Prompted by Poet's Place Cafe

Reprieve - Form of the Week Kouta

Reprieve

Buried under work schedule,
slammed with commitments.
Calming remedy is found
at Poet's Café.

This week's simple assignment
familiar verse form,
syllabic with sonic boom,
slides from my fingers.
          ~~Judi Van Gorder


Notes: ▼

2 Koutas

Total 8 lines

Verse Form: Kouta   小唄 (little or short song) is a popular Japanese verse form of the Muromachi Period, 14th thru 16th century. The lyrical song was resurrected as a Geisha song in the late 1800s and is still popular today. The form has several variations, though always short in only 4 lines a 5th line is sometimes is added. The theme reflects ordinary life and often uses colloquialisms and onomatopoeia. The most popular are love songs. The elements of Kouta are:
a poem in 4 lines. (an occasional 5th line may appear)
         1. a stand alone poem but often is accompanied by other Koutas with the same theme.
         2. syllabic, variable odd numbered syllable lengths, the most common patterns are written in lines of alternating 7-5-7-5 syllables or 7-7-7-5 syllables.
         3. secular, personal, themes of ordinary life
         4. often includes onomatopoeia.

For "Form of the week: Kouta"  
Entered Mar 15 thru Mar 22

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