Category Archives: Syllabic Poetry

by | August 15, 2026 · 1:05 pm

Interview to Forgiveness to Weather to Tanka to Book Review

One of the very top creative nonfiction journals is Hippocampus Magazine. I was pretty jazzed to be interviewed for them by Rudri Patel, the co-founder and co-editor of The Sunlight Press about Scrap. 

Link below:

HIPPOCAMPUS INTERVIEW

Here’s a sample Q&A:

RBP: Forgiveness is a complicated theme that you present in your work. As you learned about your father’s backstory, how were you able to navigate your feelings toward understanding him better. Did the writing help you forgive him in real time, or did you have a complete understanding of his perspective before you wrote Scrap?

LC: From the first moment I began to write my memories about my relationship with my father, I was beginning to heal. Every memory written out was a burden released. For me, writing was the best form of therapy, better than therapy visits, although I used the material from those for crafting the middle section of Scrap.

During the time my father was sick and then dying, I jotted down notes and rough drafts of events. But my focus was his daily phone calls and talking him through his illness and our past. It felt as if the barriers between us were melting away, and I just kept my mind open. I didn’t realize I was finally forgiving him until later, after he died.

As I’ve mentioned too many times, I worked on this project for eighteen years. I’ve been blogging for FOURTEEN of those years. In the past I posted quite a few memoir reviews because I was reading a lot of memoir to learn from them. What I didn’t do during most of that time was ever once think about forgiveness and my story.

Funny how life has a way of tracking its own path, separate from one’s mind.

You know what I won’t forgive? This hideous heat in Arizona. It’s disgusting, and it’s making my neurological system go haywire. Constant feelings of vertigo, seared sinuses, all kinds of symptoms. The minute I leave for another climate I’m better.

This week I was in southern California where the air was so tender. I’m working on tanka sequences for my Sunflower Tanka submissions, trying to write about the difference in weather, and all I could think of was tender air.

Speaking of Sunflower Tanka, Editor Colleen Chesebro wrote a wonderful review of Scrap. Thanks, Colleen!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Flash Fiction Memoir!

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2026

Format: Kindle

This is a hybrid flash memoir called Scrap: Salvaging a Family, which explores the author’s journey through childhood into adulthood and how she reconciled her emotions with an aging or dying parent.

Written in chapters or flashes, the author shares her memories of growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from the 1950s onward.

From her memories, we meet the Wolf, the author’s father. It doesn’t take long to realize that the author has experienced mental and physical abuse. At one point, the author questions why her mother let this abuse go on. The writing is raw and grabs you in the heart. There were several emotional moments in the book.

I love flash fiction, and this was my first time reading a flash-memoir. At times, I felt like I was going through a photo album featuring the memories of the author’s life. Secrets are revealed, and like a murder mystery, the clues are scattered for the reader to find.

This memoir helped me reflect on my own childhood. This was a memorable read!

ORDER SCRAP

 

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by | July 4, 2026 · 2:05 pm

#TankaTuesday Challenge #71 Photo & Tanka

When I read Willow’s prompt for #TankaTuesday, I was intrigued. She asked us to find an old photo that holds a memory and write a tanka about it, focusing on words that evoke the season.

Since I am scanning old photos, this prompt seemed to fall right onto the paper for me ;. This photo was taken in July 1969 at our lake cottage. That’s my mom standing there in the middle of the photo.

green trees in full leaf

against sun’s hissing hot blue

lakewater splashing

around our knees, mom eyeing

the bold goose among the ducks

I really wanted that focus on the goose and mom looking at it because geese are more aggressive than ducks, and I’m sure she was worried about the goose around all the children.

About the goose: I’m willing to hear arguments that it’s a duck, but I don’t think so. It’s neck is longer, it’s much bolder, and the beak is a different shape. You can see the goose in the last photo here, too.

Here are more photos from that day.

my brother feeding the duck

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by | March 31, 2026 · 3:56 pm

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 58, Fools Abound! 03/31/26

Yvette Calleiro has come up with the topic for this week’s Tanka Tuesday: Fools Abound! Of course, she’s playing off April 1, April Fool’s Day, a day of sanctioned pranks.

Only I’ve never liked pranks. I don’t like to see people made fools of. In fact, the only place I like a fool is in a Shakespeare play, such as the fool in King Lear. That jester is a smart man.

So I thought I’d write a syllabic poem–senryu today–highlighting the toxicity of foolishness.

And I’m giving my poem a title although that isn’t usual with a senryu.

 

Fool’s Parsley

 

the name seems a prank

but one bite can mean your death

even its touch hurts

 

By H. Zell – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8951747

Although this poisonous weed comes from other continents, it has made its way to North American and, yes, even to Arizona.

