiku.

The Shadorma is a poetic form consisting of a six-line stanza (or sestet). The form is alleged to have originated in Spain. Each stanza has a syllable count of three syllables in the first line, five syllables in the second line, three syllables in the third and fourth lines, seven syllables in the fifth line, and five syllables in the sixth line (3/5/3/3/7/5) for a total of 26 syllables. A poem may consist of one stanza, or an unlimited number of stanzas (a series of shadormas).

It has been suggested that the shadorma is not a historical poetic form as it is alleged to be by those who have recently revived and popularized it. There is no evidence of extant early Spanish poetry using this form. Further, the word shadorma does not appear in Spanish-language dictionaries, and no examples of the early usage of the form appear in poetry textbooks or anthologies. Further, there is no literary criticism regarding its history in Spanish literature. Considering this, the alleged history of the shadorma may be modern hoax (a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth) or the poetic equivalent of an urban legend (a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true). However, the shadorma has been used by many modern writers and is a popular writing exercise in creative writing programs and workshops.

I sought the internet and I ran into several examples of Shadorma, but this one by Richard Ankers is (in my opinion) a beauty:

Emerald,
Verdant grass of dreams;
Swaying free;
Living free;
Gathered together as one:
Most peaceful landscape.

© Richard Ankers

And I found a wonderful Shadorma at Jen's weblog, I haven't ask her permission yet, so I hope she doesn't mind that I use her Shadorma (of course I link her Shadorma). Here is Jen's Shadorma:

Memories
with crocodile teeth
overwhelm
the phoenix –
plumes turn to ash in his mouth –
he singes his jaws

© Jen of Blog It Or Lose It

Credits: Red Roses

Well ... it's a poetry-form were I am not so familiar with so I will give it a try to write my first Shadorma ever and share it here with you all ...

red Roses
sharing their perfume,
morning mist
and the soft breeze
giving it to the whole wide world,
unknown love

© Chèvrefeuille

Not a great or strong one ... it's a kind of poetry that I have to study a little bit longer before I can relate to it ... but I think for a very first Shadorma not a very bad try ...

Well ... this Little Ones episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until August 15th at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" #11, Tilus, a new form of micro-poetry

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Not so long ago Björn introduced a new 'little one' at Carpe Diem. It's an extraordinary poetry-form created by 'Kelvin S.M.' ... this poem is called 'tilus' and is in a way similar to haiku. The 'tilus' works with counting syllables and has nature and humans as part of it.

It's a great form, but not an easy one, but ... well ... never walk away from a good challenge heh ...!

Kelvin S.M.

Tilus [tee-loo-hz] is a form created by Kelvin S.M. and falls under the category of micro poetry. The form is divided into two parts: the first part is composed of two lines following a 6-3 syllable
count; the second part, a one-syllable word to close and/or complete the subject layered in the first part.
The whole piece must, only, contain 10 in overall syllable count. The main focus of Tilus is on the world of Nature, and how it can open a new door to a wider understanding of life and beyond. The form aims to be epic in emotions expressed, more importantly,than to be epic in words.

A few examples by Kelvin S.M.:

1.

Life ... let me fall in you
clean as a

dew.

2.

Old crow wears red; night has
settled on

him.

3.

River blue: I quaff clouds
on river

skin.

As you can see and read this isn't an easy form of micro-poetry ... it's even shorter than a haiku and shorter as an 'eye-blink' ... so this is a real challenge.

A first try:

after a rainy day
finally

sun

Or another one, in celebrating the full moon, my love, as you all know.

almost full flower moon
behind clouds

ah!

(*) 'full flower moon' is the one of the names for the full moon of May.

This is really not an easy form. Mostly my haiku are flowing from my pencil, but tilus ... more time needed thinking and re-thinking ... I like it and I hope you all will like it or least try it once.

Another one:

reaching for the spring sun
sunflowers

bloom

Credits: Sunflowers - Van Gogh

Awesome! What a nice poetry form ... I think I will become addicted to this form ... or ... no, haiku will stay my addiction!

This episode of CD's "Little Ones" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until June 25th at noon. For now have fun, be inspired and try this Tilus at least once!

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" #10, Dutch 'Elfje' in another way, shaken not stirred

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

In the 'ghost-writer'- post by Jules she spook about the Dutch poetry-form 'Elfje' and I thought maybe it's a good idea to make a Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" episode about that 'Elfje', but I love to bring it in another form say "shaken not stirred" ... how?

