A Peek at Micropoetry: the Short Poem Revival

Do you remember Senryu or Tanka? Or maybe their more infamous little sister, Haiku?  Having flashbacks to your high school English classes? Senryu, Tanka and Haiku are all stylistic forms of poetry originating in Japan. Overall, their formats are generally simple direct, and above all, short, though each varies just slightly than the other.  In the wake of the social media and mobile app"s F5 tornado, these styles of poetry have made a distinct resurgence, becoming a prevalent form of expression in the 140 words or less mediums of Twitter, Tumblr, text message, and the like.



So large is the movement that they've developed universal hashtags (think call signs) for the poetry that allows individuals to search through the multifaceted layers of online users and material to find the posts relating to the specific expressive medium they enjoy.  It's not rare to see #haiku #senryu #tanka and the more recent #micropoetry, the new collective nominal for the resurrected genre, tagged on at the end of a posted poem, or even smack in the middle of a sentence.  The resurgence has even gone as far as an organized Haiku Tuesday, in which fans of the style know that Tuesdays on Twitter are designated as days to post and read multiple haikus, creating a collective anthology of online work from novice poets to multi-published poets.

 

Personally, I think it's wonderful that these styles of poems are making a come back. I have also joined the ranks of the online micropoetry poster...  after all, not all poetry has to be in the form of a five page romance ballad.  With life streaming by us at an incredible rate, both online and off, I'm ecstatic to see that poetry has found a new niche.





Some of my micropoety, in the form of Haiku, that I have posted on Twitter over the past couple months are written below.

Curious about the different between Senryu, Tanka and Haiku?  Find out here .

 

                  I.

Black sun is rising

The agèd lily crumples

Sleeping in the soil

              II. 

Golden rusts and rubies

reaping in abundant wealth

The harvest moons rise

             III.

Shadow worlds collide

lost in lunar abandon

cognizance dwindles

            IV.

Twilight mists lay siege

Shrouding celestial fireflies

The world's held captive

                 V.

Love smolders the night

Melted in obscurity

embers groan w' passion

                VI.

Soft glaze of mourning

Smeared to crystal despondence

As muted bells toll

 

 

               VII.

basil and citrus

illuminatingly fresh

his herbal eyes lie 





             VIII.

Shimmering tears fall

the moon hides, swathed in soft veils

grieving in the dark



Copyright 2010 Ami Lovelace. All rights reserved.

 

Content Copyright 2010. Ami Lovelace. All Rights Reserved.