April 2021 Sijo Poetry Challenge

Reto poético sijo: abril de 2021

Thank you, poets for your inspired poems. I think the traditional Korean sijo form was new to all of us. Congratulations on the fine poems you produced. I present to you the April sijos, with the theme of wind. Please give the writers your positive feedback in the comments. Let’s support their excellent work.

Gracias a nuestras poetas, por sus poemas inspirados. Creo que la forma poética coreano traditional del sijo era nueva para todas. Felicidades por los buenos poemas que han escrito. Te presento los poemas sijos de abril, con el tema del viento. Favor de dejar sus comentarios positivos en los comentarios. Apoyémoslas por su trabajo excelente.

UK

Fresh strengthening winds from the north roughen the open ocean
Our small boat slams into waves that grow in size, our fear also grows
Dolphins come alongside, chatter and leap, make a game of it all

Kim Whysall-Hammond

Vendavales del norte crean oceanos bravos
Que miedo, nuestro barquito choca con olas crecientes
Delfines vienen a saltar, hablar y jugar de burlarnos

Kim Whysall-Hammond (Traducción por Rebecca)

⛵️ ⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️⛵ ️

Puerto Rico

Buitre/Zopilote Sombra oscura que vuela en el firmamento.
Soy augurio maligno, un anima en pena.
El fiel y veloz emisario de nuestro Creador.

–Mildred Cancel García

Dark vulture shadow that flies in the firmament of the heavens
I am an evil omen of an animal near death
From above, the true and swift emissary of our Creator.

–Mildred Cancel García (translation by Rebecca)

▼ ▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

UK

The wind snatches at my clothes, gusts into my face –
propels me onward, forward, homeward.
It excites, energises, brings vigour to my day.

Margaret

El viento arranca mi ropa, sopla en mi cara
me empuja seguir más adelante, regresar a casa.
Me emociona, me da energía, aviva el día.

–Margaret (Traducción por Rebecca)

🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈

USA

In the Time of Covid

We are but cells sans walls, the world (so loved) pours through us all.
Our membranes are porous, and every last word is contagious.1
Our leaky vessels borne by the winds to uncertain ends.

–Carolyn De Luna

1 Jericho Brown (2015). “To Be Seen” from The New Testament.

En la era de Covid
Por células sin paredes, el mundo amado nos fluye.
Las membranas porosas están; palabras contagiosas.
Nuestros recipientes fugosos, llevados por el viento.

–Carolyn De Luna (Traducción por Rebecca)

A Ω A Ω A Ω A Ω A Ω

Wind: frightening on the ocean; allows a vulture to soar and dive; invigorates us on a walk; and carries us into the unknown. Thank you, poets for wonderful images and thoughts! Hello readers, please let the poets know what you liked about their sijo. We hope to see a poem from you here the first week of May! Don’t be shy, throw your hat in the ring. ¡Olé! –Rebecca

El viento: da miedo sobre el oceano; permite el buitre elevarse y lanzarse; nos aviva en una caminata; y nos lleva hacia el desconocido. ¡Gracias, poetas por los imagenes y los pensamientos maravillosos! Hola lectores, favor de decirlas a las poetas que te gustan de sus sijos en los comentarios abajo. Esperamos ver un poema tuyo aquí la primera semana de mayo. No tengas pena, inscríbete. ¡Olé! –Rebecca

Wind Turbines Photo: Rebecca Cuningham

Rebecca Cuningham

19 thoughts on “April 2021 Sijo Poetry Challenge

  1. This was a stimulating challenge which I shared with my writing group, who all joined in with enthusiasm and some interesting results. Kim – I found yours vey graphic – you painted a scene I could see. Whereas yours was more visceral, Mildred – I could sense, rather than see it. And Carolyn – the uncertainty and fear brought on by the pandemic is chillingly portrayed here – very unsettling. Rebecca – what a privileges it is to see our words translated. For me at least, it helps me constructively criticise my own effort, and to see it in a different light. Thank you

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    1. Thank you, Margaret for your detailed comments. So wonderful that one of the poets would do this for the others. Very kind of you. Thanks for your comments on the translations as well. How interesting that you challenged your writing group with a sijo as well! That’s cool. : )

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