How to Write Poetry

YOU ARE A MYSTERY TO ME – A Chanso Poem.

Ronovan Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU ARE A MYSTERY TO ME

I search and spy you from across the room.
At first sight, I felt my heart burst in bloom.
My thoughts race to islands of blue waters
And for just a moment my vision blurs.

I touch your dress and feel the electric.
In this moment I know you’re the right pick.
I grip you in my hands, oh how perfect.
You hold my attention, firm, and direct.

You open to me, no fear to reveal.
Fragile as glass or hard as tungsten steel.
The lure of the first moments of delight.
No doubt about it, it’s love at first sight.

Your voice just for me, soft as a whisper,
Drawing me in and cause visions to stir.
Telling me what you plan to give to me,
Every single thought I can’t help but agree.

My eyes thrill to follow your every line
Making the moon rise and the stars to shine.
My mind explodes… the things to do with you,
and oh… the smile on my face when we’re through.

Took you home quick… opened your cover too.
Turn those pages for a whodunit clue.

 

If you want to know more about a Chanso poem, click here for How To Write Chanso Poetry. Or jump below the logo to get a not so quick explanation but a somewhat clear version.

 

Poetry Lost Mind Image

 

The not so quick explanation but a somewhat clear version:

You write however many stanzas you like or need in order to tell your story.

Each line has the same number of syllables… your choice. If one line is 7 then all lines are 7.

The number of lines per stanza is up to you but must stay the same for all stanzas with the exception of the last stanza. If one is 4 then all are 4, but the last would be 2, see next.

The final stanza has half the number of lines the other stanzas have. For this poem the stanzas have 4 lines, so my final stanza has 2.

The final stanza sums up what happened in your poem, or you can make a dedication to whoever or whatever you wrote the poem about.

And that’s it. I’ll be updating the How To… post soon with some history about the Chanso poetry form and some interesting language aspects that a history freak like me just loves to stumble upon.

Hope you enjoyed the poem, and try the style out.

Just a tip, if you write one, pick your topic/subject, then write a sentence for what each stanza will be about. For example:

My poem was about reading a book, as revealed in the final stanza. The subject of the poem being a deception until the end was my own doing, not a requirement of the style at all. Now here is how I went about my Chanso. I divided it up into what I considered the elements of reading a book, a real, honest to goodness, made of paper, book.

Seeing the book (On the shelf, the thrill that it’s there, the color of the cover.)

Feeling the book (As I take it off the shelf. Happy I finally and thrilled I finally have it.)

Opening the book (Opening the book to a story of a heartbreaking emotional story or a hard as nails action thriller. And knowing it was the right pick and delighting in what I see.)

Hearing the book (Hearing that creak of a book opening and the pages rifling.)

Reading the book (The words and the images and the ending and satisfaction of having read the book.)

The reveal (In this case.) that it is a book. (A quick summation of the poem. I was surprised by how easy it was to do it.)

© 2020- Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.

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How to write Chanso Poetry.

Ronovan Poetry Forms , , , ,

It’s New Form Friday for your Poetic Palates.

Today I bring you the CHANSO.

This is a French form made popular by troubadours in 12th century Europe. Often about the chivalrous manner to treat women. (More details coming in updates or a new post. You know I love the historic details of things.)

Here it goes the How To Write:

  • 4 or more STANZAS
  • The number of lines for a STANZA is up to you. But EACH STANZA will be that number of lines.
  • SYLLABLES should be the same for each line throughout. The number is your choice.
  • The RHYME SCHEME is your choice, but whatever you set for the FIRST STANZA, should be the same for all STANZAS.

The RHYME PATTERN for a four-line four STANZA Chanso would look like this: (Image)

four line stanza Chanso patterns image

(Text Version)
RHYMING PATTERNS for a four-line, four stanza CHANSO.
Each stanza is to use its OWN rhymes, not those of
the previous stanza’s rhymes.
A                                A
B                                A
A                                B
B                                 B

C                                 C
D                                 C
C                                 D
D                                 D

E                                  E
F                                  E
E                                  F
F                                  F

G                                  G
H                                  G
G                                  H
H                                  H

I                                   I
J                                   I

  • You choose the NUMBER OF STANZAS you want your Chanso to have.
  • The FINAL STANZA called an ENVOY or TORNADA, is a summary of the poem or a dedication to the subject the poem is about if that applies in any way.
  • The ENVOY/TORNADO is half the number of lines as the main stanzas.
  • For the ABOVE PATTERN, the ENVOY is a 2 line stanza because the main stanza is 4 lines
    If the main was a 6 line stanza, the final stanza would be a 3 line stanza.
  • The RHYME PATTERN for the ENVOY/TORNADA is the same as the main stanza
    beginning with line one. If this were a 6 line main stanza, then the envoy/tornada would be IJI or IIJ.

 

© 2020- Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.

How To Write A Haiku Poem In English Form

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All links open in a new window unless noted as ‘you will leave this page‘.

There are various Japanese Forms of poetry based on syllable structure (see Haiku, Tanka, and Haibun. It’s all poetry to me. Learn the difference.), much like many nations and cultures of the world (see How to Write an Espinela or Décima Poem). The Japanese Haiku poem is probably the most challenging due to its low syllable constraints. (5/7/5 or 3/5/3 or 2/3/2) If you really want to be challenged, try a 1/2/1. I don’t think this is really a Haiku form, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Examples further down the page.