Apparently you don’t always die from eating the weed. Sometimes you just get sick. However, if you die from it you die by SUFFOCATION.

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PURCHASE SCRAP: SALVAGING A FAMILY

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Filed under #TankaTuesday, Flora, Garden, and Landscape, Poetry, Syllabic Poetry

by | December 26, 2025 · 10:56 am

A Tanka for #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, Holidays

For Robbie Cheadle’s challenge at #TankaTuesday challenge I’ve written a double tanka about my childhood Christmas Eves.

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Church bells ring-a-linged

We walked through the candy canes

in the crisp-aired park

Flakes coating our hair and coats

Sliding ourselves to the first house

*

Progressive dinners

Mom’s aunt’s house, then her uncle’s

Grandma baked desserts

Worst part was the oyster stew

Now my fondest memory

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Eight years ago I decided to investigate this Christmas eve oyster stew phenomenon for my family history blog. My mother’s maternal family were the ones who celebrated with the progressive dinners and the oyster stew (a pan of milk and oysters essentially until my husband joined the family and added spices and seasonings). That family was half Dutch and half Pomeranian (an area on the Baltic that was part of Prussia, although the genetics of the German-speaking people (before WWII when they were kicked out of Poland) was actually Slavic. Anyway, the Pomeranian “half” was through the women, so that’s where I thought the tradition must come from. Here is the link to my post. Keep in mind one of the links within the article is now dead. A Christmas Tradition from the Old Country

To my knowledge nobody in the family carries on this tradition. We have all created new holiday traditions with our children.

Did your family have a tradition that seemed to pull the family together like this that is now nearly forgotten?

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by | November 4, 2025 · 12:29 pm

A Shadorma for #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 37, The Veil, 11/04/25

This week’s #TankaTuesday syllabic poetry prompt is by Yvette Calleiro. She asked for poems using the image of veil. While this is a great idea I learned something or maybe noticed is a better word about syllabic poetry. It’s very hard to approach subjects obliquely or “slant” (credit to Emily Dickinson) with syllabic forms.

I chose shadorma (possibly Spanish or of modern origin) for the form. This is a six line poem of 3-5-3-3-7-5 line lengths. I wanted a form that didn’t require the subject to be about nature, which is why I selected this form.

thanks to sfetfedyhghj

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The Mask Reveals the Heart

 

Bride’s coy veil,

vamp’s pillbox netting.

They conceal

to reveal—

no different from a mask

where disguise tells all.

 

Two years ago, the following flash fiction was published at The Ekphrastic Review. The veil in this case refers to the veil between living and dead or between this world and THAT world.

​Waiting for the Handsome Prince: A Farce (Of Course)
after “An Unexpected Visit” by Remedios Varo

Some girls left a glove or handkerchief, hoping to obligate a gentleman to return it. Eleonora liked to think she was different. She dropped a pump knowing he would imagine her barefoot and helpless. She remembered the velvet of his broad chest, jeweled medallion clanking, felt parts of her responding. Her new friend, Fairy Godfather, helped her prepare for Handsome Prince’s visit, adding to her pretty table setting an inexhaustible carafe and a trick candle, while assuring Eleonora they were traditional heirlooms with magical powers. Before he departed with an unnecessary hug, he reminded her what would happen if the spell were broken. All she needed to achieve the spell’s fulfillment was one kiss from Handsome Prince.Eleonora waited at the table for Handsome Prince all day. Then all night and the next day. She examined the events of the ball repeatedly. What went wrong? Was she too assertive? Too quiet? Did he prefer juicier curves or richer daddies? She tried to drink the water, but it was ensconced inside the glass, unattainable. She tried to rise, but the broken spell had already begun to claim its reward. The transformation into feline had begun. She was locked in place, the fur growing, even as the spinster cat had begun to dissolve into the woods. Just as the pitying fairies arrived to spirit her off beyond the veil, the now-unmasked Fairy Godfather appeared in his pumpkin, his goblin face taunting her.

NEW PUBS THIS WEEK

6 mixed media collages: Does It Have Pockets

2 speculative microfiction: Dog Throat Journal

revenge lit micro: Villain Era

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by | October 21, 2025 · 1:59 pm

#TankaTuesday, Fall Haiku

With my new fall routine in place, I’m back to trying #TankaTuesday syllabic poetry.

This week’s prompt was brought by Yvette M. Calleiro at Tanka Tuesday: Absorb, Repel and instructs poets to use the words “absorb” and “repel” in their syllabic poems. We can add a kigo word for fun. These are from a list of seasonal words.

