Crimson Lily, by Suzette Richards - image generated 23 January 2024.
Civil twilight: the Sun is less than 6 degrees below the horizon. This is the brightest type of twilight and allows most outdoor activities to be done without artificial lighting.
Nautical twilight: the Sun is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon. This is the type of twilight when sailors can use the horizon and the stars for navigation.
Astronomical twilight: the Sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon. This is the darkest type of twilight and the best time for observing faint stars and galaxies.
The first example was in line with the contest requirement of the standard maximum of between 44 and 46 syllables in total for the sijo.
As I am not allowed to post poems in the NOTES section, see the rewrite number two below (total of 47 syllables).
The modern sijo: Between 42 and 48 syllables total, but retaining the “between 14 and 16 syllables per line” design requirement and approximately the preferred groups of phrases, for example, the final line: 4-5; 4-3.
My final example (number three) - the relevant notes:
Sijo poetry consists of three lines, each of which has a rhythmic break in the middle; the final line often contains an internal rhyme. Because of this break, the sijo can be written as six lines in English. In the more modern versions, the mid-verse pause replaces the historical phrase pairings, but it still honours the 3-5; 4-3 phrase groupings for the final line. Many might relax this requirement but still recommend that all important 3 syllable phrase at the beginning of line three that announces the twist. In South Korea today, sijo is widely considered to be a dead art form, to the point that there are more sijo written in the U.S. today than in South Korea.
Also see my sijo, Ethereal, posted 4 February 2021, as it includes further notes.
Glossary
meander (3 syllables): 1. (verb) (of a river or road) follow a winding course; 2. (noun) [meanders] a winding curve or bend of a river or road.