I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

4 November 2011

That Sunday: October tanka 2011

Spring morning
I walk down the steps
into sunshine
new cobweb tendrils
cling to my jade plant

4/10/11


two flying insects
thin green and round black
hit my window
then bounce away at once
back to the Spring garden

************

Full moon and one star
shining over my back yard.
I blow a quick kiss
and give thanks to the Goddess
that my sick friend becomes well.

11/10/11


a busy day
until he lies down to read
and drops asleep
curling into the pillow
the book moving with his breath

18/10/11


tall bamboo
behind my neighbour’s fence
is not much like
the round stems my Dad grew
when I was a child

I walk down
into the valley
by myself
and come back home
with a new tanka

I’m not brisk
I don’t wear special clothes
when I walk
I amble slowly 
the breeze in my hair

25/10/11


that Sunday
listening to Chopin
both of us
feeling as if we’d never
heard his music before 

**************************

the gargoyle
my son David brought me
from Paris
is free of its neck chain
but one wing is broken

26/10/11

in this land
we sit down on the ground
for a yarn
one way the invaded
have taken us over

31/10/11


near miss
on roundabout
lesson
don’t make poems
while driving

#gogyohka

31/10/11

5 comments:

  1. nice....i like the bouncing bug off the window it made me chuckle...and the hearing chopin again for the first time...i feel you....

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  2. Wonderful compilation of English-style Tanka covering a nice range of topics and emotions -- love the light-heartedness of the 2nd and last ones!

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  3. I love these, Rosemary, especially the near miss on the roundabout. I so know that feeling, constantly pulling over to scribble a few more lines......thank you so much for reading my Love Song to Clayoquot Sound - that is a long read. I so appreciate your interest! It was a glorious time! Golden. You would SO LOVE Tofino!!!!!

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  4. I know I would, Sherry, from your description. (Though it might be a bit cold for me in winter.)

    It was worse than pulling over to write: trying to compose in my head while stlll driving!

    ReplyDelete

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