As part of National Poetry Month, I wanted to give you an idea of how I go about writing a poem. You might find my process helpful, or it could inspire you to discover your own method.
Some people find it intimidating to write a poem, so I think it’s helpful to begin with one that has some restrictions, which is why I chose the tanka.
What is a Tanka?
No, I’m not talking about writing poetry about a toy Tonka truck. The tanka poem originated in Japan and is known as a short poem or “short song.”
When written in English, a tanka is five lines and adheres to a strict number of syllables — five in the first line, seven in the second, five for the third, and then seven for each of the last two lines. There is no restriction on rhyme or meter.
Many people who write this form of poetry stop there, with no more restrictions except the number of syllables, but if you want to write a traditional Tanka, there’s more to it:
The tanka is sometimes separated by the three “upper lines” (kami no ku) and the two “lower ones” (shimo no ku). The upper unit is the origin of the haiku. The brevity of the poem and the turn from the upper to the lower lines, which often signals a shift or expansion of subject matter, is one of the reasons the tanka has been compared to the sonnet. There is a range of words, or engo (verbal associations), that traditionally associate or bridge the sections. — poets.org
In other research, Tankas are shown to use themes similar to Haikus — season, nature, love — particularly the changing of the seasons. It also incorporates personification, metaphors or similes.
Writing Your Own Tanka
What do you feel inspired to write? If you can’t think of anything, you can do something as simple as looking out your window. What do you see? In my part of the U.S., it’s nearing the end of Spring with new colors popping out, so I’ll start out writing about that.
Colors are changing
A very simple start, and it’s already five syllables. What else?
Green, yellow, and purple appear, trees are budding, hyacinths, wild violets, and daffodils are blooming, and days are getting longer and warmer. Since I started with colors changing, I’ll continue to write about colors.
Green, yellow and purple
That’s only six syllables, so I’ll have to add one. Purple is the color of royalty, so I’ll expand on that. Plus, I want to use this personification later.
Regal purple through the green
I’ll keep going with colors, so I’ll add the golden sun. This is the third line, so remember five syllables.
Golden sun beats down
Now, if I want to follow the traditional form, I need to take a turn. I can go from colors to something different. Mentioning the regal purple coming through the green feels like a royal announcement.
Announcement of Summer’s reign
Now, for the ending. I’ll stick with the royal theme and continue the personification. Again, seven syllables.
All too soon the king will Fall
I capitalized Fall to highlight the fact that a new season will take the seasonal “throne.”
So now I have a completed poem:
Colors are changing
Regal purple through the green
Golden sun beats down
Announcement of Summer’s reign
All too soon the king will Fall
Although I used this method to write a tanka, I go about the process much differently for other forms.
I hope this inspires you to try your hand at this unique form of poetry and gives you the confidence that you can do it!
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