Month: May 2020

covid 19, poetic forms, poetry

Some Short Poetry Forms

carolyncordon

One short form of poetry we all know is the Limerick. Who amongst us haven’t had a giggle at a rather risque limerick at some stage in our lives? Being a bit naughty, or worse, isn’t a necessity for the poetry form, it isn’t one of the poetic ‘rules’ for a limerick. What makes a poem a limerick is the rhyme, and the number of stresses, or ‘beats’ in each line, and the number of lines.

In a Limerick, the first, second, and fifth lines all rhyme and have three ‘beats’ in each line, and the third and fourth lines both rhyme and have two ‘beats’. If that sounds a bit confusing, here is a limerick I penned recently, on the theme of Covid-19, which seems to have taken up most of my attention, and much of this blogsite.

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This awful Covid virus

Sent here by Nature to try us –

It may cause some shrugs,

But I want my hugs!

It’s a blessing for those with shyness.

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The Japanese poetry forms, Haiku and the similar Senryu don’t rely on rhymes, they are more focused on line lengths. These forms are the same, except for subject matter. In the traditional Japanese format, they are both of 5, 7, and 5 syllables in the three lines that make up the poem. In more contemporary and wes, they may be shorter than that, but they are never a lengthy poem, and they focus on a moment, and the reading of the poem is done within a single breath, is one way I’ve seen it described.

The Haiku tends to be Nature focused, while the Senryu more focused on people, and it is more likely to show humour. There are many rules about these Japanese forms, too many for this blog post, but this site has a good explanation on what Haiku is, to help you to write your own. As I said above, Senryu has the same rules regarding form but not subject matter.

Nature in my front yard

Haiku can be difficult to get just right, and so can Senryu, this is one of my more successful Senryu, I feel:

My mind wanders –

watching birds & people 

also wandering …

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So they were two of my favourite short forms of poetry, if you like them, why not leave a message and let me know!

covid 19

Is Social Distancing an Oxymoron?

carolyncordon

The idea of Social Distancing has taken over our world at the moment it seems. The Government of Australia, and others, have taken on the idea of it, and are punishing people who get too close to others. And so somehow, giving a friend a hug has become a crime.

I can see the reasons for this, in this Covid-19 time, but oh, I so miss those hugs from friends. Getting too close to others could lead to catching this virus, with possible fatal results. I can see that. But I’m also aware that not being able to catch up with those we love, our family or friends, can lead to a progression to feeling low, to depression, and worse.

Human beings need social contact to be who they are supposed to be. Unless they have awesome mental abilities, and can step beyond that social need, and reach something higher. But for most of us, social interaction is a needed thing. We join in, we go to meetings, coffee and chats with friends, we visit, we hug each other, oh yes, we hug each other.

Surely, this distancing thing is far from social. Yes, I know it is needed right now, but I hope that need is safely over soon. I want, and need to see and be with my friends.

covid 19

A Note Regarding Poetry in “Plague Invasion”

carolyncordon

“Plague Invasion ” – It began as a short phrase in my head, and my poetry brain loved the assonance of the phrase and wanted to do more with the words. That ‘a’ sound in the two words seemed important, and worthy of something, something big. I could have written a poem, an important and worthy one. But I wrote something else, I wrote this blog post, and so it all started.

“Short poetry forms give the opportunity to share more thoughts, because four haiku will fit easily on one page … and so one ‘suite of Haiku’, can count as one poem. This may well mean each contributor will be able to share some more of their thoughts, poetically than for instance, on three lined Haiku, they will be able to submit for of them all on one page, as I did in this blog post, previously.

Hmm, I’ll write a post about that, and perhaps will received more small poems to showcase in this book. Haiku and the related Senryu, Clerihew, Tanka, Clerihew, Limerick. An A4 page of one of each will be one submission regarding poetry. The Editor has spoken!”

This was a comment on that previous blog post titled ‘Lines While in Lock down’. The comment was from John Malone, a friend and poet, who is again going to write a back blurb for a word related book for me, this book, . John is a regular commenter on this blog, and I value his thoughts. They often add value to what I have written.

John writes poetry, with a particular skill with short and pithy little poems, which he shares on his blog. In John’s small poems can be much that is important to think on. And isn’t that what good poetry can do, scale back the huge truths that are there, and present it to you, in a neat little package your mind can then unpack and think further about …

So, given all of these thoughts, the upshot is that I, as the editor of this worthy book, “Plague Invasion”, will accept submissions of a page of short forms of poetry, as one ‘poem’. So a ‘suite’ of five Senryu, for example, will count as one submission of poetry. I hope this is understandable, and if you need further clarification, post a question on this blog post, and I will do my best to answer any questions regarding this.

If you want to be involved in this, send poetry and/or prose to kittycordo@gmail.com – up to three poems of thirty lines or fewer, and/or up to 3,000 words of prose in up to three pieces. I will consider your submission, and let you know if it is accepted for this anthology. Contributors whose work is accepted will receive a free copy of the book. If they are Australian residents, the book will be posted to them, if they cannot attend the book launch.

