Poems Archives — JPC Allen Writes

I had never heard of tanka, a form of Japanese poetry, until I read this article on Almost an Author. It is a five-line poem, the first three containing the same syllables as haiku: 1st line — five, 2nd line — seven, 3rd line — five. The fourth and fifth lines of a tanka poem each contain seven syllables. The author notes that the themes in tanka are more varied than haiku, which concerns nature. As an exercise, the author recommends write “a haiku first and then” add “the last two lines as reflection on your subject.”

So I’ve tried it with the haiku I posted in last Monday’s Sparks.

In April. the sky

Cries. Out of anger? Sadness?

The earth send flowers.

Now I’ll add two more lines of seven syllables and turn it into a tanka.

All tears are worth their price if

Kindness and compassion grows.

Share your tanka below!

Applying the idea of writing small to my prompt, I thought of a haiku for the season. I love haiku. I was introduced to this poetic form when I was in sixth grade. I use it as a snapshot — trying to capture a vivid image in seventeen syllables. If you aren’t familiar with haiku, it is a three line poem, usually concerning nature. The first line is five syllables, the second is seven, and the third is five.

Please share in the comments below if this spark sets your creativity on fire!

Here’s mine:

In April. the sky

Cries. Out of anger? Sadness?

The earth send flowers.

With the opening lines and a style of illustration unique in picture books, I was drawn into The Magic Wood, an adult poem by British writer Henry Treece. Barry Mozer uses only blue and black for the illustrations, sprinkling in sparks of gold to highlight certain elements in the picture, like eyes or a gold ring. This palette conveys the dread and danger the narrator ignores when he enters the wood at night. The sense of dire consequences is apparent in every picture.

But the poem has an upbeat ending. I read it as a Christian parable. The wood is temptation, and the narrator takes his first steps into giving in to it when he ventures inside. The strange creature he meets tries to entice him further. But when he senses danger, he says prays and rushes to the safety of his family’s land.

The poem is an example of stanzas written in rhymes or near rhymes. Although I usually don’t like that style, the poem does have a rhythm, which makes it fun to read out loud to kids.

Mr. Treece wrote five books of poetry. I’ve tried to read them. He has great skill in establishing a mood of loss and darkness, but a little of that goes a long way with me. If I read too much of it, I get depressed.

So test your taste for Mr. Treece’s poems with The Magic Wood. Maybe you will be captured by it like I was.

What are some of your favorite poems?

To celebrate National Poetry Month, most of the posts this month will be about poetry. To learn more about how to celebrate, check out the site for National Poetry Month.

Your spark is to share any poem you have written. Here’s mine. It’s a haiku that a character in my novel writes.

The rain pours and pours

So nobody sees the tears

Pour into the mud.

Please share a poem of your own in the comments below. Enjoy!

To celebrate the beginning of fall, my favorite season, write an acrostic poem. If “autumn” is too difficult, as it is for me, this season has the thoughtfulness to use two names.

Here is my acrostic poem:

Following

After friends,

Leaves are

Like lemmings.

Share if inspired!

Tag: Poems

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Monday Sparks — Writing Prompts

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JPC Allen Writes

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