Heart vs Mind: A Somonka*
Superstitious mind
intelligence beyond heart
mind over matter
neurons versus heart’s fast beats
who should be your life’s leader?
Fear not ‘i love you’
sometimes they are really true
nonetheless, let heart
beat with your clever brain’s wit
’cause love needs both: heart and mind.
—
©2016 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.
Photo credit:McKinley Law
In response to Daily Post: Superstition and Napowrimo Day 9.
Today, I challenge you to write a poem that includes a line that you’re afraid to write.
—
The Somonka, is a Japanese verse form that takes the frame of 2 tankas and carries a central theme of love. From that point there are differences of opinion in the scope of the subject and in how many poets are involved. The earliest Somonkas can be found as far back as the Man’yôshû, 1st century AD. They were the exchange of romantic poems between court lovers. Viola Berg’s Pathways For a Poet-1973 refers to the Somonka as the Rengo.
The Somonka is:
- a poem in 10 lines, made up of 2 tankas.
- syllabic, 5-7-5-7-7 5-7-5-7-7 syllables per line.
- composed in the form of statement-response,
- often written by 2 poets, one writing the statement the other the response but a single poet can write both parts.
- titled.
- unrhymed.
- built around the theme of love.
Beautiful. My dissertaion (during Masters) was heavily centered around the Manyoshu. You brought back memories, my dear girl, my princess! Thank you
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Is this Manyoshu: The Man’yōshū (万葉集?, literally “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”, but see Name below) is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled sometime after 759 AD during the Nara period.
🙂
Hmmmm. Interesting, Nandita! ❤
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Yes. That’s exactly what it is. One of the finest works in oriental literature!
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oohhhh! that’s interesting! 😀
it is my dream to take up a master’s degree. though i am not sure which one to take. 😀
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And Rose, I think you should check our group hangouts. 😉
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oh. will be there!
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lovely Somonka, Rosema 🙂 clever advie, too ❤
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sorry, typo…advice
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it’s okay Lady Lee! 😀
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yay! thank you Lady Lee! 🙂 Do you agree with my advice? 🙂
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of course, I do 🙂 heart and mind together!
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yeah! it should be like that. i think? 😀
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Wow!
Beautiful somonka!
So beautifully written
“Love needs both heart n mind”
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awww! thank you dear. you agree right? love requires both heart and mind? 🙂
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I agree completely
Only by heart makes u blind
N blind man can’t lead a normal lyf
Gn sweety
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that is so true! thank you lovely!
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Totally agree! Love definitely needs both. Life too, for that matter. Neither the heart nor the brain can survive without each other.
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“Neither the heart nor the brain can survive without each other.”
I AGREE! ❤ Thanks, NJ!
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I love the way you have written this, Rose! 🙂
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oh thank you Judy! mind and heart are not the best of friends eh?
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Not always, they very often have conflict! 🙂
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i agree, Judy! 😀
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Very nice!!
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thank you dear PJ! you agree? 😀
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Yes! Absolutely! Using only the heart is not very wise.
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that is true. and using only mind is somehow a bit robotic? 😀
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Hahahaha! Using only the mind is heartless. Hahahaha!! LOL!
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hahahahahah!! Why i haven’t thought of that! HAHA
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I love the way you dramatized the battle between heart and mind and then resolved with both being essential to life 🙂
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dramatized! haha! love that word dear Mel! 😀 Thank you!
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You’re welcome 🙂
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❤ ❤ ❤
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🙂
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Oh just beautiful! I love that you’re playing around with different poem styles as well. It’s such fun to see. And as always, you’ve penned something sweet and lovely 🙂
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yay! thank you dear Jade! It is quite fun to discover new forms. I believe you can write them too if you would want to try them. ❤
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A few of them do intrigue me. I’ll see if I end up trying my hand at them ^_^
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yay! no pressure but I would love to read them! 😀
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Beautifully crafted truth, this–well done, Rose!! (is that what I’m supposed to call you? I’ve been typing the whole ‘Rosema’…)
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Thank you very much, Azul! 🙂 Rosema or Rose can both do. 🙂 My full name is Rosemarie so I accept any nickname within that name. 😀 Thank you dear!
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How lovely, Rosemarie–thanks for telling me 🙂
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Thank you for asking! 🙂
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🙂
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❤
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Ah, yes, heart and brain are always required when love is involved. Great writing, Rose!
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i agree! but sometimes those two really fight right? 😀
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Wise words, creatively expressed. Heart tempered by mind. And the other way around. Thanks, Rosema.
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you described it so lovingly, Christopher! Thank you!
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[…] https://areadingwritr.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/heart-vs-mind-a-somonka/ […]
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oohhhh! no i am excited to read this! 😀
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Amen to that, we do need two, but my weight is a bit heavier on the mind’s side hehehehe 😀
Love to you ❤
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Thank you dear! 🙂
Honestly, I am more on the brain side too! My boyfriend can attest to that. I am sometimes close to heartless, haha!
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hahaha, I don’t believe you are heartless for one second! but good try beautiful! ❤
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haha. boyfie will contest that, dear Dajena. 😀 😀 😀
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🙂 it is a woman’s ritual to stay strong, I know, but soft can be strong too. look at water, nothing strong about it, but it can grind a boulder!
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oh dear! your comment can be a basis for a wonderful poem!!!!
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I understand this so well. I am a self-proclaimed brain person but recently heart has been inching to take over. Lovely write, and an interesting form too, sweet woman. 💕☺️
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oooooohhh! that’s interesting to know Annie! my dear friend is falling in love… right??? ☺️☺️☺️
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Oh, always! 😀
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yeeeeee! I want to hear more, but yeah… i’ll keep my mouth shout and go *kilig* over things I didn’t know. ❤
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You’re so sweet. Yes, you can go kilig over things you don’t know. 🙂
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i will! 😀
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thank you again, David!
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Thank you, David!
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thank you very much!
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