Sudo-ku
Sudo-ku is a multi-haiku form created by Kat Lehmann in 2020. Sudo-ku can be read horizontally and vertically (and possibly other directions) like a sudoku puzzle to create multiple interwoven poems. As sudo-ku have a theme, they have a title that is non-redundant with the haiku. Enjoy exploring the possibilities!
"Ocean Ancient and Evolving" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Rattle Magazine (2023)
Other multi-ku
Notes on "In Concert"
I was enjoying the richness of live music and considered how a song is composed of both technical, measurable changes and modulations that affect the listener emotionally. The experience is all-seasonal, so the multi-ku includes a traditional kigo (triangles) from each of the five seasons of a Japanese saijiki. L2s are shown in rectangles: above the dotted line are more quantitative L2s, and below the line are more nuanced L2s. The words “in the trombone solo” can act as either L1 (reading center-to-edge) or L3 (reading edge-to-center). The dotted line suggests a reflection between the two qualities of experiences.
Winter and Summer kigo (snow, thunder) occur near, or at, solstices. In the poem, these are emotional and experiential peaks and pivot points. Strong verbs. A lower octave.
Autumn and Spring kigo (moon, blossoms) are (here) emotionally muddy, a transition from one annual extreme to the other. Unspeakable. Modulating.
Where to place the New Year’s kigo (first dream)? Thematically, it fits more with these equinox L2s. The new year shifts from the hibernation of winter to the renewal of spring.
This new combinatorial multi-ku shape can be read ten ways and became, for me, a fun study and framing of kigo.
I was enjoying the richness of live music and considered how a song is composed of both technical, measurable changes and modulations that affect the listener emotionally. The experience is all-seasonal, so the multi-ku includes a traditional kigo (triangles) from each of the five seasons of a Japanese saijiki. L2s are shown in rectangles: above the dotted line are more quantitative L2s, and below the line are more nuanced L2s. The words “in the trombone solo” can act as either L1 (reading center-to-edge) or L3 (reading edge-to-center). The dotted line suggests a reflection between the two qualities of experiences.
Winter and Summer kigo (snow, thunder) occur near, or at, solstices. In the poem, these are emotional and experiential peaks and pivot points. Strong verbs. A lower octave.
Autumn and Spring kigo (moon, blossoms) are (here) emotionally muddy, a transition from one annual extreme to the other. Unspeakable. Modulating.
Where to place the New Year’s kigo (first dream)? Thematically, it fits more with these equinox L2s. The new year shifts from the hibernation of winter to the renewal of spring.
This new combinatorial multi-ku shape can be read ten ways and became, for me, a fun study and framing of kigo.
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