Happy Summer Solstice! Welcome to the Carrot Ranch Double Ennead Monthly Poetry Challenge. Every third Monday of the month, I’ll be here at the Saloon with another challenge to help get your poetic juices flowing. Each month, we will explore a different theme or image to inspire our poetry. Take your time, there’s no hurry! You have an entire month to write your poem.
Check out the poems from last month HERE
The word Ennead means nine, and a double nine is ninety-nine! Carrot Ranch is famous for 99-word flash fiction. Now, the ranch has its own syllabic poetry form written in 99 syllables!
The Double Ennead comprises five lines with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, (33 SYLLABLES per stanza) 3 STANZAS EACH = 99 SYLLABLES, NO MORE, NO LESS! Punctuation and rhyme schemes are optional and up to the poet.
This month, let's take the double ennead through the TUFF challenge like we do for the Carrot Ranch Rodeo. I'll show you how to take your double ennead from 99 syllables to 48 syllables, to 24 syllables to finally, a haiku *(12 syllable poem).
Why? This exercise illustrates the importance of the brevity of words. This is a great way to craft the shorter forms of syllabic poetry like haiku, senryu, tanka, etc.
*What happened to the 5-7-5 (17 syllable) haiku?
On page 22-23 of "Word Craft: Prose & Poetry," I explain why poets no longer write their haiku in 17 syllables. It's a matter of linguistics. The Japanese write in sounds called onji, and we use syllables in English. The Japanese onji are shorter than our syllables. If we're going to embrace haiku, we should write the form as authentically as we can.
William J. Higginson and Penny Harter, in their book, "The Haiku Handbook" explain:
"Approximately twelve English syllables best duplicates the length of Japanese haiku in the traditional form of seventeen onji."
"The Haiku Handbook," Chapter 8: The Form of Haiku, p. 102"
Here's my double ennead:
Celebrate the Summer Solstice
summer solstice blessings flow from father sun we recognize the longest day of the year wearing bright flower crowns bonfire magic soars celebrate the summer new freedoms restored cast your spells to air, water, earth, and fire jubilant songs voiced to the mother goddess give thanks for connections family and friends influence reality for the better work your magic toward shared fresh beginnings
For the 48 syllable poem I'll use a 4-7-5 stanza trio:
summer solstice... celebrate sunshine all hail to the longest day wear flower crowns before the bonfire where fiery sparks soar like stars giving thanks for family and friends all together once again
Now, let's reduce our syllables to 24 (6-6-6-6) and only one stanza:
summer solstice blessings honor the longest day bonfires and flower crowns we're together again
Finally, our 12 syllable haiku (short-long-short):
summer solstice... honor the longest day give thanks
When writing haiku, you should have two images that converge to give you that special moment of insight into the poet's experience. Here's how you can check to see if your haiku works.
Take the first line and the second line: summer solstice... honor the longest day. We have our kigo (the season word) along with the phrase summer solstice. This gives us our first mind image. We know it's summer and the longest day of the year.
Now, take the second line and the third line which is the pivot: honor the longest day, give thanks. The second mind image imparts the "aha-moment" when we realize the experience of the longest night of the year is truly a gift. This experience is something we should be thankful for.
The haiku's combined images converge into our realization that experiencing the longest day of the year is truly an experience to celebrate. What a great way to celebrate summer!
Always check your syllables with a syllable counter when composing and writing syllabic poetry. The pronunciation of words is very important to conveying a meaning in your poems. You can use sodacoffee.com as a syllable counter. There is also howmanysyllables.com, which is my favorite because you get access to synonyms as you're composing.
- Write your 99 syllable double ennead poem on a subject of your choice. Take into consideration that haiku are written about nature. Reduce the syllables until you reach the haiku (12 syllables) written in a short-long-short syllable structure). You should have 3 poems. The double ennead, a reduced syllable poem of your choice of syllables, and your haiku (12 syllables).
- Post it on your blog or in the comments if you don't have a blog.
- Include a link back to this challenge in your post. (copy the https:// address of this post into your post).
- Read and comment on your fellow poet's work. Feedback from other poets is how we grow our poetry writing craft.
- Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.
- I'll visit, comment, and share your poetry on social media!
Now have fun and write some syllabic poetry!
This is so interesting!
