Gogyoka

When I designated the first Friday of the month as poetry day, I didn’t intend to present a new form each month, it’s just worked out this way. :-)

The Gogyoka, pronounced go-gee-yoh-kuh, is a relatively new poem, a Japanese form created by Enta Kusakabe in the late 1950s. This five line poem was inspired by the tanka, but without the strict syllable count.

There are few rules of the Gogyoka. It should have five lines, with line breaks occurring naturally when you’d pause for a breath. It does not rhyme, but each line should represent one phrase and it can be written on any subject.

If you’re new to poetry, and want to get your feet wet, this is a great form to get you started.


What kind of
stained glass
have your
rose-coloured cheeks
passed through

Enta Kusakabe


My examples:

Feel the thoughts churn
see the ink flow
meaningful and meaningless
brought together
in a flood of words.

She sits on a park bench
reading a book of poetry
stopping after each poem
to stare out over the water
and contemplate

A storm is coming
wind blows howling
naked trees shiver
electric flashes in the sky
thunder booms

Sunrise beckons in red and orange
hunger roars, waiting to be satiated
hot butter sizzling in the pan
breakfast wafting in my nose
bacon and coffee competing on my tongue

As you can see, once you get started it’s hard to stop. Why don’t you give it a try and find out for yourself?