This post discusses How to write a Haiku Poem in English Form. Haiku purists in the Japanese style attempt to write a Haiku that can be read in one breath. This means it’s minimal in word choice while vivid with imagery and short at the same time. The more you write, the easier it becomes to exclude words such as the, is, and there, etc. from your thoughts while thinking of your poems and count syllables in your head in the middle of a drive to work or store. I find myself tapping with my fingers counting syllables in the strangest locations.

Six things to remember about Traditional Haiku form:

  • You have three lines of poetry.
  • 17 total syllables, some say sounds, in the 5/7/5 pattern. (The syllables of words may vary due to the country’s English you speak.)
  • You normally tell two opposing images in the poem.
  • Lines one and two should read as a complete sentence and lines two and three should read as a complete sentence. Easier than it sounds.
  • Haiku do not have titles/names.
  • You normally use mostly descriptive words and as few filler words as possible, such as the, and, there, is, etc. Note lower in the post my example 3/5/3 version of the 5/7/5 Haiku I provide as an example. You get the same message with each version.

Notice the word normally. You can have the poem be about aspects of the same thing, but normally you look at it from two different ways.

Artistic and traditional elements include kigo or words that are related to seasons: (Learn more about kigo here, a different website. The following through Kigo List T-Z are from the same site.)

  • Nature
  • Colors
  • Seasons

Kigo list A-J
Kigo List K-S
Kigo List T-Z

Noted on the site that not all words are Kigo. “Some are haiku TOPICS (keywords) to be used during the whole year.” There are several helpful links in the site’s sidebar.

You use these elements:

  • to give a visual of whatever you are attempting to relay
  • and usually include the season you write it in

Remember you can use 3/5/3 or 2/3/2 syllable structures as well as many others, but the three below are plenty to start with.

Three examples of the same haiku using the different syllable structures.

5/7/5 Example

The tree is falling,

Down among the river rocks,

Fish bring forth new life.

Lines one and two read as: The tree is falling down among the river rocks.

Lines two and three read as: Down among the river rocks, fish bring forth new life.

  1. The tree is falling and dying among the rocks of the river
  2. And fish are living and bring life among the rocks of the river
  3. Two opposite things happening.
  • Note the capitalization and punctuation in the haiku. It is important to use those wisely to convey your intended message.

3/5/3 Example

tree falling

among river rocks

fish new life

2/3/2 Example

tree falls

mid stream’s rock

new life

1/2/1 Example

tree

feeds water

life

Strangely enough, I like the 2/3/2 version the best and this is the first time I’ve tried one. This is an update on September 12, 2020. The original post is from July 02, 2014. As you can see, over six years and my first try.

Opposites are not a MUST, but are the true way of Haiku and add to the challenge. And you don’t want to reveal to much in the haiku so the reader is able to make an interpretation. Do not let that prevent you from writing. The more you write the closer you get to achieving true Haiku.

Matsuo Bashō Statue Haiku

As Matsuo Bashō put it,

“The haiku that reveals seventy to

eighty percent of its subject is good.

Those that reveal fifty to sixty percent,

we never tire of.”

 

 

My original Haiku reveals 100%.

 The tree is falling,

Down among the river rocks,

Fish bring forth new life.

 

Can I take the Haiku and make it fifty to sixty percent? 

Life splinters apart,

Down among slippery mounds,

Life brings forth new life.

In this new version, the same thing is said but also leaves some interpretation to the reader, which in a way I like to do for the reader. Give the reader something they can connect within their own way. It is easy to slip away from writing haiku this way as you begin to play around with different themes.

That is the basic way I usually like to write Haiku but often veer off into another message. It is fun, challenging, and an artform. I am not saying I am an artist, but I do believe those who can do it well, are. I am still a finger painter in this world, but I enjoy staining my skin in the ink.

To get to the point where you can consistently write like a true Haiku artist it could take years, but writing is the purpose and eventually, you get there, if that’s where you want to go. Otherwise, enjoy the way you want to write and the message you wish.

Below should be all you need to help with Haiku: Sure there are plenty of sites you’ll discover, some thatt even write the haiku for you, but why?

  • The best syllable counter is the dictionary. Others I’ve used will give different counts to the same word or the same Haiku. Stick to the dictionary. I’m deleting the syllable counter link from my poetry challenge with my next challenge, 10/12/2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/
  • For synonyms, thesaurus.com. It also provides antonyms and the drop box where you enter your word also includes DEFINITIONS as an option.
  • The Kigo Lists

For other types of Haiku click and read-Haiku, Tanka, and Haibun. It’s all poetry to me. Learn the difference.

To learn Freku, which I came up with, click and read – NEW FORM of Haiku & Poetry.

To learn the Shi Rensa or Four Chain haiku, click and read – Four Chain | Shi Rensa Haiku.

For examples of my own Haiku offerings click here and you will leave this page.

For a list of the weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenges and the current challenge post I host, click here and you will leave this page.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Originally posted July 02, 2014.

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