March DMC Wrap-Up + Giveaway

"Seasons" by SpecterCody

At the beginning of the month, Margarita Engle challenged us to write a tanka. She asked us to think of it as a travel diary in five lines (short, long, short, long, long), using fewer than 30 syllables.  Even if we chose to stay close to home, Margarita encouraged us to "seek the resonance that enters a poem only when it is touched by the stillness of nature."

It's my distinct pleasure to share with you the marvelous garden of poetry I received over the past four weeks.  For ease of reading, I've divided the tanka into groupings based on the four seasons. Admittedly, not all of the poems were conveniently compartmentalized – those found soil wherever I chose to plant them.

I hope you enjoy this celebration of the natural world around us. Thank you, Margarita, for the opportunity to gather so much beauty in one place.

All poems are copyright 2015, and published with permission of the authors, who control all rights.






SUMMER...

Yellow jacket warn.
Prickly pear bloom fruity barb.
Will me still.
Bird sing behind red wing.
I am listening.

~ NoNieqa Ramos

                                                  Nighttime

                                                  Chiming crickets

                                                  Chatter after natures

                                                  Crying jag, earths perfumed

                                                  Scent drifts from saturated clay

                                                  Into my spirit.

                                                  ~ Charles Waters

                                                                                                         Fireflies hover in
                                                                                                         Summer, mirroring Obon’s
                                                                                                         Boats with lanterns on
                                                                                                         Their sterns, carrying the light
                                                                                                         Of ancestors to heaven.

                                                                                                         ~ Jayne Moraski
Fluctuating Flight

Legs and wings flailing,
the crane fly hovers spasticly
​in my air space.
Its erratic flight pattern
causes me turbulence.

~ Bridget Magee

                                                  Relocation Service

                                                  Wiggling through dirt
                                                  squiggling past roots and rocks
                                                  seeking the best rot
                                                  captured by small hands caressed
                                                  and carried to distant berms.

                                                  ~ Maria Marshall

                                                                                                       Embrace puppy face.
                                                                                                       Wet kiss, soft snuggly warm snout.
                                                                                                       World an adventure –
                                                                                                       First sip from a bowl – play time.
                                                                                                       Dunks face, paw, and then all in!

                                                                                                       ~ Leane Gill
At the water’s edge
gulls screech at my invasion,
skitter-scatter ;
only the waves, dauntless,
whisper closer in welcome.

~ Keri Collins Lewis

                                                  Wet mounds form turrets.
                                                  Set back from incoming waves.​​
                                                  Sand castle haven –​​​
                                                  Waves wash our troubles–playtime.​​
                                                  Driftwood drawbridge connects us.​

                                                  ~ Leane Gill

                                                                                                         Orange and red sky,
                                                                                                         Ball of gold sun horizon.
                                                                                                         I watch from window.
                                                                                                         Day’s end brings comfort to me.
                                                                                                         Time to eat, relax, and sleep.

                                                                                                         ~ Leane Gill 
AUTUMN...

Autumn Tanka

chilled winds chase summer
horsetail clouds etch azure skies
showy leaves float free
chevrons of geese sail above
winter knocks at the window

~ Rosi Hollinbeck

                                                  Still as a statue
                                                  keen eyes scan the field below,
                                                  spot a flash of gray.
                                                  Swooping down on silent wings,
                                                  red-tailed hawk scoops up breakfast.

                                                  ~ Catherine Flynn

                                                                                                     Invasion

                                                                                                     "TINK" on the fireplace
                                                                                                     lured me to the living room
                                                                                                     glass vase overturned
                                                                                                     horrified to spy possum
                                                                                                     boldly invading my space

                                                                                                     made a barricade
                                                                                                     broom thrust into hissing face
                                                                                                     frightful bared teeth
                                                                                                     no room here for both of us
                                                                                                     trespasser ushered outside

                                                                                                     ~ Kristi Dee Veitenheimer
Kicking flakes of soil
Startled by a stirring noise
A black horse swished by
On his way out of the barn
Kitten munching on some grain

~ Robyn Campbell
                                                                 Ireland

                                                                 Patchwork of verdant
                                                                 fields speckled with cows and sheep,
                                                                 Ancients stones whisper
                                                                 legends behind castle walls,
                                                                 Winds etch cliffs covered in time.

