For the past year, I’ve been reading poetry on Tanka Tuesday, a blog that has a writing challenge. Each week, one of the team members creates a new challenge. Today, I’m responding to Cheryl (Rugby843) of the Tanka Tuesday Team. Here are some guidelines Cheryl included that explain the week’s challenge. She asked poets to write a Shadorma. I’ve never heard of a genre of poetry named Shadorma! I learned this year what Syllabic Poetry is, a poem where syllables are counted! I think most people have heard of a haiku, a Japanese syllabic poetic form. I believe it’s a well-known poetic form. Many poetry journals and magazines have haiku. If you’re not familiar with haiku, it has the 5/7/5 syllable format. I recently wrote three rensaku, which are a form of tanka.
Shadorma was a new challenge for me. It consists of a different number of syllables. Cheryl’s chart made it simple to see the format before I began writing. Since I’m a visual learner, I work better by having charts, diagrams or pictures. I also liked that I could choose my own theme. I’m more inspired if there aren’t too many rules. Learning Syllabic Poetry has been good exercise for my brain in addition to lots of fun!
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What is a Shadorma?
Shadorma is a Spanish poetic form that consists of six-line stanzas, or sestets, with a specific syllable count for each line: (3/5/3/3/7/5). A Shadorma can have one stanza or multiple stanzas, called a series. Shadorma poems are usually unrhymed. I followed Cheryl’s example in writing my Shadorma. I plan to add more six-line stanzas to make my Shadorma into a series later.
Line 1: Three syllables
Line 2: Five syllables
Lines 3 and 4: Three syllables each
Line 5: Seven syllables
Line 6: Five syllables
***How to participate in the challenge if you’re interested. I am using Cheryl’s instructions because I’m new at this. This week: Write a shadorma on a theme of your choosing, using the Shadoma syllabic form. If you write a freestyle poem, you must include a shadorma with it.
• Post your poem on your personal site/blog.• Give us the instructions on how to write the syllabic form you used.• Include a link back to http://TankaTuesday.com in your post. Copy the link of your published post into Mr. Linky. There are no recaps this year.• Remember to click the small checkbox about data protection.• Read and comment on some of your fellow poets’ work.• Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.• This challenge closes on the following Monday at noon EST Detroit, USA. Have fun! Don’t forget to visit Mr. Linky on last week’s challenge post in case you missed reading the poetry!
⬇ MR. LINKY ⬇
https://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=cmchesebro&postid=14Oct2024&meme=13466
What is Tanka Tuesday?
In 2016, Tanka Tuesday was created as a platform for poets to learn the fundamentals of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Each week, our poetry community comes together to write syllabic poetry together. Here is a link where you can learn more about Tanka Tuesday. https://tankatuesday.com/tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-rules/
My Theme
The theme I chose this week is WAR. The possibility of Nuclear War scares me. The news has been especially tense lately. Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, China and more countries and organizations threaten each other daily. The United States has Culture Wars, Religious Wars, Political Wars, Drug Wars, wars to control our minds and wars within our families. Evil scientists all over the world create biologic and chemical weapons. I can’t forget to mention Aliens, visitors from other planets ‘out there’. What if they want war? Maybe they aren’t real.
I’ve lived with war and the threat of war all my life. In grade school in the early 1960s, the teachers made the students practice how to be safe from bomb attacks. We had to crouch under our desks in a fetal position and protect our heads with our arms. The Communists hated America so they wanted (and still do!) to kill all the people. Bomb drills made me feel sick. I wanted to hide forever. Sometimes I still feel that way.
The Viet Nam War was on television plus in newspapers and magazines. My dad explained pages and pages of photographs in the Indianapolis News. He covered several pictures with his hand. I was too young to see them, he said. I was a young teen. I wanted to cry when I saw those flag-draped caskets carried off planes with soldiers inside. A friend from high school died “over there.” He lived in back of our house across the alley and was a few years older than me. We weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. He was cute and funny. His younger brother came across the alley one day to say that James had been killed two months after arriving in the jungle. James was eighteen. I was fourteen. War Is Hell!
Anti War protests were everywhere. I still remember the slogans. “Hell No, We Won’t Go!” “Give Peace A Chance.” “Make Love Not War.” “War Is Not Healthy For Children And Other Living Things.” Young people today have probably never heard about The Fall of Saigon. Seeing the videos on tv of people carrying babies and young children up the steps to the roof of the American Embassy to the helicopter and handing them over to officers and stewardesses, was so emotional for me. The babies flew to the United States to be adopted, but loved ones remained behind. Viet Nam had fallen to the Communists. When Walter Cronkite announced that was the last plane out of Saigon, I ran to my room. We didn’t have live news back then so the films were airmailed on the first flight to stations in New York. I know a woman who was one of those babies.
My friends in eighth grade made anti-war posters and displayed them in school. I wanted to talk about serious things. Most girls were more interested in having fun.
A CIA officer helps evacuees up a ladder onto a 204/205 helicopter on 29 April, 1975
The Cold War, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, and more wars. Nuclear War is the most horrible war hanging over our heads. All these wars are simply Good vs Evil. Some are at fault, some are guilty, some are victims. What would it be like to have no more wars? I pray for peace every day.
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Here is my Shadorma:
What Should We Name This War?
