loss seems forever
in darkness beyond desire
new needs awaken
one heart touches another
the beauty of new love born
Starting as a senryū, this tanka is my response to
Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge
No. 135 #SynonymsOnly, which offers pretty and ugly as prompt words.
I have used “beauty” and “darkness” as synonyms.
Image source: wallpapers13.com
your sleeping breath
night rain revives the earth
waves of sea air
in bright yellow daffodils
nod to the dark wind
© Jane Reichhold
dreaming of moonlight
finding its way through the clouds
moving in the breeze
wet grass shining in new light
as tree frogs call in response
The prompt for Tanka Splendor – Daffodils is to write a tanka
inspired by one written by Jane Reichhold (in blue).
Image source: Green Tree Frog – Missouri Department of Conservation
given in sorrow
hope found in Easter lily
waiting to open
sign of beauty within loss
flowering for a decade
This tanka is a response to last week’s prompt in
Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #82: Easter lily.
Photo
I’ve had this Easter lily since my mother’s funeral in 1988.
It has survived from pot to larger pot and has flowered nearly every year.
listening to tones
difficulty discerning
failing hearing test
ringing ears a detriment
higher pitches go unheard
This tanka is my response to
RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt #249,
with the words pitch and tone.
Image source: worldartsme.com
one bird seems to lead
that winged arc across the sky
none truly follow
reaching their destination
instinct their only compass
With a memory like a sieve, it’s ironic that, at times, once I have a word in my head I can’t get it out. Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday Challenge No. 127 – Synonyms Only offers the words
lead and follow. Once I started writing, those words were there to stay,
so consider this a non-response to her prompt.
Image source: cornell.edu
pen touching paper
becomes tentative keystrokes
some shared, others held
always, from the beginning
poetry as therapy
This tanka is my response for Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 122 #SynonymsOnly,
where the words are origin and write.
Image source: openclipart.org (edited here)
changes taking place
from one season to the next
walking on thin ice
politicians tread water
trying to maintain balance
This tanka is my response to Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #74: thin ice.
Image: Moreau River, Missouri – 05 Jan 2018
~ click image for larger view in new tab ~
Carpe Diem #1607 Tan Renga – an open window is a challenge
with a twist – create a tanka starting with the provided haiku by Chèvrefeuille,
(in blue) followed by a 3rd and 4th stanza (another haiku and response),
essentially making this a tan renga / solo renga.
the sound of the surf
enters my home through the open window
and a butterfly
© Chèvrefeuille
wings of light wakening all
bringing joy and contentment
butterfly dancing
with wave shimmer reflections
fanciful vision
whispering waves symphony
providing nature’s soundtrack
Image source: alphacoders.com (edited here)
Love
Understanding grows in words spoken
between kindred souls as eyes meet
in a shared spark ignited.
No simple chemistry
explains emotions
consuming them,
the sheer joy
as hearts
swell.
that heady perfume
permeating my senses
intoxicating
washing over me in waves
keeping me afloat with love
heartbeat so simple
its rhythm measuring love
your presence the source
A nonet, a tanka, and a senryū for Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday
#Poetry Challenge No. 122
And from my archives (for those with the time):
nonet
regardless
wide open
Between & In Between
senryū
just a single kiss
When the Day Met the Night
a heartbeat races
wind through the trees
the ocean
in my heart
Rachel Sutcliffe
wind rustling leaves
sound of waves lapping the shore
willow branches trail
comfort found in sights and sounds
my heart at peace in nature
Rachel Sutcliffe, an accomplished and recognized haiku poet, has died.
In #Haikai Challenge #70: Rachel Sutcliffe, Frank Tassone asks us write
a haikai poem, using one of Rachel’s poems as inspiration.
Image: Niagara River Gorge at Whirlpool State Park in New York State