Well I have understood that the original 'Elfje' has five lines respectively with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1 word(s) (which makes it together 11, or eleven) a nice poetry form I think. Look for more on this poetry-form at: simply elfje

As you all know I love to 'break' rules which are given for a lot of poetry-forms, and so there are rules for 'Elfje' too, but those rules I will ignore for this post. I love to challenge you to write a 'syllables-counted-elfje' which means that I love to challenge you to write an 'Elfje' with in the first line 1 syllable; in the second line 2 syllables; in the third line 3 syllables; in the fourth line 4 syllables and in the last line 1 syllable. That kind of 'Elfje' I call "shaken not stirred"- elfje.



Credits: fench (dutch website)

Of course I have given it a try myself and this is what I wrote, and it wasn't easy. My first ever "shaken not stirred"- elfje:

blue
eyes
watching me
behind the fench
squeak!

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope that you will take this challenge .... and I am looking forward to your responses on this post, this 10th episode of our "Little Ones" feature. Have fun, be inspired and share your 'Elfje' or your "Shaken not stirred-elfje" with our Haiku Kai.
This episode of "Little Ones" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 27th 11.59 AM (CET).

Carpe Diem's Little Ones #8, ''Cinquain''

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I am late with this new episode of our ''Little Ones'' feature about other short poetry forms. Today I have chosen for the Cinquain, a (as it's name already says) five (5) line poem with also specific rules. Let me tell you a little bit more about the Cinquain.

At its most basic level, 'cinquain' simply means a stanza (or poem) with five lines. However, the word also refers to either of two more specific types of five-line poems. The first type is usually centered to give it a diamond shape and has the following format:

First line: a one-word subject or title.
Second line: two adjectives which describe the subject.
Third line: three verbs relating to the subject.
Fourth line: four words forming a phrase, sentence, or set of feelings relating to the subject.
Fifth line: one word which summarizes the poem or restates the subject.

The second and more traditional type is simpler and requires only that the pattern of syllables per line in the poem is 2, 4, 6, 8, 2. (In other words, the first line has two syllables, the second has four, etc.)

A nice little poetry form I think. I have never composed a Cinquain, so to me this is new ... very new. Of course I will stay at the second (more traditional) form with the syllables. And I have found a nice Cinquain which I first like to share here. It's written by Zhanna P. Rader and so the copyright belongs to her.

Red Poppies

Flaming Poppies

Blowing
their scarlet free,
the poppies in the glen;
and here's to sing their majesty
a wren.

The red
flames swell and surge,
caught in his vocal art,
and rescue from its numbing dirge
a heart.

(c) Zhanna P. Rader

Red Rose Petals

And here is my attempt to write a Cinquain:

petals
of red roses
covering the carpet
in front of the fireplace
your heart

your heart
once given
unconditional
still beats for my life's sake
my sweet love

This episode of Carpe Diem's Little Ones will stay on until January 15th 11.59 AM (CET) and is NOW OPEN for your submissions. Have fun, be inspired and share your Cinquain (or other short poem (no haiku) with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" #7, "Fibonacci poem 'falling down' "

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I am very busy today with all those new posts. I have to seek for a nice and workable order so after this Tan Renga Challenge Month I will try to not so much posting on one day. OK ... here we go ... a new episode of our Little Ones feature in which I try to share some other short poetry forms similar with haiku and for this episode I have chosen for the .... mathematical (artificial) poetry form based on the Fibonacci sequence.

Sunflower, nature is based on the Fibonacci Sequence

The number of syllables in each line must equal the sum of the syllables in the two previous lines. So, start with 0 and 1, add them together to get your next number, which is also 1, 2 comes next, then add 2 and 1 to get 3, and so on. The Fibonacci sequence is: 0,1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 ... Poetry: 1 syllable, 1 syllable, 2 syllables, 3 syllables, 5 syllables, 8 syllables, 13 syllables, 21 syllables and so on .. Not an easy form, but it's a challenge for sure ...

An example:

Cool Spring

Cool
spring
stirring
in silence
beneath winter’s breath,
its eternal magic potion
which awakens strength, life, love, hope and second chances
It is a gift that is freely given- renewed life and redemption for all that breathe.

© AnnaliseBrigham

What a 'strange' poetry form, don't you think so too? But at the other hand ... it's really a nice form to experiment with.

Autmn Leaves

Well ... I have tried it (of course) my self and I came up with this one, not a strong one, but it was a joy to compose it.

tree
leaf
leaves
falling down
in all known colors
taken by the wind of autumn
blown away to the faraway corners of Mother Earth

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This "Little Ones" episode will stay on until November 30th 11.59 AM (CET) and is now open for your submissions. Have fun, be inspired and share your Fibonacci poem or other "Little One" with our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" #6 Thanbauk "Lonely Flower".

