Grook or Gruk

[Tinker]

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry
Nordic Verse

The Grook or Gruk is a 20^th century Danish poetic genre created by Danish poet and scientist, Piet Hein. The verse is short, pithy with concise language. The frame is at the discretion of the poet although clever rhyme is an important component of the satirical humor. The first Gruks appeared in 1940 Denmark soon after the Nazi occupation. "The poems were meant as a spirit-building, yet slightly coded form of passive resistance against the Nazi occupation of World War II. The grook are characterized by irony, paradox, brevity, precise use of language, sophisticated rhythms and rhymes and often satiric nature." Kaleidoscope ( The following poems were also found at Kaleidoscope along with others.)
                                    Drive On Schadenfreude Grook Anonymous

                                    Flare spoor, white powdery burns:
                                    Like funerals without the urns.
                                    Mark the passages of lives before eyes
                                    And the uttering of inhuman cries.
                                    Still we're always glad to see'um,
                                   Cause it means we didn't be'em.

                                   The Road to Wisdom by Piet Hein

                                   Well, it's plain
                                   and simple to express.
                                   Err and err and err again,
                                   but less and less and less.

Outside links also courtesy of Kaleidoscope.

• Grooks by Piet Hein
• The Grooks by Piet Hein at Agriturismo Villa Stabbia

[Tinker]

Caravan

15000 troops deployed
to protect us from the hordes.
Caravan of families come to avoid
hunger and homeland discord.
Maybe Trump should wait
try to greet with love not hate.
               ~~Judi Van Gorder

Caravan II

Invasion of killers and thugs
disguised as hungry kids with moms.
Swat them down like pesky bugs,
they're surely packing drugs and bombs.
Let's take a risk and hear their plight
and try to do what's right.
                ~~Judi Van Gorder 


I am all in for securing our borders.  But 15000 troops to greet a couple thousand refugees who won't even arrive for a month is a whole lot of overkill.