Sijo (Poems) by Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by Istvan Banyai
For Poetry Friday this week, I thought I would open up a new book that I just received from Amazon.com. I have read about this book in various reviews and knew I had to have a copy. I love books with unusual forms of poetry.
Sijo is a form of poetry that originated in Korea. It has three lines with fourteen to sixteen syllables in each line. Sometimes it is broken into 6 lines. The tradition is to not concentrate on syllables as much as the number of stresses in each line. The first line tells about the topic, the second line tells more about the topic, and the third line presents a twist or joke about the topic.
If you like poetry that follows certain rules, try it. It's rather like putting a puzzle together.
Park's collection includes observations about everyday life, but also includes poems about school and nature.
In the spirit of the season, I give you Park's poem about Thanksgiving:
November Thursday
I don't often talk to my stomach,
but this morning I do:
"Rest up, now. Relax, get ready,
because you will need to S-T-R-E-T-C-H. . . "
Turkey! Pie! And--best of all--
stuffing myself with stuffing!
--by Linda Sue Park
Poetry Friday roundup today is over at a wrung sponge.
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