A Choka
the madman after the madman scares the living daylights out of me the madman's digit hovers over the button while anonymous madmen crack hollow knuckles excited by the prospect of spreading their own madness version two point oh from the skies throughout the Earth
Choka?
The most intricate Japanese Poetry form is the Choka, or Long Poem. The early form consisted of a series of katauta joined together. This gives a choice of form structures of 5/7/5/5/7/7โฆ etc., or: 5/7/7/5/7โฆ etc.
The Choka could be any total line length and indeed many exceeded 100 lines. Looking at this, it is easy to see why Poetic Historians believe the katauta is the original basic unit of Japanese poetry using either the 17 or 19 unit onji.
d’Verse Quadrille #163
The above choka is my take on dโVerseโs Quadrille challenge.
The Quadrille is simply a poem of 44 words (excluding the title), and it can take any form. This weekโs challenge was to use the word โscareโ in a Quadrille.
Let’s write poetry together!
When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.
–Ben Harper (b. 1969)
Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!
The Skeptic's Kaddish ๐ฎ๐ฑ 
And this is the perfect topic for Halloween – I think the reality is far worse than any horror film. The movie ends but this reality just keeps going!!
An interesting piece.
Certainly enough of the damned fools to go around.Too many I say David โ time to start culling the pack my friend! ๐โ๐ผโค๏ธ๐
Madmen indeed! What havoc they could wreak if they got crazy and pushed that button! Scary for sure!
๐ข๐๐ป Dwight ๐๐ป๐ข
I canโt think about it too much. (K)
So many forms of poetry! Nicely done!
โค๏ธ๐๐ป Christine ๐๐ปโค๏ธ ~ thanks! It’s fun!
~David
Whaaaaat? Madmen, you say? Nah. We’ll all be okay. Let’s just close our eyes and chant Oooommm until we will the sky to be clear. It’ll happen, right?
๐๐๐ป Ron ๐๐ป๐
this is really chilling!! *raps knuckles of all madmen*
๐๐๐ป Tricia ๐๐ป๐
Mmmmm
The 44 knuckle scares me
Happy Halloween
Me too. I didn’t read the Halloween context and the Last lines brought to mind a discussions, on the ABC, about Nuclear bombs and such like from Russia.
It was Halloween last night and didn’t happen around here, not since the end of 2019
Around where?
Maroubra, Sydney Australia
Ah so you a surfer then?
Australia were pretty strict.
O. Now I understand ๐ I took the Russian context, bit commented on the Halloween activities being absent since lockdown in 2020.
Oh, Halloween had an effect on my reasoning for sure.
Now I understand ๐ thank you.
๐๐๐ป Abi ๐๐ป๐
There seem to be a misunderstanding
I don’t think I understood the madman
Now I read Russia
I’m sorry about that.
Silence or not commenting is best at times
I’m a very strong believer in poetry being an interaction between the writer and reader, Abi… I think your interpretation as a reader is part of what makes poetry… poetry.
Maybe you can share your feelings about this poem
I’m completely off balance.
When I wrote it, I was thinking primarily about what will happen when Putin is no longer in power and the many horrible people who are going to be jockeying for his place…
Thank you.
So Andrew understood you were speaking about Russia
Or that Ukraine dont celebrate Halloween since 2019.
So I take back the Halloween comment.
I’m sorry.
It’s totally okay – no worries! I really liked your angle.
Your concern is real
Especially now that i know what you were writing about
We have the same fears in my country
If the sitting president is forced out
Who will replace him
Madness upon madness upon Madness is erupting
my hollow knuckles cracked when i realised i am still to write my scary quadrille.
better get cracking! loved your poem
๐๐๐ป Roger ๐๐ป๐
Wow! Well done, combining the Quadrille with the Choka. I can hear those hollow knuckles cracking…
๐๐๐ป De ๐๐ป๐
I have ALWAYS gotten the shivers when people crack their knuckles….so this in your poem, halloweenish definitely!
๐ค๐๐ป Lillian ๐๐ป๐ค