#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 303, 1/17/23

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted inTanka Tuesday Poetry ChallengesTags:, , , , ,

WELCOME TO #TANKATUESDAY!

短歌 火曜日

In case you missed last week’s poetry, here are the poet’s links from the 1/10/23 photo prompt challenge:

1.ladyleemanila8.Ken Hume15.kittysverses
2.Sylvia Cognac9.willowdot2116.Yvette M Calleiro
3.ben Alexander10.Cheryl17.Jules
4.Britta Benson11.Li/ Lisa18.Colleen Chesebro
5.Felic Janssen12.Selma19.Kerfe
6.Reena Saxena13.Gwen Plano20.Ruth Klein
7.Echoes of the soul14.Balroop Singh21.You’re next!

I noticed some of you enjoy writing haiku—but you don’t want to follow the haiku rules… specifically, the kigo (season word) or kireji (cutting word).

Don’t get me wrong… there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way.

GUESS what? Did you know we have a haiku-like form that doesn’t use a kigo or kireji? It’s called a senryū. (I mostly use senryu, so you will see the word spelled both ways).

Senryū is a Japanese form similar to haiku: three lines with a s-l-s syllable count up to 17 syllables.

Senryū are written about human foibles, while haiku are more nature related. Senryū can be cynical or humorous. This poem makes the human, not the world around them, the subject of the poem.

Senryū are easier to write than haiku. Think about the human condition: sex, family relations, love, religion, politics, and any emotions that touch on the pain we experience through sorrow, prejudice, oppression, anger, and frustration.

(Chesebro, Colleen M., Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, p. 43)

Don’t think you must add humor when you craft your senryū. Write with feelings… Just remember, the form is lighter than writing a haiku—there’s no kigo or kireji.

Check out the definition of Senryū from the Senryu Circle:

https://senryucircle.home.blog/definition-of-senryu/

Make it fun. It’s okay to use yourself as the subject matter.

This week’s challenge is a specific form prompt where I ask you to write a senryū poem, or a series of senryū.

Here are some great examples:

⭐️ Prune Juice-Journal of English Senryu & Related Forms: Senryu & Kyoka ⭐️

Photo calendar: D.L. Finn, Author & Poet
https://tao-talk.com/2022/11/29/dverse-poetics-ekphrastic-senryu/
https://colleenmchesebro.com/2022/01/30/senryu-memories-sweet-sour/
https://goffjamesart.wordpress.com/2023/01/11/poetry-senryu-provocative-tryst-a-poem-by-goff-james/

Now… for this week’s challenge, write your senryū poem or a series of senryū. You have a week, so don’t feel rushed.

Here are some sites that will help you write your poetry and count syllables:

Not sure how to write syllabic poetry? READ THIS FIRST: How to craft Syllabic Poetry

Tanka Tuesday Cheat Sheet

PoetsCollective.org

sodacoffee.com/syllables

synonyms.com 

thesaurus.com

Word Craft: Prose & Poetry – The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry

Please include a link back to the challenge in your post. (copy the URL, the https:// address of this post into your post).

Copy your link into the Mr. Linky written in green script below:

Please click the small checkbox on Mr. Linky about data protection.

Read and comment on some of your fellow poets’ work.

Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.

I’ve been having issues receiving comments on WP. Half of them are in notifications and the other half show up on an email. Then, there are those that show up in the post and nowhere else. If you don’t hear from me, let me know with another comment. I hope one of them will get through.

NOTE: If you are reading this post from the WP READER, Mr. Linky will not show on the post. Please go directly to the post on wordcraftpoetry.com to add your post link.

Now, have fun and write some syllabic poetry!


Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

78 thoughts on “#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 303, 1/17/23”

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    1. I love Denise’s calendar. Kerfe sends me one with her artwork which I’ll use as an Ekphrastic prompt. I love calendars and have more than I need… but I love them all! I love the senryu form. It’s very freeing to write.

      Like

    1. Humor isn’t necessary… the human condition, expressing emotions, that’s what senryu are all about. Think of two emotions and a line that links them in interesting ways. The original senryu written by Japanese royalty were full of sexual innuendo. Some were outright gross. The human is the star of the show in senryu.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m surprised that more poets don’t write more senryu. I’m not good with humor, but there are ways to poke fun at the realities of everyday life. I also like the senryu that features a bit of nature, but focuses on the human’s response.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. There was a poet year’s ago that wrote the funniest senryu about he and his wife… it’s the everyday life struggles that are sometimes the most fun to use. I love when we can see humor in ourselves.

          Liked by 1 person

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    1. Perfect. There used to be a guy who wrote the best senryu poetry about his wife. They were always funny and very clever. I wish I could find his blog. But, the humor can be subtle too. Just have fun. 🧡

      Liked by 1 person

      1. What a gift to her! That is so sweet and romantic. It sounds a little like Geoff LePard’s father – not that he wrote either Senryu or blogs, but I love his dad’s poems and the fact that he loves them. If you remember this guy, let me know. I’d love to read his poems.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Denise, it all came together so well… I was staring at your calendar. 🧡 Everyone wants to write haiku without the rules… and the senryu… it’s been here all along. Thanks for the inspiration!

      Like

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