Le Voyage Magnifique

Hokku, 発句 (opening or starting verse) is the introduction or beginning verse of the Renga or Renku, a linked communal poem. As far back as the 13th century Japan, poets would gather to write a Renga in a kind of poem writing party each poet contributing verse in a linked fashion. Originally, as a complement to the host, one of the guest poets would write the hokku. The purpose of the hokku is to record the logistics of the gathering, when (season, month and/or time of day), and where (natural setting). By the time of Basho 16th century, the hokku could be found as a stand-alone poem.

It is the precursor of the haiku that came into popularity a bit later. It is this hokku rule of time and place that was carried over into the later haiku which established naming a season with images of the environment as elements of the traditional haiku.

The elements of the hokku are:
1. syllabic, 17 syllables or less. (onji or sound-symbol for which there is no exact translation in English, the closest we can come is syllable)
2. commonly written in 3 lines often broken at 5-7-5 syllables.
3. names the season, month, and/or time of day as well as the location where the Renga gathering occurs. All of the above can be named through symbols of the season etc.
3. usually written by a guest poet.

ふうりうの初やおくの田植うた
fūryū no hajime ya oku no taueuta

beginnings of poetry—
the rice planting songs
of the Interior
~~Basho translated by Shirane

If I were the guest poet writing a hokku in this time and place, (summer in Northern California) I could write a hokku something like,

shade of giant tree
lacy shadows cool poets
summer parasol
---jvg

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The Ghazal is an ancient Arabic verse form constructed in five or more couplets (two-line stanzas), each capable of standing on its own, with a specific pattern of rhyme and repetition, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/ghazal.html

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/ghazal

https://poets.org/glossary/ghazal

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Jue Ju (curtailed or frustrated verse) is one of the oldest of the Chinese patterns and in the 3rd century AD the Jue Ju was very popular. It often carried "suggestively erotic themes". It does not tell a story but attempts to create a mood.

The basic rhythmic unit of Chinese poem is the single character (zi), which is pronounced as one syllable. In English the word represented by the character might be more than one syllable. Originally the Jue Ju was composed in 5 character lines. By the Tang era, 8th century it had evolved to a 7 character pattern and became fundamental to Chinese poetry.

The elements of Jue Ju are:

1. lines of 5 to 7 characters or words. (Chinese characters are a single syllable but can represent a word in English which has more than one syllable. Chinese forms count characters, when written in English we should count words) (lines should be same length)
2. composed in 4 lines. A poem in 4 lines
3. often erotic. Create a mood but please keep it 18+
4. compared to Western poetry could be considered terse and compressed.
秋月 (程颢)
清溪流过碧山头，空水澄鲜一色秋；
隔断红尘三十里，白云红叶两悠悠。

Autumn Moon by Cheng Hao translated by Xiao-zhen aka worm, Nov 6,2009

Over green hills a limpid brook flows
Sky mirrored in the water of autumn hue
Away from the distant earthly world
Maple leaves and velvet clouds leisurely float
"The Autumn Moon, a seven-character-'cutshorts' (jue ju), was composed by an ancient Chinese poet Chen Hao (1032--1085), a philosopher of Northern Song Dynasty. No line of the poem touches the autumn moon, but it shines every line." ~~Xiao-zhen aka worm

pillow woman

Raven strands of silk tangle
and spread over her pillow.
With soft eyes, pleasure waits
white curves stretch upon futon.
~ Judi Van Gorder

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The Philippine Islands is a Southeast Asia country located in the Western Pacific Ocean. Filipino poetry dates back before colonization and has been an intregal part of the Filipino culture. The earliest Tagalog epics are written in verse.

Master poets show us how
to push the poetic plow
and compose poems in the now.
Please all stand and take a bow.
~~ Tinker

The Tanaga is a Filipino verse form that was originally composed in Tagolog, which to my ear is one of the more musical of languages. (Kumusta ka? Mabuti salam at) The form dates back to the 16th century and has an oral tradition. This old folk form had a resurgence of popularity in the 20th century, died down and resurfaced again mid 21st century. The poems are not titled. Originally it was a compact poem, contained in 4 lines, each is emotionally charged and asks a question that begs an answer.

The elements of the Tanaga are:
1. a tetrastich, a poem in 4 lines. However, modern poets have modified it to longer works in a stanzaic pattern of any number of quatrains.
2. syllabic, 7-7-7-7 syllables per line.
3. rhymed, originally monorhymed aaaa. Modern Tanagas also use aaaa bbbb etc., or aabb ccdd etc or abba cddc etc or any combination rhyme can be used.
4. asks a question seeking an answer
5. composed with the liberal use of metaphor
6. untitled. But in this poetic world we kind of have to title our poems for identity's sake.

I'd Like to Think, It Knew

Saintly sentinel stands guard,
oversees nature's regard.
St. Francis in my front yard,
stone statue weathered and scarred.

The welcome, silent and stead,
his story of care is widespread.
A brown bird lights on his head
to peruse the garden bed.

Do you think it may have known
what the ancient priest had sown?
In Christ he was never alone,
love for all life he'd intone.
~~Judi Van Gorder

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An Acrostic poem uses the first letter of each line to spell a word or phrase down the left margin, as described and demonstrated in the following link: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-an-acrostic-poem#3-examples-of... .

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