                                                                 ~ Kathleen Mazurowski

WINTER...

Snow day, a home day.
Facebook travels fail
my bucket list dreamings
of treks through mountain forests,
Swims through blue green waters.

~ Linda Mitchell

                                                  City Snowfall

                                                  Loud, yellow plow trucks
                                                  push new snow aside, away,
                                                  for slow-moving cars
                                                  that carefully watch us slide
                                                  cheering, down the dirty mounds.

                                                  ~ Matt Forrest Esenwine

                                                                                                    By the Christmas tree
                                                                                                    a shiny yellow dump truck
                                                                                                    with wheels the size of
                                                                                                    saucers, wrapped in a huge red bow,
                                                                                                    waits for the boy’s shouts of joy.

                                                                                                    ~ Catherine Flynn

robin lingers
-feathers tremble in the breeze-
soaks in sun’s rays,
holds tight the winter-dried stalk.
flies home, carpentry needed

~ Linda Baie

                                                  her ashes in a box
                                                  on the passenger seat
                                                  late winter sun
                                                  the ground and I will thaw
                                                  when the time is right

                                                  ~ Diane Mayr
 

SPRING...
 
The chill says "morning,"
says "alive" as layers of light
unfurl for crows overhead
they call, respond --
they know where they're going.

~ Tabatha Yeatts

                                                  Sun overlooks
                                                  blessing a lonely smoke stack.
                                                  Coulee wildflowers
                                                  preach yellow sonnets
                                                  while moon graces morning clouds.

                                                  ~ Margaret Simon

                                                                                                             Amidst a dry March,
                                                                                                             this misty California
                                                                                                             morning turned rainy.
                                                                                                             I turn around to find a
                                                                                                             rainbow, smiling upside-down.

                                                                                                             ~ Karin Fisher-Golton

deep, sleepy snow banks
melt beneath buttery rays
happy harbingers
stretch upward with verdant arms
daffodils awakening

~ Mindy Gars Dolandis

rain again last night
temperatures above freezing
two cocoons wait

it's been a long, dark winter
the right moment is coming

~ Mary Lee Hahn

Feeling inspired?

You have until Tuesday, March 31st, to send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.

Participants in this month's challenge will be automatically entered to win an autographed copy of Margarita Engle's delightful picture book, ORANGUTANKA. (One entry per participant, not per poem.)

Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below.  If you contribute a poem and comment below you will earn two entries in total. Comments must also be received by Tuesday, March 31st.

The winner will be determined by Random.org and announced next Friday, April 3rd, when we reveal our new Spotlight ON interview and ditty challenge. Good luck!


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THANK YOU to all of you who voted for my third round poem, "The Cloud Weavers" in March Madness. Alas, it did not survive Medusa's stony glare, but the good news is TLD contributors Renée LaTulippe and Buffy Silverman are still in the running!  We're down to the "Final Four" poets now, all of whom are excellent, so be sure to follow along at Think Kid Think and cast your votes for your favorite poems in the final two rounds.

I can't tell you what a joy it's been leafing through my copy of the PFA for CELEBRATIONS and how PROUD I am to be a part of it! (I have poems for World Thinking Day and World Red Cross Day.) This baby is not only sweet, but smart too – fully bilingual in fact. And have you checked out all the fun monthly activities on the "Poetry Celebrations" website?  Both the Teacher/Librarian and Student editions are now available for purchase. Teacher/Librarian Edition: on Amazon or QEP Books. Student Edition: on Amazon or call QEP at 800-323-6787.

The talented Jone Rush MacCulloch is our host this week for the Poetry Friday roundup.  I suggest you Check It Out!