Day 11 ~ How to Write a Dodoitsu Poem for "30 poems in 30 days" #NationalPoetryMonth

Day 11 ~ How to Write a Dodoitsu Poem for "30 poems in 30 days" #NationalPoetryMonth

 

Everyone seemed to enjoy the Lantern Poem, so let’s do another Japanese poetry form, the Dodoitsu!!

Like many Japanese poetry styles, this one focuses on counting syllables – but not the same three lines of 5,7,5 syllables as the Haiku. This one is DIFFERENT ~

Here’s a bit of background: Dodoitsu poems appeared around the late 1860s. They were favored by working-class citizens. The name’s translation is basically, “quickly, city to city.” Some say that it refers to the ease with which they were passed along. The Dodoitsu has even been called the “Japanese limerick” as most revolved around love, work, and daily life, from a humorous perspective; so, as a general rule, they did not explore deep thoughts. But rather, they were used as a way to record those off-the-wall funny moments in one’s day. I have a dear friend often incorporates poems into her daily journal as they usually reflect her day. See what you come up with.

 

Here is the format:

FOUR LINES: (only counting syllables – no rhyming required, nor excluded . . . just whatever).

The first 3 lines ALL HAVE SEVEN SYLLABLES.

And the 4th line has FIVE SYLLABLES.

That’s it ~ simple, right? 7, 7, 7, 5. Give it a try. Write as many as suits your fancy today.

 

Here are a few examples:

Watching my grandson, Alex

Today we watched a movie

Last time we just played games

Always a good time

© 2026 Stephanie Abney  

 

Taught the boys to do some math

They groaned about it so much

So now they have to shout out:

We love math! Love math!

                © 2021 Stephanie Abney   (True story)

I love my grandkids so much

They are so entertaining

They melt my heart with a smile

Yes, come stay a while

                © 2021 Stephanie Abney

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work, and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.