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!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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!
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