Jun
26
Summer Tanka 2024
Even through the sand
the landscapers left behind
rise chamomile shoots:
little promises of sun
to adorn what's
poetry
Jan
09
Winter Tanka 2024
It's been far too warm / this winter... feels autumn-like... / Blustering and warm; / drizzle is the worst it rains, / if we even get that much.
Jul
09
Summer Tanka 2022 #2
The monstera of
the teahouse has just three leaves,
un-fenestrated;
But the ten propagations of pothos
dangle down from the
Jul
08
Summer Tanka 2022 #1
We're now in July
and still don't see a cloudless sky
as spring rains persist.
The
Sep
07
Late Summer Tanka 2017
In oppressive heat
it swirls, and I realize
why Ash Flies are named:
it gets in my eyes and stings,
May
31
Yakozen: Juujika
This one has a unique wordplay. The Japanese for "Cross" and "Is it Ten O'Clock?" are nearly homophones ("Juujika" or じゅうじか; Kanji: 十字架 and 十時か). During the chorus, he transitions from the former, to a vague pronunciation (and phonetic spelling) that could be interpreted either way, and then to...
2 min read
Apr
06
Takuboku Tanka #3
花散れば
先づ人さきに白の服着て家出づる
我にてありしか
When the flowers fell,
The first to put on white clothes, and go outside
was me.
Mar
18
Early Spring Tanka 2017
After months of matte gray
sky, I finally get a glimpse
of the sun's wry grin;
As welcome
Mar
11
Takuboku Tanka #2
東海の小島の磯の白砂に
われ泣きぬれて
蟹とたはむる
On this small Pacific isle’s coast
on the rocky shore’s white sand,
I’m wet
Feb
03
For Irish Blood
Background
We have so many phrases involving digging. Gandhi: "To forget how to dig the earth and tend the
3 min read