one character, Dao,
looks like a road that rounds
some great attraction,
but keeps moving onward
to undiscovered country.
The Dao Keeps Rolling [Tanka]
Reply
Category Archives: tanka
Breeze-Free Beat [Tanka]
the eternal flame
lunges this way and that;
then -- for an instant --
it stands symmetrically:
only one breeze-free beat.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Low Light [Tanka]
the color blobs
cast onto floor & wall
by stained glass light
are brightest just before
the sun drops out of sight.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Ancient Landscape [Tanka]
ancient landscape:
boulders, remnants of mountains,
are strewn about;
prehistoric tribes lived here,
and it looked the same for them.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Cherry [Kyōka]
some are made speechless
by falling cherry blossoms,
but -- for others --
speechlessness comes from
a mouthful of the fruits.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Mountain Time [Tanka]
an ancient mountain,
weathered to rubble,
stands background
to a city that's lived
but a blip of mountain time.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Cormorant Patience [Kyōka]
the cormorant,
glistening & dripping,
must air dry
before it’s a bird again;
humans cramp in the pool.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Snake Hijinx [Kyōka]
i see snakes jutting
from the water; usually
i’d discover
it’s not snakes but sticks,
but today isn’t the usual.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Holdout [Tanka]
a tree’s last blossom
seems to wait til no one
is looking to drop.
what a thing it must be
to see a holdout yield.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Hide Your Light [Kyōka]
the rising sun
hides behind winter trees
as a fat kid
hides behinds a fence post,
fooling no one.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 