listen to the night
as the tree frogs call out
children of the night
what music they make echos
a chorus that celebrates
This tanka is my response to Poetics: “Go Ahead, Make My Day,” the prompt from Mish at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to write a poem using one of several offered movie quotes. I chose “Listen to the night. Children of the night. What music they make.” from Dracula (1931).
Images
Missouri Department of Conservation – Gray Tree Frog
ukiyo-e.org – Dancing frogs, by Tokuriki Tomikichiro
rivrvlogr 
I’ve always LOVED tankas….and have always said about them: When three lines just won’t do…” 🙂
This is just perfect for the line you’ve chosen! You made me smile! It reminds me of hearing the tree frogs at night in Bermuda! You’d never believe little creatures could create such loud noise!
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Thank you, Lillian. How do they pack all of that in such small bodies?!
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This is incredibly potent! You give new meaning to the quote 😀 and that too.. with ease and flair! ❤️❤️
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Thank you, Sanaa. 🙂
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I love to drift off to sleep lulled by the chorus of tree frogs. It’s associated with all pleasant times in my life.
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That could be a pleasant lullaby.
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They really do own the night sometimes!
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They do make it their own!
Thank you for the prompt. 🙂
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Nice application of the movie quote 🙂
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🙂 Thank you.
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I love the second image! You seamlessly built a tanka around the line. After seeing polliwogs last week at the old golf course, yesterday I met a small toad on the dirt hill in the driveway while planting sunflower seeds. Today, when I was pouring water out of the seedling tray I put outside in yesterday’s cloudburst, another small toad the same size (same toad?) jumped out of one of the pots. It had been invisible until I tipped the tray and started pouring. So far a wonderful season for amphibians, day and night 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂
A friend in Arizona shared a video on Facebook of a spring walk near a stream at Grand Canyon. As he put his camera into the water I could see a frog leap/swim away from the bottom in the very corner of the video. With tree frogs fresh in my mind, a captured the video and ran it through my video editor to confirm my thoughts. And it was!
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🙂
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Incorporation Plus, KG. Masterfully economical.
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Thanks, Ron.
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I love the sounds of the night – a chorus that celebrates.
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Thank you, Grace. They certainly seem happy.
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cleverly crafted tanka – I can hear them now! 💕🐸💕
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Every night!
Thank you. 🙂
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What a perfect use of the line! I too like this line, but could only think of Gothic horror so I didn’t use it. You found another way 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂 Apparently I sent Kim in that horror direction! She included this link in her comment:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57040/death-of-a-naturalist
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Oh I remember that poem from school!
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love poetic forms and Japanese, especially. adore how you use them effortlessly!
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Thank you!
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I’ve only ever heard frog noises on film. The little frogs we used to get around here never made a sound. I love frogs as children of the night! Your tanka reminds me a bit of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Death of a Naturalist’: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57040/death-of-a-naturalist
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Ooh. That is one sinister poem!
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Yes, they do liven up the night 🙂
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And loud. Out of such tiny throats!
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It’s been too cold in the evening for them to be very active here, but the weather is finally changing, and I’m expecting to be deafened 🙂
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A bold slice of brevity. Cicadas, tree frogs, coyotes, night birds and lunatics–what strange brethren, what a symphonic mix. Terrific take on the prompt.
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Thanks, Glenn. Watch for those lunatics jumping out of trees!
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Tanka perfection ~~~
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Thank you!
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A beautifully condensed Tanka, Ken. You did an amazing job with the line!
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Thank you, Dwight. 🙂
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I love how you used the line and made the creatures so much nicer than those of Dracula…
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Beware the vampire tree frogs!
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I love your Tanka and the artwork Ken. ☺️
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Thank you, Christine.
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That’s a wonderful integration of the quote. It’s totally transformed. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe. All I did was edit!
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They make my day too.
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🙂
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An excellent tanka, Ken!
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Thank you. 🙂
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