Sujata, I’ve used the “Tuff challenge” to reduce my author bio and some other pieces of poetry. It’s a great way to figure out which words give you the best meaning without all the fluff. <3
So true and challenging.
Looking forward to it!????
And I agree,we use the fluff as an easy way out.
Exactly. Many of those words are unnecessary in syllabic poetry. I always try to reduce the number of articles I use, as well. Think short breathy phrases, not sentences so much. Although, the double ennead does have an 11 syllable line in the stanza. It still forces us to use action verbs and descriptive adjectives. <3
Saying more in less!
I am enjoying the learning process!
That’s great! I like to stretch our skills. <3
????
You blew my mind, Colleen, lol! Way to embrace the power of TUFF, but to figure it out from Double Ennead to Haiku, well, all I can do is whoop, Woohoo! That’s incredible! And thank you for explaining the linguistical difference between syllables and onji. Constraints are magic to creativity. Often, people think we need zero constraints, but human minds don’t typically work that way. We need a framework, a solution to create. You are really stretching writers this month. And I love it! Thank you for this challenge!
I hope it’s not too much of a stretch for folks. Syllabic poetry seems restrictive but actually it’s just a framework, like you said. The brevity of words leaves us with that surprise meaning. All the frills are stripped away and we connect with the poet’s experience and feeling. Pure magic. ????????????
Dang when I play I play hard!! I took your challenge and made it even more challenging! Please see my site for all the prompts and word definitions. Please enjoy the effort put forth here (of course it will be centered at my site):
Mulberry Tree, Summer Fruit
she doesn’t always bloom
what natural hitch
makes her appear dead one year, alive the next
I discovered that she
needs her he to fruit
another quirk is her
berries ripen odd
not all at the same time, when shadows vanish
from the morning, I’ll pick –
bis, in the evening
the best gift is from you –
I boil the berries,
sugar, lemon juice attempting to make jam
after washing them and
removing the stems
____
48// 476 trio
she does need him
the mulberry tree, to bloom
her sweet purple berries
nature often
works in pairs; male and female
to procreate, fruit
ever fickle
is the process of living
I measure my time
_____
24// 6,6,6,6
she had blossoms this year
flowers transformed to fruit
which I collected, brewed,
gifted; sweetening life
______
12 (3 lines; short, long, short)
mulberries, sweet
from my tree, purple love
my en’jam’bment
© JP/dh
Jules, as always, your gift for observing life and making it magical, has captured me again. Every bit of your poetry is excellent. I love the play on words in your haiku: “en’jam’bment” is brilliant! Thanks for taking this challenge on! <3
When the meaning and pun of a word fit in the ‘count’ resistance is futile!
LOL! It was brilliant! I had a huge smiles after reading. ??
https://susan-joy-clark.com/2021/06/25/outside-my-window-double-ennead/
I loved the progression of your words and how strong your final haiku is! Susan, you put me right in the middle of your beautiful setting. <3
I’m so glad. 🙂
Did you enjoy the process of elimination? I always ruminate over the meanings of the words trying to find something that fits within the syllable count. Looks like you started out with the right words from the beginning. Bravo to you! <3
It was an interesting exercise. I’m not sure I can explain my exact process even to myself. 😛 But thank you for your encouraging comments.
That is what is so magical! Whatever process you use and works for you is perfect. I’m sure we all approach our poetry in different ways. That’s so cool! <3
🙂
The first hardest part is knowing what to write about!
LOL! <3
Here’s my submission. http://ruthscribbles.com/2021/07/02/my-take-saddle-up-saloon-colleens-double-ennead-challenge-no-5/
Pingback @ https://indishe.wordpress.com/2021/07/09/4544/
Hi Colleen, This was brilliant. Here is my contribution for this month:
https://call2read.com/2021/07/14/the-butterflys-journey/
Thanks so much. I’m glad you had fun with the challenge. It was “tuff” for sure! You left me with such great imagery in the life of a butterfly. <3
I know it’s late and only half the challenge completed … but I do like a Double Ennead:
https://thehiddenedge.co.uk/2021/07/14/centring-six-sentence-story-168/
It’s all good! I’m thrilled you jumped into the challenge. Thank you. <3
You are a wonderful instructor Colleen <3
Awww, Sis… you make me blush. Thanks for your support. <3
HUgs xox