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.
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.
Colleen M. Chesebro is a Michigan Poet who loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of syllabic poetry. A published author, Colleen is also an editor of “Word Weaving, a Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, also found on wordcraftpoetry.com. Colleen’s mission is to bring the craft of writing syllabic poetry to anyone who thinks they can’t be a poet.
Recently, she created the Double Ennead, a 99-syllable poetry form for the Carrot Ranch literary community at carrotranch.com. Colleen’s poetry has appeared in various anthologies and journals including “Hedgerow-a journal of small poems,” and “Poetry Treasures1 & 2” a collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on “Writing to be Read."
Colleen published “Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry,” which illustrates how to write various syllabic poetry forms used in her Tanka Tuesday challenges; and a collection of poetry, flash fiction, and short stories called, “Fairies, Myths & Magic: A Summer Celebration,” dedicated to the Summer Solstice. She contributed a short story called “The Changeling,” in the “Ghostly Rites Anthology 2020,” published by Plaisted Publishing House.
Find Colleen at Word Craft: Prose & Poetry at wordcraftpoetry.com.
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.
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. ❤️
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Colleen M. Chesebro—Prose Metrist
Crafting Syllabic Poetry is my Ikigari 💜
One day, I stumbled across the Japanese word Ikigari. After some research, I discovered iki means life. In Japanese, Gai means worth or value. When these words combine, they form the definition of ikigari, which is life’s worth. It’s often translated or interpreted as a reason for getting up in the morning. So, yes, writing syllabic poetry is my ikigari.
I also believe writing syllabic poetry strengthens our writing skills. When we create poetry, we gain command of language; cultivate a healthy vocabulary, master literary devices such as metaphor, simile, alliteration, hyperbole, and allegory. We learn to work in imagery. We connect with our ikigari.
When I’m not writing poetry or crafting short stories, you’ll find me digging in my garden, or playing with my two unicorn cats, Chloe & Sophie. I live in East Lansing, Michigan with my husband—my soul mate. Most days you can find me writing poetry on wordcraftpoetry.com. 💜
Trump apparently leaked the warrant to Breitbart. The DOJ had sought to redact or shield the names of agents involved. Trump took no caution. The Breitbart article has names of agents, which obviously puts a target on their back. Reprehensible. Trump needs to be stopped. Enough.
Summer cried once
it realized its
energy
was
depleting,
empty beaches,
sand castles whisked
away in the
wind,
children
no longer
running amuck,
amusement park signs
'closed til next season,'
#eventides
calling
it a night
in preparation for Fall's arrival
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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 ♥