Bereft of birdsong . . . (a tanka)

What a nice surprise to find one of my tanka included in this beautiful exhibition at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in the UK.

“In autumn 2019, poets from around the world responded to a call for haiku, a form of short Japanese poetry, based on Japanese prints in the collection at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. People sent in more than 800 beautiful, thought-provoking poems from thirty countries worldwide. See the selection below.

Many poems were inspired by woodblock prints in our popular 2018-2019 exhibition series, Masters of Japanese Prints.

The project was arranged by haiku poets Alan Summers and Karen Hoy of creative writing consultancy Call of the Page.” (Quoted from the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery website)

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, UK

winter woodland
bereft of birdsong
with your passing
even clear days
are shadowed

My thanks to Alan Summers and Karen Hoy who oversaw this project. Over 800 poems were submitted. Congratulations to all who were chosen to be part of this exhibition.

Link to the exhibition: https://exhibitions.bristolmuseums.org.uk/japanese-prints/haikus/

Note: You have to click on all the small pictures in order to open many of the prints and poems. Read them all and enjoy!

9 thoughts on “Bereft of birdsong . . . (a tanka)”

Hi Mary! 🙂

I have dipped into this collection of fine work quite a few times now and this tanka of yours is one that always has an impact. It reminds me how much I miss my dad, who will have been gone ten years this August.

I simply love the sound in those first two lines. A well crafted tanka.

I stay safe and well.

marion

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Mary Kendall says:

April 19, 2020 at 8:57 am

Thank you, Marion. Your kind words are very much welcomed right now. I hope you and your family continue to stay safe and healthy, too.

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Thanks Mary!

Karen believes there might have been 900 poems in total, and the museum chose your’s! 🙂

Alan
Call of the Page

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Mary Kendall says:

March 29, 2020 at 9:45 pm

My thanks go to you and Karen, Alan. This was really such a lovely challenge. I love ekphrastic writing as do so many other poets judging by the beautiful selections. We had to cancel our May trip to England or else I might have been able to visit the Museum in Bristol (and perhaps the two of you!). 🙂

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- haikutec says:
  
  March 30, 2020 at 6:15 am
  
  That would have been wonderful!
  
  Alan
  
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