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to share a new episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones", notwithstanding my lack of time I have found a little moment of peace (in my nightshift) to prepare this new episode.
This "Little Ones" episode is about the Burmese poetry form 'Thanbauk'. It consists of three lines of four syllables each. Traditionally, they are full of humour. It also has a rhyme in it. The rhyme is on the fourth syllable of the first line, the third syllable of the second, and on the second syllable of the third.

X X X A
X X A X
X A X X

I found a nice Thanbauk somewhere on the Internet, it's written by Mya Thein:

red rose blooms right

glows in night light

bright sight lures bees

(c) Mya Thein

In the above schematic "image" the A stands  for the syllable which has the rhyme. I had never heard of this "Little One" until Bjorn shared a Thanbauk in our last episode of Freestyle. I like this short (haiku-like) form of poetry, but it isn't easy to write a Thanbauk. So decided (for myself) I give it a try, but without the humour, just the syllables-count and the rhyme. So here is my first attempt to write a Thanbauk:

lonely flower
his power hour
blue spider glimpse

I had to think this one over and over again, because I am not that familiar with the English syllable-rules and rhyme-words. So I have used a syllable-count-program and rhyme-word program on the Internet.

And another Thanbauk which I found on the Internet, I couldn't retrieve the name of the poet:

turn on the lights;

don't let sights of

dark nights haunt you

Well ... I hope you enjoyed this episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" and I hope that this Thanbauk will start of live for you all my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers. Of course you may also post another kind of "Little Ones"-poetry e.g. Pi-ku, Sedoka or Villanelle ... Just have fun!

Our next episode of "Little Ones" I will (try) to post around October 31th. This episode will stay on 'till that same date at Noon. !! Little Ones Thanbauk is now open for your submissions !!

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" #5, Sedoka

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another episode of our "Little Ones" feature in which I will look at other short poetry forms. I had promised you a "Little Ones" about Choka, a Japanese Long Poem, but I have decided to tell you more about Choka in another episode, maybe in aall new feature on Carpe Diem.
This episode of "Little Ones" is about Sedoka, no not Sudoku (smiles), it's a six line poem which has two stanzas, called katauta, the lines follow a syllable-structure 5-7-7  5-7-7. I am not familiar with this form, but I think it can be fun.

An example:

dark clouds cloak the night;
chilly winds creak gnarled branches,
grasping as bony fingers.

disturbed raven squawks
at frightened children - screaming,
then laughing - they throw him treats

(c) James Dean Chase

My attempt to write a Sedoka:

behind a veil of clouds
she hides her bright face
she ... the queen of night's sky

in the mirror she looks
at her once beautiful face
mother of two boys and girls

Another Sedoka attempt ... I like this form:

in the backyard -
a rainbow of chrysanthemums
finally autumn has arrived

monks chanting mantras
while sweeping the garden
being one with the universe

I don't really know if these are Sedoka, but at least they are wonderful poems in which I have laid my heart and soul.
Be welcome to share your Sedoka, or another short poem (excluding haiku), with us all at our Haiku Kai. It's fun to look beyond haiku ...

This episode of "Little Ones" will be open for your submissions 'til October 18th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will try to post a new "Little Ones" episode on that same day.

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones"#4, Tanka

Dear haijin, visitors and travelers,

I am a bit late with this new episode of "Little Ones" in which I challenge you to write another short poem instead of haiku. So other short poems can be, Pi-ku, Naisaiku, Cinquain, Sijo or some other short Japanese poetry form.
This week I will ask you to write a Tanka, identical with the Tan renga, but written by one poet instead of two. Tanka is also known as Waka, that's the old way (old name) of a five-line poem. Let me give you some examples of classical Tanka (with and without the strict syllable count of 5-7-5-7-7):

Ono no Komachi, a female poet, lived ca. 850:

was it because I went to sleep
thinking always of him
that I caught a glimpse of him?
had I known it a dream
I would not have awoken

Or what do you think of this Tanka by Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241):

the path at the feet of the mountain
through which the one I wait for wents his way
must by now be blocked
for, on the cedar by the eaves
the snow is heavy

Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241)

From Tanka's long history - over 1300 years recorded in Japan - the most famous use of the poetry form of Tanka was as secret messages between lovers. Arriving home in the morning, after having dallied with a lover all night, it became the custom of well-mannered persons to write an immediate thank-you note for the pleasures of the hospitality. Stylized into a convenient five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 onji (characters), the little poem expressing one's feelings were sent in special paper containers, written on a fan, or knotted on a branch or stem of a single blossom. These were delivered to the lover by personal messengers who then was given something to drink along with his chance to flirt with the household staff. during this interval a responding Tanka was to be written in reply to the first note which the messenger would return to his master.