I hate war
Yet rich men love it
I am right
you are wrong
guns tanks bombs your side my side
only death and blood
by Kay Castaneda
No No! No! Make Love Not War
Give Peace A Chance John Lennon
NO MORE WAR! ✌️😥☮️🏳️🌎🙏👼👬👭👫🩷💙💚🌷🐦
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Cheryl
November 22, 2024 at 10:19 amWe must be about the same age because I remember those drills also-pretty naive thinking on adults’ part because nuclear war would destroy everything. I also wanted to say thank you so much for your comments. I like simpler forms of poetry but try the others because I like challenges. I’m glad you participated and live your poem. Everything you write about the wars I believe too. I do have fear about 2025 and what will happen, in general too. Thanks again!
Kerfe
November 22, 2024 at 5:50 pmYou brought back a lot of memories Kay. I remember when we found out my older brother’s friend, who had also just arrived in Viet Nam, had been killed. “It’s always the old who lead us to the war, always the young to fall” as Phil Ochs so bluntly and truthfully sang. The answer to “when will we ever learn” seems to be, sadly, never. (K)
Kay Castaneda
November 23, 2024 at 2:17 amThanks Cheryl, I’m glad you like my poem. It was a fun challenge. I like to learn new things. Your instructions about the shadorma format were very clear. Thanks for commenting.
Even with all the bad things happening in the world, we still have to hope. That is so hard sometimes.. I keep trying. 🙂
yvettemcalleiro
November 23, 2024 at 9:31 amGreat poem, Kay! Your second line spoke powerfully. I’m happy you joined us this week.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Kay Castaneda
November 23, 2024 at 11:28 pmHi Kerfe, Too many young people died in that useless war. All the wars since then have stolen good people from us. And the old who lead us into war as you quoted, get rich buying, selling and trading bombs etc. No matter your politics, war is evil for all. Being close to a victim of war is especially sad! Thanks for reading my blog and shadorma.
Kay Castaneda
November 23, 2024 at 11:32 pmThanks Cheryl, I’m glad you like my poem. It was a fun challenge. I like to learn new things. Your instructions about the shadorma format were very clear. Thanks for commenting.
Even with all the bad things happening in the world, we still have to hope. That is so hard sometimes.. I keep trying. 🙂
Kay Castaneda
November 23, 2024 at 11:34 pmHi Kerfe, Too many young people died in that useless war. All the wars since then have stolen good people from us. And the old who lead us into war as you quoted, get rich buying, selling and trading bombs etc. No matter your politics, war is evil for all. Being close to a victim of war is especially sad! Thanks for reading my blog and shadorma.
Kay Castaneda
November 23, 2024 at 11:39 pmThanks Yvette, I’m happy you liked my poem. I chose an emotional topic!
Miriam Hurdle
November 24, 2024 at 12:17 amEvery line in your poem is correct, Kay! There’s so much suffering and so much blood in a war.
dgkaye
November 24, 2024 at 11:24 amPowerful poetry Kay. You are correct, war is a looming threat globally with all the maniacs of power at the helms. 🙁
Colleen Chesebro
November 25, 2024 at 11:43 amHi Kay. I’m so glad you jumped into the challenge this week. We must be close in age because I remember all of these drills and things too. My husband served two tours in Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict. Some things never seem to change, but here we are again.
Kay Castaneda
November 25, 2024 at 12:39 pmYou are right about the idiots! Maniacs too! I just have to go with the one who is the least idiot. Or is it the lesser idiot? Who has the biggest bomb!!!!!!!! Oh well. I’m not doing well with grammar right now. Thanks for visiting my blog, Debby.
Kay Castaneda
November 25, 2024 at 12:45 pmYour’re right Colleen! We probably are close in age if you remember the drills and if your husband was in Thailand. Things never change like you say. Always the threat of war. The world is crazy. Thanks.
Kay Castaneda
November 25, 2024 at 12:48 pmThanks for commenting on my poem, Miriam. Yes, nothing good comes from war!
Colleen Chesebro
November 25, 2024 at 12:52 pmThanks so much, Kay. I keep holding onto tiny threads of hope. It’s all we have. xxx
Miriam Hurdle
November 25, 2024 at 12:59 pmYou’re welcome, Kay! How are you doing? Do you do Thanksgiving? We’re going to California for Thanksgiving with Lynton’s family.
dgkaye
November 25, 2024 at 2:13 pmLol, I hear you. 🙂
Kay Castaneda
November 26, 2024 at 2:54 amThat’s so right, Colleen. 😊
Kay Castaneda
November 26, 2024 at 3:17 amI’m doing okay. We used to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. I cooked the turkey and everything else. It’s not a holiday in Mexico. Plus it’s hard to find turkeys until Christmas. I saw some at one store but they were so expensive. $55.00 is too much! I’m going to make baked chicken breasts and dressing with sides. I have to cook something or the day will feel too strange. Do you cook?
Miriam Hurdle
November 26, 2024 at 11:58 amWe’re in Portland, Oregon close to my daughter’s family but we go to California to spend Thanksgiving with my husband’s family. Most of them are vegetarian and some are not. Someone will cook a turkey.
I cook simple meals regularly. My husband cooks breakfast and I cook dinner.
robertawrites235681907
December 7, 2024 at 12:28 amHi Kaye, what an emotional and poignant post about war. I also remember evacuations, drills and real bomb threats, and going under our school desks in the 1980s and early 1990s. Your shadorma is excellent.
Kay Castaneda
December 8, 2024 at 1:38 pmThanks Robbie. I’m glad you liked my post about war and my shadorma. I’m going to try to write more syllabic poetry. 🙂
robertawrites235681907
December 9, 2024 at 4:03 amI enjoy syllabic poetry very much.