A Sijo
lumpy gastropod blankets
stretched across rain-beaten stones;
foolish innocents upon pavement,
grass too wet to travel;
crushed shell fragments smeared in raw snail flesh
shatter children's innocence.
Sijo?
A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.
Twiglets #316
Tanka Tuesday
For Tanka Tuesday, Colleen encourages us to write syllabic poems using synonyms of the two following words (but not the words themselves):
- spring
- green
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 🇮🇱 
[…] ben Alexander […]
🤎
Aw, poor snails! Great poem, David!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
🖤🙏🏻 Yvette 🙏🏻🖤 ~ thanks!
beautiful.
💙🙏🏻 Jude 🙏🏻💙 ~ thank you so much
Sincerely,
David
Outstanding, David!
💗🙏🏻 Sara 🙏🏻💗 ~ thanks!
Wonderful.
💓🙏🏻 Molly 🙏🏻💓
Yuck… poor innocents, poor snail.
💖🙏🏻 Debi 🙏🏻💖 ~ I agree…. thanks
~David
David, you ended this with a poignant punch. Outstanding!
💚🙏🏻 Michele 🙏🏻💚 ~ thank you so much
Poor little fellow… These sad moments do happen though, and experiencing them is a part of maturing.
💙🙏🏻 Nicole 🙏🏻💙 ~ exactly on both accounts
~David
A gripping drama unfolds in the microcosm. Well-done, David.
That is a completely different sort of poem from the prompt! I love the imagination, David.
💕🙏🏻 Luanne 🙏🏻💕 ~ thanks; what do you mean by completely different from the prompt?
~David
I worded that badly. I mean completely different from what someone typically might pull from the prompt–green spring and flowers and all that!
Snail death so dramatically pictured – no wonder children were disturbed!
🖤🙏🏻 Muri 🙏🏻🖤
Great poem and poetry form.
💝🙏🏻 Arcadia 🙏🏻💝 ~ thanks!
~David