I am inspired by Nature. In 2023, I was looking for a creative outlet and found a Korean poetry style called sijo (시조.) The basic format is 3 lines with 14-16 syllables per line. A sijo introduces a problem or situation in line 1; additional detail in line 2; and a resolution or twist in line 3.
Something struck me about this sijo format. I began to look through my Nature photos for inspiration. I began to write sijo based on my Nature photos.
My connection to Korea
I lived in Korea from 2003-2014. During my time in Korea, I never appreciated poetry (si/시.) I use sijo poetry as a way to connect with Nature and my photography here in Canada.
The Sijo (시조) that got me.
This is the sijo that ‘got me:’
Tae Mountain1 may be high, it is a mountain under the sky
If you climb and not give up, there is no way you can't succeed
Yet people stay at the base saying the mountain is too high.
태산이 높다하되 하늘아래 뫼이로다
오르고 또 오르면 못오를리 없건만은
사람이 제 아니 오르고 뫼만 높다 하더라
Yang Sa Eon/양사언 (1517-1584)
This sijo has stuck with me. It is timeless.
- Tae Mountain/태산/ refers to 泰山/Tài Shān in China in Shandong Province. 泰山/Tài Shān is one of the five sacred mountains in China. Tae Mountain/태산/泰山/Tài Shān is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987.) ↩︎