The poetic form I am to write today is a new one, to me anyway, although it has actually been around, in Japan for over two hundred years. This form is the Dodoitsu poem. Like other Japanese poetry forms, this one relies on syllable counts, rather than rhyme or metre.

The Japanese language though, is different to the English language, which I and many others use. Japanese sound units for each words are shorter than many English words. And in English it can take multiple syllables to make a word, so in reality, it’s a little misleading.

Where the Haiku and Senryu both have 3 lines each, and a 5/67/5 syllable count, and the Tanka has 5 lines, with a syllable count of 5/7/5/7/7 syllables, the Dodoitsu has 4 lines, with a syllable count of 7/7/7/5 syllables.

This website gives a much clearer description of this, and more information about the form.

Traditionally, Dodoitsu was used for love poems, or ones relating to work, and with a humourous slant to the poem.

I wasn’t sure I liked this style when I first began playing with it here, but I’m changing my mind, as the words have come to the page.

These are three of my efforts:

1/

When you’re playing politics,

shouting’s now an adult tool

rather than sensible talk.

Temper tantrums rule …

 

2/

Deciding which I like best,

it’s a pointless thing to do,

when both purse and bank account

say, just window shop!

 

3/

The writer’s life – write, then think

then write some more, sit and think

wait, think, write, re-read, write more.

A book may happen …