A modern example of Tanka written by Ellen Compton (Washington DC)


night cries ...
wild geese leaving, winter
bring winter -
I wear remembrance
in a necklace of shells


Or this one by a fellow Dutch poetess named Marianne Kiauta:


over the heads
of the shopping crowd
a red balloon -
as elusive as you
that remained unborn


Also human emotions, as in the above Tanka, are part of Tanka (and Haiku) writing. And to honor the source of this post, www.ahapoetry.com, a Tanka written by Jane reichhold. It's Tanka from her book 'A Gift of Tanka'.


desert leaving
one of dream souls
in the lizard
patterns on his back
passport to change


As you have seen maybe, also Tanka uses a syllable structure, 5-7-5-7-7, but as you know about our beloved Haiku, that syllable-count isn't that a strong rule in Western Haiku and Tanka.
As Iwas preparing this episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" I ran into a form of Japanese poetry I didn't know of. So in our next episode of "Little Ones" I will tell you more about the Choka or the Japanese long poem.

Now to end this episode I have composed a Tanka, by the way Tanka isn't my "cup of tea", I even don't really like the Tanka, but I have to do it, because I ask it of you all ...


crystal cobweb
sparkles in the early sun
dewdrops vaporize
just a little while
I felt a rich haiku poet

(c) Chèvrefeuille (your host)

Not a strong Tanka I think, but it was worth the try. Have fun, be inspired and share your Tanka, or another short form of Japanese poetry with us all here at Carpe Diem.
This episode of CD's "Little Ones" will be open for submissions 'till September 30th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will try to post a new CD's "Little Ones", about Choka, later on that day.
!! CD's Little Ones is now open for your submissions !!

Carpe Diem's Little Ones #3,

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another new week lays ahead of us and I love to share a new episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" with you all. This feature is meant to be for short poetry forms different or related to haiku. So today I would like to introduce another short form of poetry to you SIJO an ancient Korean short poetry form.

Sijo share a common history with haiku and other Japanese forms. Sijo is a modern term for a Korean style of lyrical poetry, originally called tanga (literally, "short song"). The sijo strongly resembles Japanese haiku in having a strong foundation in nature in a short profound structure. Bucolic, metaphysical and astronomical themes are often explored. The lines average 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46. There is a pause in the middle of each line, so in English they are sometimes printed in six lines instead of three. Most poets follow these guidelines very closely although there are longer examples. Either narrative or thematic, this lyric verse introduces a situation or problem in line 1, development (called a turn) in line 2, and a strong conclusion beginning with a surprise (a twist) in line 3, which resolves tensions or questions raised by the other lines and provides a memorable ending. An example by Kwon Homun (1532-1587): :

"The wind is pure and clear,

the moon is pure and bright.

The bamboo grove within the pines

is pure of worldly cares:

But a lute and piles of scrolls

can make it purer still"

Credits: Bamboo Groove

Another example by Yi Saek (1328-1396):

"the white snow has left the valleys 

where the clouds are lowering

Is it true that somewhere

the plum tress have happily blossomed?

I stand here alone in the dusk 

and do not know where to go"

Credits: Plum Trees

Korean poetry can be traced at least as far back as King Yuri's Song of Yellow Birds (17BC), but its roots are in still earlier Chinese quatrains. Sijo, Korea's favorite poetic genre, is often traced to Confucian monks of the eleventh century, but its roots, too, are in those earlier forms. Its greatest flowering occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. 

Sijo is, first and foremost, a song. This lyric pattern gained popularity in royal courts as a vehicle for religious or philosophic expression, but a parallel tradition arose among the 'common' folk. Sijo were sung or chanted with musical accompaniment, and still are. In fact, the word originally referred only to the music, but it has come to be identified with the lyric as well.

The poet should not lose sight of three basic characteristics that make the sijo unique: its structure, its musical/rhythmic elements, and the twist which begins the final line. For best results, poets follow these and other guidelines very closely. (sources: Wonder Haiku Worlds and Asian Poetry, the Sijo) 

My first attempt to write a Sijo I love to share here with you all.

Cherry trees blossoming 

for the very first time

spreading their branches,
reaching for the sun

thunderstorms raging,
fragile blossoms scattered

Well ... I think I am gonna like this new poetry form from the Far East. What do you think about this Sijo?

This episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" will stay on 'till September 8th 11.59 AM (CET). The goal for this episode is to write a Sijo, but you also may share another short poetry-form e.g. Pi-ku or Acrostic haiku. Just have fun, be inspired and share your "Little One" with our haiku community.