SOLSC DAY 28
As I was sitting here thinking about what to write today it occurred to me that I haven’t written a sijo during this challenge. So, this post contains my sijo.
I first heard of these and fell in love with then at an NCTE session a few years ago. I have been hooked on them since.
In case you don’t know what a sijo is or need a refresher course on it, let me offer this definition of sijo found on the poetry foundation’s website.
Sijo
A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The 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.
Here goes:
Awake in the middle of the night, a heaviness on my chest.
Difficulty breathing, gasping, I begin to panic.
The beginning of a heart attack? No, it's Dustin on my chest.
arjeha 
Cool form. Thanks for teaching me something new. Cats. 😂
Yes, cats. How can something that weighs 9 pounds feel like a hundred pound weight?
Next month I’m sharing some poetry resources with a monthly literacy leaders group, and Linda Sue Park’s book, Tap Dancing on the Roof Sijo Poems is among them. (I might have been in that NCTE session, too…hmmm.) In her description, she emphasizes the surprise at the end, and fortunately the surprise you bring is a cuddly, purr-ball. Love this!
I think the surprise twist at the end of these poems is what got me hooked.
Absolutely. While the form demands craft, the last line is the kicker!
purrfect
Unless you are trying to sleep.
Though it may seem that with a given syllable count the structure should make writing easier, not sure it is so. Glad that you remembered about sijo and wrote today. Glad that a cat was included in this poem with a scary start.
Sometimes it is hard to come up with the twist at the end.
Oh, Dustin! Don’t give us such a scare!
But we’ll take more sijos!
Dustin is a character.
Learned something new today! Very cool form. Sure glad this poem took a turn at the end. Phew!
The fun part of a sijo is the twist at the end.
Your poem made me begin to panic at the end of that second line. The last line brought humor. This is a new form of poetry for me. I look forward to giving it a try.
They are fun to write. I hope you do give it a try.
I just love when you write about your cats. And your humor is so clever. Great poem!
Thank you. Sometimes Dustin just lends himself to a post.
Typical cat! I have never heard of this poetry form before. I will take note and give it a try.
These are fun poems to write. Hope you give them a try.
So fun! I love how you lead us readers in the wrong direction before ending the poem on a happier note. Such a fun surprise!
Thank you. That fun aspect is what I like about silos.
🙂 I too like Sijo.
They are fun.
Once again, you surprised me when I read the ending. Dustin must love you dearly. I think I shall try this form, Bob, that you shared with me a long time ago.
Carol, I hope you do try this form. It really is fun trying to come up with a twist for the last line.
Thanks for the new poem format and oh my goodness, what a cat! I love it.
This is a fun format to write.