The Versesmith

U ta (Japanese lyric poetry) is the general term for Japanese poems, especially waka (most common a tanka), and also includes older forms like chōka and sedōka.  I have written a tanka.  U rban Showers is my title for this ink on newsprint by Mary  Pedri.  In a previous life it won an award at the 1963 Lodi Grape Festival and National Wine Show.  That's Lodi, California.  It was a birthday gift from one of my sons, who found it at Goodwill.   wet pavement glimmers under the dim sidewalk lamps commuters rush to taxi stands and bus shelters autumn rain in the city ©202 6 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved  

T ermelay, an unrhymed 6-line poem where line 6 repeats line 3, with syllables 4/4/4/8/8/4.  Some syllable counters will show "remembrances" as three, however it's one of those words that we pronounce differently from the formal rules. T urquoise Memories is a monotype, a print created by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface and transferring that image onto paper.  A monotype is one of a kind.  I bought this at Goodwill for $5.21.  There was a gallery sticker on the back, $550! Remembrances swirl in my mind just out of reach nudging memory, soft white sand turquoise waters, you in my arms just out of reach ©202 6 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved      

  The S edoka form is believed to have originated in ancient Japan. It is often written in pairs, with two consecutive S edoka poems forming a larger poem know n as a K atauta . The two S edoka poems are typically connected thematically and often tell a story or express a single idea or emotion.  Mine is a pair written from the viewpoint of a husband and wife.  S edoka are short, three-line poems that share many features with haiku. But they are arranged in a different syllable pattern, 5-7-7 rather than 5-7-5. S udden S hower over S hin-Ohashi Bridge , by Hiroshige Atake.  My print is either a late Edo-period (1857-1868) or early Meiji impression (late 1860s-1870s), both considered "original period" impressions printed from the original blocks, using the same pigments and techniques as the first edition (1857).  There would be a seal to date it more accurately, but it's currently matted and framed so the seal cannot be seen.   How it came to be in m...

         A R everse Etheree is simply an Etheree turned upside down. In an Etheree the syllable count begins with one, and increases each line until the last line with 10. Here the syllable count begins with 10 and sequentially runs thru 1.  The R anch House  is my name for this unsigned mid-century (1930s - 1950s) California regional impressionism.  I bought it as a present to myself with a tax refund back when I worked and got tax refunds!  I did pay more than you are used to my paying for art, $89.00.  The ranch up the road is abandoned now; the tenants up and left last Wednesday. No warning, left no trace behind. I walk the yard, take in the  scent of eucalyptus,  mists from the ocean. My old dog whines, turns around to go home. ©2026 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved  

The  Q uintilla is a Spanish poetic form.  Five-line stanzas Eight syllables per line An ab rhyme scheme in which at least two lines use the "a" rhyme and at least two lines use the "b" rhyme... But the stanza cannot end with a rhyming couplet. These are the possible rhyme pattern variations: abaab ababa abbab aabab aabba The most common of these is ABAAB, which is what I used.   This is Q ueen Isabel , my name for her.  I have always seen a woman in a royal type headdress, and my imagination sees the background as ship sails!  You're welcome to see something else, that's the beauty of an abstract without any artist information.  To me this looks like a black ink print over paint.  I bought her at a Goodwill for $5.39, in an amazing, and expensive, frame and matting.  If Helen launched a thousand ships in myth. Y ou, Q ueen, in history, launched many with commanding lips. F ...

The P areado dates back to the 12th century in Spain.  It consists of two lines with end rhymes, either consonant or assonant).  It can be syllabic, and in the Spanish tradition, are, but it's not necessary. Usually a P areado expresses a joke, or a twist of some sort.    P ompeii. The Race  ( P ompei. La Corsa )  i s a watercolor painting signed Scognamiglio,  inspired by ancient Roman wall paintings in the Pompeian style.  Scognamiglio is a common surname in Naples, and several family members would work in the Neapolitan workshops near P ompeii producing fresco copies for tourists.  This piece dates to between 1935 and 1950. These dates are based on the paper type, and border and signature style.  I bought this at a yard sale with a lot of other works of art, so divided evenly probably cost a bit under $1. cherubs race and stags beware of Dionysus' mad ones' snare ©202 6 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reser...