
Kerfe shared a breathtaking piece of art she created for our Tanka Tuesday challenge this week. I saw so much magic in this piece. The Summer Solstice is right around the corner! Can you feel it?
A note about the chōka form. The nine-line chōka (5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7-7) should be unrhymed… but for whatever reason, the muse demanded words that rhyme. I suspect faery intervention as the good neighbors love to rhyme. That’s why I called it “chōka-like,” or inspired by the chōka syllabic form.
Midsummer’s Eve Magic
on midsummer's eve, below June's moon glowing bright gather up fern seeds for special sight—this magic summons all creatures don the cloak of unseen light hunt buried treasure beware of faery spite run when magic birds take flight © 2021 Colleen M. Chesebro
Celebrate the Summer Solstice with Fairies, Myths, & Magic: A Summer Celebration
Step into a world where fairies, dragons, and other magical beings converge in a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by the celebration of Litha, the Summer Solstice. Meet Drac, a dragon cursed by his own poisonous deeds, and two pixies who help an old man remember a lost love. You’ll meet a pair of fairies with a sense of humor, and a young girl who fulfills her destiny after being struck by lightning. Learn what happens when a modern witch’s spell goes terribly wrong. Meet the Sisters of the Fey, a group of Slavic Witches who sign a pact with the Rusalki Fey to preserve their magic for the good of all. Atmospheric and haunting, the prose and poetry, will rewrite the mythologies of the past bringing them into the future.

I will have to try the chōka!! I like your poem!
Thank you, Ruth. This was so fun. 🧚♀️🌸
Sometimes the Muse demands rhyme. 😀 Delightful!
(If you press down on the o, you should see possible accents come up: chōka. I have a Macbook Pro.)
Thank you! I updated the keyboard in preferences to get all the emoji and other symbols but no line over the “o.” ❤️
Oh, sorry! It works on mine.
It works, but WP and the blocks gave me heck with it. I had to copy and paste it througout the rest of the text. Gotta love WP! LOL! 😀 And, thanks Merril. I’m glad I said something.
You’re welcome. 😀
Wonderful magic! Rhyme is always good for ritual. (K)
I couldn’t write it without rhyme, LOL! This is an old folk lore about the summer solstice. That stuff definitely speaks to me. 🧚♀️❤️
Even if we don’t know the lore, we can all feel the magic.
Absolutely! It’s a special time of the year. <3
A gorgeous form Colleen. Wonderful rhyme. Is this form available for use on tanka Tuesday?
Yes. The chōka is available but it doesn’t rhyme. I just couldn’t get the words to work any differently but to rhyme. That’s why I called it chōka-like. ❤️
Wonderful, Colleen. Got to know about the old folklore, thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thanks Aishwarya! I love mythology. I really liked the Chōka form. Very cool.
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Your poem is just wonderful! I like this poetry form, I must try it!
The chōka is fun to write. Just don’t make it rhyme. 🤣🤦🏼♀️
Lovely poem Colleen thank you.. and will have to look at the Choka in more detail..hugs ♥
Thanks, Sally. Just don’t rhyme it! 🤦🏼♀️😅
Lol.. got it hugs ♥