Kimo poems are an Israeli version of haiku. It is claimed that there was a need for more syllables when writing haiku style poems in Hebrew. That said, most of the rules are still familiar to traditional haiku:
3 lines. No rhymes.
10 syllables in the first line,
7 syllables in the second,
6 syllables in the third.
The Kimo focuses on a single image (kind of like a snapshot). So it's uncommon to have any movement happening in Kimo poems.
So, here is my kimo poem. Give it a try...
Nature's Cathedral
I stand in awe among the giant trees
This glorious cathedral
While silence surrounds me.
©Alan j Wright
It is Poetry Friday and our host this week is Laura Purdie Salas . Laura shares some Tankas about autumn for the #PoetryPals challenge. She also has a new book coming out: If You Want To Knit Some Mittens!
It's great to see a new idea for haiku, fitting another language. I have a cotton wood tree outside in my garden, over a hundred years old, a "youngster" by many standards but it's part of why I moved to this new place a while ago. Trees surround me, and I love that idea of "glorious cathedral", Alan. Beautiful pictures, too.
ReplyDeleteNew poetry forms and ancient trees- what a potentially rich connection Linda. I can easily see your attraction to your sweet location. Glad you liked my images. They are from my childhood location which i like to visit when I need a little solitude.
DeleteGorgeous poem and image! I follow @big_trees_ohio on Instagram and am constantly in awe of "This glorious cathedral"!!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I am sensing a strong link between we poets and nature's giants. Thank you for your positive response to my Kimo poem and the accompanying images.
DeleteOoh, interesting. I'm unfamiliar with this form. And even though you say movement is rare, and the speaker stands still, there's such a lovely movement of the silence itself cradling the poet. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI too was unfamiliar with Kimo until quite recently Laura. Glad you enjoyed the introduction.
DeleteOooh! A new to me form. Must try this. Thank you for the idea and the perfect example. The photos pair perfectly with your poem. I love seeing form "twists" from around the world.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Linda, it is a form twist, but it still delivers for the poet as an interesting short form structure. Glad you liked my response and the images that I added to the mix.
DeleteIt's a new form to me, too. Thank you, Alan! Beautiful poem; it reminds me of the poor redwoods under threat out in California. We are losing too many cathedrals lately.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan. The loss of these natural cathedrals is a tragedy for the world.
DeleteI love a new form for a different language, and then bringing it back to English! So from Japanese to Hebrew to English - such a journey!
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation Ruth. It is as you write, a journey. It reinforces the notion of poetry's adaptability.
DeleteI like so much about this. And trees, it reminded me of the redwoods this spring and the California Fam Palms of last weekend
ReplyDeleteJone, as I stated in one of my earlier comments, we poets are without a doubt very much in awe of trees- wherever they might be. The Kimo provided the structure to display my enduring appreciation of these natural wonders.
DeleteThis is a new form for me - thanks for sharing it with us! Your poem really feels like a snapshot, even without the gorgeous photos (which complement it perfectly).
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed meeting a new poetry form Elisabeth. It broadens possibility. The notion of a snapshot does indeed capture what a Kimo poem is meant to do- so your words are most re-assuring.
DeleteThanks for the new form, Alan, I need to try this. I do love the insertion of the words, "glorious cathedral", Alan.
ReplyDeleteGlorious cathedral seemed like an appropriate attribution carol. Glad you like it too.
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