Three tanka were published in the last issue of
Gusts, Contemporary Tanka No. 30, Fall/Winter 2019
as Geminids flit by
in the inky darkness
I pull your jacket tight
around myself
. . . all I have left
∼ ∼ ∼
ripeness
bears its own burden . . .
fragrant peaches
dangle low
bruises a breath away
∼ ∼ ∼
in old growth grass
a newborn fawn
wobbles on spindly legs –
a sure reminder
how brief a season is
My deepest thanks to Kate MacQueen for writing this rengay with me. It was a wonderful and illuminating experience to write with Kate. Kate’s verses are #2, 4, 6 (italicized) and mine are #1, 3, 5.
This rengay was published in Vines #3, part of the publication hedgerow edited by Caroline Skanne.
Note: for readers not acquainted with rengay, here is a definition from “Graceguts” by Michael Dylan Welch:
“Garry Gay invented a renga alternative in the summer of 1992: the “rengay.”
“The rengay is a collaborative six-verse linked thematic poem written by two or three poets using alternating three-line and two-line haiku or haiku-like stanzas in a regular pattern. The pattern for two people is A-3, B-2, A-3, B-3, A-2, B-3, with the letters representing the poets, and the numbers indicating the number of lines in each given verse.”
a wooden cross
hangs askew
. . . winter light
Modern Haiku, Volume 49.2, Summer 2018
This Haiga was published in Prune Juice, A Journal of Senryu, Kyoka,
Haibun and Haiga, Issue 23, November 2017.
Note on the photo: I took this picture on a beautiful, sunny winter day in Greenwich Park, Greenwich, London. Greenwich Park is one of the beautiful Royal Parks that make city living a joy. The frost on the leaves and grass and the bright sunlight were just exquisite that morning.
Published: cattails: The Official Journal of the United Haiku and Tanka Society October 2017 Issue
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
2017 Haiku Invitational Winners
USA
Honourable Mentions
spent blossoms—
the remission, too,
was unexpected
.
Mary Kendall
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
To view all the winners and honorable mentions, please click on this link to go to the official website:
http://www.vcbf.ca/haiku-invitational/winning-haiku/2017-winning-haiku
Note: The beautiful picture of cherry blossoms (above) is taken from the website, Flower Meaning (http://www.flowermeaning.com). Also, from this website:
What is the Sakura Flower?
While the Japanese called this flower the sakura, you likely know it as the cherry blossom instead. The blossom of the Japanese Cherry, also known as the Prunus serrulata, is technically the sakura flower. However, other varieties of blooming cherries are also grown in Japan and referred to with the same name. The cherry blossom became so popular in the Heian era of Japan’s history that the word for flower became synonymous with sakura. People have been picnicking under the blooming trees since 700 A.D., a tradition that continues today.
The beautiful and very short lived cherry blossoms symbolize the brevity of life. The kanji (above) is for Sakura or cherry blossom. I think the kanji is just as beautiful by itself as is a single cherry blossom.
A Poet in Time 