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We all love to experiment with forms of poetry, from haiku to limericks to sonnets. Japanese forms are incredibly fun to utilize for exercising your muse.
This guest edition of the Poetry newsletter will discuss Japanese poetry forms. |
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We all like to play with form, in one way or another. If you never have, the Haiku is an easy form to learn and utilize. A traditional Haiku consists of three lines, each line being five, seven, and five syllables. It also contains a season word representative of the season in which the haiku is set, or a reference to a natural world.
Example Haiku
covered tree limbs--
everything drenched in white dust
Michigan winters
Similar to the Haiku, the Senryu emphasizes humor and human flaws instead of the seasons or natural wonders. Senryu consist of three lines, containing seventeen or less syllables altogether, and are often cynical or contain dark humor.
Example Senryu
cover up and roll
a fire's burning up the town--
from a cigarette
The Dodoitsu is another Japanese form that comes from the Edo Period. It often concerns love or work and is usually humerous. It has a strict form of four lines with a syllabic structure of 5-7-7-5. Senryu's have no rhyme or metre.
Example Dodoitsu
eyes closed so tightly
lips puckered up for that kiss
baited breath and heart racing
and you kiss my cheek
The Tanka, also called a Waka, consists of five units, usually following the pattern of 5-7-5 // 7-7. Tanka is much older than the Haiku, and was also used in tanka-based games, called renga. In a renga, one poet recited the first half of the tanka, and the other finished it off.
Example Tanka
When I smell cornbread
Grandma appears in my mind.
When I smell roses
She is present in my heart.
I feel her warmth and guidance,
And I know I make her proud.
The Haibun is a combination of prose and Haiku, written in a form of travelogue. In general, the Haibun consists of one or more paragraphs with one or more embedded Haikus.
Example Haibun
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#728079 by Not Available. |
Well, I hope that I gave your brains enough to chew on and that I have inspired you to write many haikus, tankas, senryu's, dodoitsus, and haibuns!
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Mavis Moog says, "Melissa,
This is a great newsletter. I loved your example limerick.
The question and answer section was also very interesting. What marvellous questions you had and you gave some excellent answers."
Thank you very much, Mavis! That is the very response I was hoping for! 
SueBear says, "Awesome job!"
And again, I thank you!
Elisa: Snowman Stik  says, "Aye, the question and answer section has tempted me into providing answers.
Yes, scary, I know. In any case, I'll just concentrate on why people tend to
write poetry more than stories. For some of us, it's a matter of time. Though I
enjoy writing stories of all lengths, my packed school and work schedule can
keep me from finishing some works. Poetry, on the other hand, can be easier to
finish (at least in rough) for many people.
The second part of my answer to that question is more of a theory than
anything, but it is still an observation. In the United States, we learn how to
read stories early in life, but reading (and writing) poetry tends not to happen
until children approach puberty. There's no magic age for when teachers decide
to expose their students to poetry, but in order to understand it, students do
need at least a rudimentary grasp of the language first. However, this
postponement also has the inadvertent consequence of being introduced during a
time when hormones run wild and every little thing can become an epiphany. So
it seems to me many poetic attempts stem from attempts to both articulate
foreign emotions and embrace something lofty at the same time. This is why a
good amount of poetry falls flat. Novice writers try to to do too many things
at once.
That saud, perhaps so much poetry is produced because the writers just want to
improve. I know in my case it has taken nearly a decade for my poetry to
finally emerge from the rubbish stage. Given that poems can be much shorter and
involve juggling fewer concepts than stories (as you don't have to juggle
charcters, plot lines, etc.), it's probably easier for some people to hone the
art of poetry.
And as for how many stanzas it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, it depends on the size of the Tootsie Pop. After all, a poem can range from less than five lines in length to The Mahabharata, which contains over 74,000 verses.  "
Thank you for your insight, Elisa. It is always a pleasure to receive your input!
Wren says, "In response to Davy Kraken's question:
"How many stanzas does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"
The Life of a Tootsie Pop
A Tootsie Pop, it must be told,
Is sometimes young, and sometimes old
Before it’s finally passed away
Into the tummy, there to stay.
The timing of this, I surmise,
Depends upon the eater’s size.
As big and old kids chomp and chew,
In stanzas’ worth, it would take two
For little ones who lick and stop,
Put down, forget, and leave their Pop,
It will take far more stanzas, see,
To reach the part that’s chocolaty.
But with the average suck, I’d say,
The poem wouldn’t last all day.
The tongue would reach the center core
In stanza, maybe, five—or four."
 This response is worth at least a merit badge!
dpatrick asks, "I am new to writing and some of my poems have been reviewed with opposing opinions. This natural of course and i appreciate ANY feedback good or bad but since I'm new to this, which way should i lean? Is the syllabic count more important than the message or the flow? Sometimes it seems to me that the words flow just fine even if a line is one syllable short/long. Am I wrong here? Thanks in advance."
It depends on whether or not you want your poem to be standard in format and syllable count. If your flow isn't affected, as long as your message is coming across, I would say that your poem is fine. It's when the flow is off and the rhythm is off that it really makes a big difference. The best thing to remember is that reviews are peoples' opinions and if you don't want to make the changes suggested, you don't have to!  |
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Poetry: December 06, 2006 Issue [#1416]
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