I wrote this haiku with the two prompt words and the kigo “autumn sky.” Technically, haiku should not be rhyming, and this rhyme was unintentional. But I didn’t want to change it ;). Also, the plural of haiku can be haiku or haikus. I prefer haiku.

Autumn sky so blue

it repels all other hues

and absorbs my dreams.

I also wrote another haiku using the kigo “chilly.”

Chilly fall morning

sunlight splintering through trees

sparks dance at my feet

I posted an unenhanced photo of the intense blue sky in Arizona on Monday, but I’ll repost here to go with the first haiku.

The air seemed chilly this morning. A crispy fall morning. At least by Arizona standards. It was probably 65 degrees, and I could still wear a sleeveless dress.

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by | April 1, 2025 · 4:05 pm

A Senryu for National Poetry Monthr

HAPPY POETRY MONTH!

This week’s poetry challenge at Tanka Tuesday is The Fool, as in the card in the tarot deck. I got an idea for my senryu from the card from The Wild Unknown which features a baby bird on a twig or branch. I found the image online, but couldn’t find one I felt I had permission to reprint here. I did a marathon this past weekend of taking care of my toddler grandson. My hip is completely shot and otherwise screwed up, and I’m getting a new one in a month and a half,* so this was pretty insane for me to do (The Fool?). The gardener helped though, and the babysitter came for three hours, too.

After viewing the tarot card I thought about how my grandson must feel when he makes some of his dangerous choices. Here’s my poem:

baby climbs on chair

he stands upright, rocks backwards

hope blossoms in him

Of course that’s not how Grandma views the situation, but I do think we’re pretty close so I have him a bit figured out. BTW, he does not speak or say names yet, but he called out to me again, “Grandma!” He’s done that a few times for at least four months. I’ve had witnesses every time, too, so I am NOT imagining it.

*Back to the hip. You might have good stories about how easy the surgery and recovery was for you or a friend, but don’t bother. I have some conditions that makes it scary, and so those stories won’t make me feel better but will probably irritate me. Just sayin. But thanks for the thought.  Of course, prayers and vibes accepted and even desired!

In honor of National Poetry Month and the re-opening of Zingara Poetry Review, they are providing prompts each day this month–and then if you like you can submit them in hopes of getting them published. Here’s the link for the first prompt, which I kind of love: ZINGARA PROMPT ONE

Listen to this serendipity! I searched my The Wild Unknown archetype deck to see if it includes The Fool. It does not, but I found a business card for the editor of Zingara. I have no idea how long it’s been in there as I haven’t cracked that deck in awhile. Is that WILD?

Let’s get some poetry going this month! XO

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by | December 23, 2024 · 7:35 pm

Buy Yourself a Gift of Sunflower Tanka!!!

Lily is enjoying her new anthology, Sunflower Tanka. These are wonderful examples of tanka and tanka prose. There are even some unusual tanka forms. I’m so blessed to have four tanka prose in the book. A huge thanks to the contributing editors, Colleen Chesebro and Robbie Cheadle.

Isn’t the art on the cover gorgeous? It’s by Robbie.

I sent a copy to my mom and suspect she’s going to love it!

You can pick up your own copy here: https://shorturl.at/XEKLb

You can also purchase a Kindle version.

Blurb

Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle & Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual anthology of contemporary tanka, tanka prose, & experimental tanka from a broad mix of new and established poetic voices from across the world.

Our theme, “Into the Light,” draws inspiration from the way a young sunflower bud constantly turns to face the sun. Poets delved into the realms of death, love, and the natural world, capturing their human experiences in the timeless form of syllabic poetry.

Contributors to the first edition of the Sunflower Tanka: Suzanne Brace, Yvette Calleiro, Kay Castenada, Luanne Castle, Robbie Cheadle, Colleen M. Chesebro, E.A. Colquitt, Melissa Davilio, Destiny, Tamiko Dooley, Lisa Fox, Cindy Georgakas, Chris Hall, Franci Hoffman, Marsha Ingrao, Jude Itakali, Jules Paige, Kenneth, MJ Mallon, Brenda Marie, Selma Martin, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Lisa Nelson, D. Wallace Peach, Freya Pickard, Dawn Pisturino, Gwen M. Plano, Jennifer Russo, Aishwarya Saby, Reena Saxena, Merril D. Smith, Nicole Smith, Ivor Steven, Ben Tonkin, Trilce Marsh Vazquez, Cheryl Wood.

