Issue One November 2015
Gogyoshi Monthly Issue One November 2015
Declaration of Gogyoshi
What is Gogyoshi?
Gogyoshi is a poem written in five lines. Writing a poem in five lines is its only rule. The content of gogyohshi is free, its themes are chosen by the poet. There are other five-line poetries in the world, for example, gogyohka, tanka, cinquain, and limerick. These poetries have certain rules such as number of permitted syllables, line lengths, and rhyme. Gogyohshi has no such rules. It is the freest form of five-line poetry in the world. But gogyohshi doesn’t permit to be written in 4 or 6 lines, though gogyohka occasionally permits this. Gogyohshi is written only in five lines. If the poem is written in four lines, we should call it “Yongyohshi”meaning a poem written in four lines. If the poem is written in six lines, you should call it Rokugyohshi” meaning a poem … written in six lines. As for a title, some Japanese poets add it to gogyohshi and others don’t.I will always add a title to my Japanese and English gogyohshi because I can’t tell one gogyohshi from the other. If I add it to my many gogyohshi, I will be able to tell them apart. I will write a short title in all capital letters so that readers don’t misunderstand the title as one line of 6 lines poetry. Gogyohshi is for me 5 lines poetry with a short title. But it isn’t the same as cinquain because it has no syllabic restraints unlike cinquain. While Gogyohka is trademarked in Japan, gogyohshi is not so. Because Gogyohshi doesn’t belong to any special person but to everyone. Most Japanese gogyohka poets belong to gogyohka groups and follow the leaders of such groups. Most Gyohshi poets do not belong to any group and write as they please. In conclusion, among world five-line poetries, gogyohshi is closest to gogyohka in form. The primary differences between them lie in gogyohshi’s adherence to the rule of 5-line. Adding a title to them depends on the poet. A gogyohshi poet has no rule except writing a poem in five lines. This is my Declaration of Gogyoshi.
Reproduced with the permission of Taro Aizu
Joann Grisetti Mask mask of the wild-eyed lady revealed by cracking truth her shining armor of patience from deep blue shadows rise her unborn: dreams disguised On The Edge Of A Dream On the edge of a dream, desire; Her nascent love abides in mist, Feelings before flesh manifest, On the edge of a dream, his kiss; Her senses now all conspire. Rain Rain on the roof of our dreams flooding the basement of hope silent erosion of life forty-odd years gone away the sunshine of my youth.
Wind Blows Back the wind blows back that scorned leaf dying in autumn to mother earth a refuse in her hair
A Hint of Winter winter’s ice came through the dark to create a wonderland of bemused delight in sliver glint
Pat Geyer moonless... illuminated in no color the sky waits for sunrise
red berry branch filled with morning glows through the fog dulling in the afternoon sun
oh, vainglorious fop. dressed in the fashion of death. murder of crows fly. dry winds blow his hat away. drops of haunted blood flee.
a painting of silhouettes and shadows an old masterpiece... bathed in moonlight covered with stars
a moment of frost... pansy faces glisten with twinkles in their eyes their icy glow disappears melting in the morning sun
David J Kelly here the only place I can ever be ‌ knowing you are there
a strange fly in a typical web on a shrubby plant by the unmarked path how little we know ourselves
from apogee to perigee and back again a mother and daughter trapped in each other’s orbits winter afternoon the horizon obscured by the sun moments later their roles reversed
yesterday n + n was 2n simple, logical now n + n is N I begin again
Ernesto P Santiago here with each footstep old and new sandals sound not so different to death of which I have no control two countries, no home
oh, the unknown depth of an inner sanctum a lust no more in faintest breath I, the leaf peeping tourist fitting it out, so devotedly
a summer of bluest sky a cricket's soulless song a double window screen still the fireflies shaking the night that's not ours
ah, where the stars fall the perfectly imperfect of such being a failure the splendor of knowing a given spotlight on life
a deemed secret is out in the puffs of smoke the second hand smoke of the third hand smoke the swear and infidelity
Steve Black gods and idiots in equal measure the drink talking on the night bus to cemetery junction
light at the end of the tunnel graffiti writing on a wall coming soon - nothing
it was just an idea but to be honest it barely got off the ground the chinese lantern made in the uk
one hand gives the other takes love and hate self-inflicted worn to the bone
pressure over time chair leather worn this way and that the daily reminders my father never spoke about
Debbie Strange Wraithsong I am the feathered thing that passes through you sinking into you, singing unto you a familiar plaint echoing through hollow bones
Wrong Direction red-zippered welt of road dead-ends north at desolation arrows south to desecration the route unclear, destination unknown all signs indicate that I am lost
Threshold anointed by the gush of blood baptized in the hush of guilt unchained, unclaimed I slide out of and into uncharted waters
Dr Tim Gardiner the blackbird outside the window refuses to be silent... another dawn breaks the spirit within me
a boy hunts for sharks' teeth... crag and clay crumbles easily through soft hands
vivid purple sea aster flowers mobbed with bees... under driftwood cockroaches scurry
rising fast through blood-red bracken another fell runner... escaping the past was never easy
July rain fills green lane ruts disturbed a cricket leaps into long grass
Shloka Shankar
as I learn to ignore all the signs around me the leftovers of half a life
Poets in this issue included : Joann Grisetti lived up in Sasebo Japan and eighteen other places. She lives in Florida with her husband and two sons, waiting to grow up. Her poetry, photos and stories have appeared in a number of print and online journals Pat Geyer lives in East Brunswick, NJ, USA. Her home is surrounded by the parks and lakes where she finds her inspiration in Nature. Published in several journals, she is an amateur photographer and poet. David J Kelly (@motto_sakura) lives and works in Dublin, Ireland, where he finds scientific and artistic inspiration in the natural world. He has had his Japanese short form poetry published in a number of print and online journals. Ernesto P. Santiago lives in Athens, Greece, where he enjoys exploring the poetic myth of his senses. Steve Black - Cutting a long story short for as long as he can remember. Resides in the shadow of London. Debbie Strange is a widely published short form poet and haiga artist. Keibooks recently released her first poetry collection, "Warp and Weft, Tanka Threads". Dr Tim Gardiner is an ecologist and poet, who has published scientific papers, several natural history books, poems and short stories. Tim's first full collection of natural history poetry (Wilderness) was published in 2015 by Brambleby Books and a WW1 prose/poetry book (East of Arras) has recently been released. Shloka Shankar is a freelance writer from India. She loves experimenting with Japanese short-forms and found poetry from time to time. She is also the founding editor of the literary & arts journal, Sonic Boom.