People residing outside of Australia will receive a copy of the book on payment of the cost of postage and handling, with will be advised at a later time, when the costs is known. Stay well, write about what you’re experiencing, and we may meet up at the launch of this book. In the meantime, stay in contact here, on my blog, it’s my home away from home, at my home!

I value any feedback, please leave comments here, we can discuss things further.

covid 19, New Ideas

Responding to Change

carolyncordon

From child to adult, from single to married, from childless to raising a family. Further, not having a job, to being a worker, and from worker to retired person, and many nuances of life in between. On a more ‘right now’ basis, there is not having a dangerous virus to stay safe from, to being here, now, with Covid-19 threatening our lives, our livelihoods, and our lifestyles.

These changes are what I am hoping to capture, with the anthology I am editing, and looking for submissions to. The title for the anthology is ‘Plague Invasion’, with the subtitle of ‘Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19’. In the book are poetry and prose responses to this odd, weird new way of being.

The closing date for submissions is 31 July 2020. but it may have enough words in the book before then. I’m hoping for a good sized book, whatever that means – more than 70,000 words for sure, and up to, I’d say 140,000 words, although that higher number seems a little overly optimistic, but who knows …

I’m asking for up to three poems of up to thirty lines, and had previously been asking for 2,000 words of prose in up to three different pieces, but thinking about that word count, I’ve decided to raise it to 3,000 words. This will assist a couple of contributors, who have written more, great words about the theme, and it will assist in raising the overall word count for the anthology. I like the way this stays with the overall number ‘three’ in there too.

Photo by Nacho Lledò from Pexels

And to be brutally honest, I’m one of the contributors who would have to cut some of the word count of one of my submissions to this project, and I can’t see how to do that, without making one of my prose pieces a lesser thing.

If that is selfish, so be it. This is my project, opened up to others, for sure, but still mine. The more words that are in there, and the better the quality and wider the range of works there, the better it will display responses to the time we’re currently living in.

Responding to change is how we can grow in our lives. Things happen, we react, and we learn now and hopefully better ways. If they turn out not to be better, then we change again, holding onto the best, and moving forward with the new. So 3,000 words for your prose, not 2,000 in total. Editing is a good thing when you write, but sometimes the editing process takes out needed things, and that is bad.

If you’d like to be involved in this project, send your words to me at kittycordo@gmail.com with the subject of ‘Plague Invasion submission’. All contributors who have work chosen will receive a free copy of the book. Australian residents will have their copy posted to them free of charge, others will need to pay the postage and handling costs. Thank you!

covid 19, inspiration, poetry

Lines While in Lock Down

carolyncordon

My time has been spent at home, most of the time, I’ve only been going out to visit my Mum on some Fridays, when usually, pre-Covid-19, I visited her almost every Friday. a phone call has filled in for the visit, but it’s definitely not the same. No hugs with a phone call … But when I am able to visit her, that usual hug is even more precious …

So I’m staying at home, not doing as much moving around as I know I should, and could do, if my mind did the right thing by my body, and was able to convince me to do it … But my mind is busy doing other things, so I can’t be too hard on myself. I have a writing project, which I’ve spoken about quite a bit on this blog, and on Social Media, to get more interest in it, and so improve the project enormously.

That project is to create a book, an anthology, containing words written about this Covid-19 crisis we are all going through, in our various ways. So I’ve been collecting the words sent to me, having written some of my own to go in there too, but my own creative writing has been going slower. Yesterday I decided I might mend that, and wrote a Haiku. But I decided if I was going to put my Haiku into the anthology, I should have more than just the one Haiku poem, so earlier today, I wrote some more.

I’m not sure if they’re good Haiku, or the best I’m capable of, but they’re Haiku, and they cover some of my thoughts about Covid-19. I thought before I put them into the “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19” Anthology, I’d share them here first, to show some of my own ideas about it all, and to give ideas to any readers who pop by, to think on what they may write, and submit their words to me – up to three poems of up to thirty lines, and/or up to three pieces of prose of 2,000 words in total.

Sent them to me here (kittycordo@gmail.com), with “Plague Invasion submission” in the subject line.

So here are my Haiku responses to Covid-19, on this occasion I have stuck to the westernised 5 7 5 syllable count for the Haiku, there are other acceptable formats elsewhere:

Kitchen greenery

The herbs coming along well –

Food security?

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Giving cyber hugs –

Safe perhaps, but not as good …

I’m missing my friends.

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Medical visit –

Outing, and safety challenge.

Doc’s mask hides his smile.

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My window view, birds 

swish themselves clean in bird bath.

Stuck home, not alone …

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Some of my herbs growing in kitchen.
Just me, the TV and my laptop …

If you are inspired by my words here, please think about getting involved. All contributors whose work is accepted will receive a free copy of the book (postage and handling must be paid for, if not an Australian resident). I hope you’re feeling inspired by this, and want to take part. The book will be launched in early 2021, if things go well. further details will be announced on this blogsite, when known.

Thank you, I look forward to reading your Covid-19 submission!