Get yourself a holiday gift of Sunflower Tanka!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

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by | August 26, 2024 · 12:21 pm

Simple Pleasures: My Review of the New Elizabeth Gauffreau Poetry Collection

 

What a pleasure to open Elizabeth Gauffreau’s new book, Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right. Every page features a beautiful nature photo with an accompanying haiku. Combining poem with image creates a new art genre, one where each component gives more meaning to the other.

The first page displays a peaceful dirt road surrounded by evergreens. The poet invites the reader to accompany her on this trip through the natural beauty of the northeastern United States:

dirt road adventure

washboard, slapping branches, ruts

GPS turned off

I love that the GPS is turned off so that instead of following technology, we—poet and reader—are opening ourselves to the adventure.

Gauffreau directs us to majestic vistas, but she also points out the small or almost unnoticeable, such as a dappled woods image where you must look carefully or be directed by the poem:

new-growth pines, maples

farmer’s forgotten stone wall

a forest reclaimed

I learned things from the poems, which should not be surprising as Gauffreau seems so at home in the region.

stand of white birches

roots entwined canopy shared

indigenous trees

I hadn’t thought of birches as being Indigenous, so that was a bit of defamiliarizing the familiar, I suppose, as it made me take note. And it reminded me of the Robert Frost (another New England poet) poem, “Birches.”

The book is organized by the seasons of the year and makes a full cycle of the beauty of the area. Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right makes a gorgeous addition to my collection of Elizabeth Gauffreau books, Telling Sonny and Grief Songs. Heads up, though, I would recommend purchasing the paperback version because you will want to flip open the book often.

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 Author Biography

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg  prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.

She has published a novel, Telling Sonny, and a collection of photopoetry, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance. She is currently working on a novel, The Weight of Snow and Regret, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968.

Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband. Find her online at https://lizgauffreau.com.

Book2Read Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/SimplePleasures

Print & Fixed EPUB for tablets and Kindle Fire

BookFunnel PDF Purchase Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/gef1ili6qd

For any device.

Blog Tour Host Links: https://lizgauffreau.com/simple-pleasures-blog-tour-links/

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by | August 12, 2024 · 5:15 am

Simple Pleasures Blog Tour: Day #7 – August 12 – Luanne Castle

Introduction

Thank you, Luanne, for hosting me on Day #7 of my blog tour for Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right! For this tour stop, I’m going to say a few words about my philosophy of haiku to give readers a sense of what to expect from Simple Pleasures.

I think it’s important for me as a writer of poetry and fiction to understand the literary context in which I’m writing–both the current context of what writers in a particular genre are creating and the literary tradition which brought the genre to this point.

When I first became interested in haiku as syllabic poetry, I was surprised to learn that haiku in English is a very slippery beast to pin down. There are purists who adhere to the 5-7-5 syllable count, the season word (kigo) and the pause that cuts the haiku into two parts (kireji). The Haiku Society of America, on the other hand, espouses the spirit of the Japanese form without trying to replicate the Japanese language-based  form in English. (https://www.hsa-haiku.org/hsa-definitions.html)

Then there’s this guy, Vermont poet Geof Hewitt, who decides to make his own rules. (Geof is a performance poet whom I met when he visited my tenth-grade English class in 1971. Then, in the early 2,000s, I took a performance poetry workshop with him, which was great fun. I even got a new poem out of it!)

 

https://vimeo.com/991080595/fe5211dfc3

Excerpted from: https://www.vermonthumanities.org/words-in-woods-hewitt/

 

So where does this leave me? I think I’m safe in saying that I follow the Haiku Society of America’s definition of haiku: “A haiku is a short poem that uses imagistic language to convey the essence of an experience of nature or the season intuitively linked to the human condition.”

I adhere to the 5-7-5 syllabic structure because it serves me well as the means by which I discover and express that essence. Any exception I may make to the syllable count is minor, when the poem just doesn’t scan right. Most of my haiku include a kigo, although my interpretation of season may extend to seasons of life.

 

The simple pleasures of our favorite places in nature are gifts of the spirit to be shared with others. In this collection of 53 haiku, each paired with a photograph, poet Liz Gauffreau invites readers to come with her to some of her favorite places in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Some places are long-time favorites going back years; others have become favorites by virtue of inspiring poetry.

 Author Biography

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg  prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.

She has published a novel, Telling Sonny, and a collection of photopoetry, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance. She is currently working on a novel, The Weight of Snow and Regret, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968.

Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband. Find her online at https://lizgauffreau.com.

Book2Read Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/SimplePleasures

Print & Fixed EPUB for tablets and Kindle Fire

BookFunnel PDF Purchase Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/gef1ili6qd

For any device.

Blog Tour Host Links: https://lizgauffreau.com/simple-pleasures-blog-tour-links/

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