Sijo

The Elegist ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 2 Comments

The Elegist
     for Mark Pottorff

To hear him speak is to know
          love for family and tradition.

Reminiscence or elegy,
          his words convey respect.

One who understands this
          will know the true value of a man.

This sijo is my response to Day 29 of National/Global Poetry Writing Month 2024 at napowrimo.net, where a list of ten words (via Merriam-Webster) found in the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s current album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” are provided and we are asked to use one of those words in the title of a poem. I am not a Swiftie, so I have substituted elegist for elegy.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

 

Lessons Learned ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / Leave a comment

Lessons Learned

Each moment in your path
          offers an opportunity.

The wisest decisions come from
          recognizing the potential.

Lessons learned with each turn taken
          bring you closer to your goal.

 

This is my response to Day 28 of National/Global Poetry Writing Month 2024 at napowrimo.net, where we are asked to write a sijo.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

 

One Brief Look ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 4 Comments

One Brief Look

Comfort and ease are found
       within the light of a full moon.

The stars that grace the night sky
       hold a brilliance without equal.

One brief look into your eyes,
       and all else is meaningless.

This is my response to Ronovan Writes Sijo Challenge #55: Distraction.

Shared with Day Four at napowrimo.net. (off prompt)

Image source: Astronomy Picture of the Day
~ The Cat’s Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray ~
NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Chandra X-ray Obs.;
Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

 

Forward ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 14 Comments

Forward

Experience is woven
       into the fabric of our lives.

Understanding our mistakes
       gives us the strength to move forward.

The things we fear will follow us
       until we let them go.

This is my response to Ronovan Writes Sijo Challenge #47: Escape.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

 

As Above ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 9 Comments

As Above

So below. Within a shared pulse
       star fields merge to engulf

the depth of myriad layers
       always there, never concealed.

Light dances as stars celebrate
       a quickening pulse, an embrace.

Image source: Astronomy Picture of the Day ~ © Mehmet Hakan Özsaraç
The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274

This is my response to Ronovan Writes Sijo Challenge #45: Embrace.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

 

Words of Healing ~ gogyohka & sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 18 Comments

collection of poems
in heartfelt delivery
friends from near and far
hear labor of love in words
poetry reading

I wrote a gogyohka this morning, then realized
I could use the same theme to write a sijo to respond to
Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Challenge #44: Overcome.

Words of Healing

Searching both heart and soul,
       a poet finds words of healing.

Held close at first, they come alive
       when read to a circle of friends.

Recovery follows loss,
       as a gentle rain quenches a drought.

Healing Waters ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 15 Comments

Healing Waters

Fond memories are the filter
       that clouds the unforgiven.

Pleasant days upon and beside
       the water wash away the snow.

One day, I will return
       to the river and accept the cold.

The recent storm (The Blizzard of ’22) that swallowed Buffalo and Western New York is a reminder of how little I relished digging out after a winter storm when I lived there, yet I will return, someday.

Image source: New York Post

This is my response to Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Challenge #42: Recover.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

 

Hidden Gift ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 21 Comments

Hidden Gift

Recent years remind me
       of the sorrow December can hold.

But with the loss experienced
       comes a most welcome gift.

Memories held in fondness
       temper the sorrow that brings them forth.

This is my response to Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Challenge #41: Gift.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

Effortlessly ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 30 Comments

Effortlessly

It seems I only see you
       when you come into my dreams.

I hear words, conversations,
       remember what I learned back then.

Lessons never seemed to be lessons
       when working by your side.

This is my response to Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Challenge #19: Dreams.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.
Read more here: Wikipedia

Shared with OpenLink Night LIVE at dVerse ~ Poets Pub

Poets Around the World ~ sijo

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 31 Comments

Poets Around the WorldI have covered many miles
       as a means to find friendship.
There have been many trips by air,
       over land, and under the sea.
Yet here I sit at home, conversing
       with poets around the world.

This poem is my response to Day 20 at napowrimo.net,
where we are challenged to write a sijo.
I wrote my first sijo in 2017 as a tribute to a lost cousin.

Sijo (a Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka)
~ three lines of 14-16 syllables each
~ a total of 44-46 syllables
~ a pause near the middle of each line
~ 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.

Image source: Gyroscope Review