The Rift
why blame the wind
for causing the rift
in that cumulous splendor
separations do happen
quietly or quickly
never in a rush,
the fissure took its time
edging its way as
parched earth succumbed
and finally cracked
endless splitting, cleaving,
parsing, breaking up
what was once so solid
why is it now easy to turn
away from the here and now
Mary Kendall
This new tanka sequence was published in Ribbons, Fall/Winter 2026: Volume 22, Number 2
