Sedoka Poetry

Synopsis

The Sedoka is a Japanese poem. Sedoka's are created by writing two Katautas and was used for dialogues or to show differing perspectives [1, 2]. Sedokas are therefore comprised of two sets of tercets. For each tercet, the syllable count is 5, 7, 7, for the first, second, and third lines respectively. It is thought that Kakinomoto Hitomaro, Japan's first great literary figure, wrote this style of poetry.

My Tips, Tricks, & Opinions

Feel free to leave your thoughts and advice in the comment section below.

Unique Factors

This style of poetry was designed for dialogue and multi-point-of-view exploration. If you have a dialogue or want to express multiple points of view, this is the style I would suggest.

But Lookout For...

This is a style based on syllable count, so don't forget to check your syllables! Also, since this poem style is fairly short (6 lines total) and is commonly divided into two parts—a question/response or two points of view--the message has to be short. You aren't going to be able to fit an entire debate between pro-life and pro-choice politicians. Due to the length constraints, you'll want to simplify the arguments, capture the main point, and spotlight it using this style.

Examples

Presentation Day (November 1, 2014)

Standing in front of
A large class, new and strange faces
Nervous, shaking, reporting these facts...

Bored, waiting for lunch,
Hearing these presentations
On dead presidents and such...

References

1. "Sedoka". Shadow Poetry; visited November 2014
2. "Sedoa Poetry". Encyclopædia Britannica
3. "Sedoka Poems". Poetry Soup; visited November 2014