Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu
when I began
to lose my hair
I wove
a shirt of myself
for your shroud
Presence 49, February 2014
Chen-ou's Comments:
Elegantly and sparsely written, this tanka conveys a depth of emotion most readers won't forget. The last two lines lift the poem up a notch.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Skylark, Vol 3, Number 2, Winter 2015
Totems
When I live on the prairie, I long for the sea. When I live by the water, I yearn for the land. I am always living either half-empty or half-full, my totem selves pulling me in opposite directions.
my weathered skin
crusted with salt and dirt
the aftertaste
of this life and the last
where do I go from here
When I live on the prairie, I long for the sea. When I live by the water, I yearn for the land. I am always living either half-empty or half-full, my totem selves pulling me in opposite directions.
my weathered skin
crusted with salt and dirt
the aftertaste
of this life and the last
where do I go from here
World Haiku Association, September 2015
134th Monthly Haiga Contest
Award of Excellence, WHAC8 Commemorative Haiga Contest
Award of Excellence, WHAC8 Commemorative Haiga Contest
Presence, Number 53, October 2015
she carries
the weight of a curl
in her locket
all that remains
of their still-born son
the weight of a curl
in her locket
all that remains
of their still-born son
Haiku Canada Review, Vol 9, Number 2, October 2015
beamed up
headlights point skyward
after the crash
the robins
have taken their leave
and with them
the cracked turquoise shells
of your sunken eyes
headlights point skyward
after the crash
the robins
have taken their leave
and with them
the cracked turquoise shells
of your sunken eyes
Gusts, Number 22, Fall/Winter 2015
walking through
the garden labyrinth
in reverie
I think of all roads taken
that led from there to here
the garden labyrinth
in reverie
I think of all roads taken
that led from there to here
Gogyoshi Monthly, Issue 1, October 2015
Wraithsong
I am the feathered thing
that passes through you
sinking into you, singing unto you
a familiar plaint echoing
through hollow bones
Wrong Direction
red-zippered welt of road
dead-ends north at desolation
arrows south to desecration
the route unclear, destination unknown
all signs indicate that I am lost
Threshold
anointed by the gush of blood
baptized in the hush of guilt
unchained, unclaimed
I slide out of and into
uncharted waters
I am the feathered thing
that passes through you
sinking into you, singing unto you
a familiar plaint echoing
through hollow bones
Wrong Direction
red-zippered welt of road
dead-ends north at desolation
arrows south to desecration
the route unclear, destination unknown
all signs indicate that I am lost
Threshold
anointed by the gush of blood
baptized in the hush of guilt
unchained, unclaimed
I slide out of and into
uncharted waters
Frozen Butterfly, Issue 3, October 2015
Haiku Video Journal on YouTube
sea smoke
gulls fading into mountains
into sky
dry lightning
her mattress scarred
with cigarette burns
sea smoke
gulls fading into mountains
into sky
dry lightning
her mattress scarred
with cigarette burns
Cattails, September 2015
a red canoe
drifts between pines
his last portage
popping open
the sound of summer
caragana pods
crape myrtle
the skinned knees
of small boys
sudden sleet
an owl chick tapping
its egg tooth
lake-light
a line of mergansers
ripples the clouds
old headstones
with mossy shoulders
leaning against
one another's curves
we take comfort here
wishing seeds
cartwheel through warm air
how quiet
this fleeting moment
this belief in miracles
Second Honorable Mention
2015 Fleeting Words Tanka Contest
Comments from the Judge:
Second Honorable Mention goes to Debbie Strange from Canada for this fine tanka. Her choice of words "wishing seeds" and "cartwheel" allow readers wonderful visuals. Once again as in Anne's tanka, the poetic device of repeating a phrase firstly in nature and again in reference to human life, proves to be quite effective.
drifts between pines
his last portage
popping open
the sound of summer
caragana pods
crape myrtle
the skinned knees
of small boys
sudden sleet
an owl chick tapping
its egg tooth
lake-light
a line of mergansers
ripples the clouds
old headstones
with mossy shoulders
leaning against
one another's curves
we take comfort here
wishing seeds
cartwheel through warm air
how quiet
this fleeting moment
this belief in miracles
Second Honorable Mention
2015 Fleeting Words Tanka Contest
Comments from the Judge:
Second Honorable Mention goes to Debbie Strange from Canada for this fine tanka. Her choice of words "wishing seeds" and "cartwheel" allow readers wonderful visuals. Once again as in Anne's tanka, the poetic device of repeating a phrase firstly in nature and again in reference to human life, proves to be quite effective.
—Fleeting Words Contest Judge an'ya, USA
United Haiku and Tanka Society, Fleeting Words Tanka Competition, 2015
wishing seeds
cartwheel through warm air
how quiet
this fleeting moment
this belief in miracles
2nd Honorable Mention
Judge an'ya's comments:
Second Honorable Mention goes to Debbie Strange from Canada for this fine tanka. Her choice of words "wishing seeds" and "cartwheel" allow readers wonderful visuals. Once again as in Anne's tanka, the poetic device of repeating a phrase firstly in nature and again in reference to human life, proves to be quite effective.
cartwheel through warm air
how quiet
this fleeting moment
this belief in miracles
2nd Honorable Mention
Judge an'ya's comments:
Second Honorable Mention goes to Debbie Strange from Canada for this fine tanka. Her choice of words "wishing seeds" and "cartwheel" allow readers wonderful visuals. Once again as in Anne's tanka, the poetic device of repeating a phrase firstly in nature and again in reference to human life, proves to be quite effective.
Atlas Poetica Special Feature, October 2015
Yin, Yang and Beyond
two-spirited
this (wo)man revered
by one culture
how could (s)he be
so reviled by another
two-spirited
this (wo)man revered
by one culture
how could (s)he be
so reviled by another
A Hundred Gourds, Issue 4:4, September 2015
apogee moon
in the deep distance
your light
making the least
of every shadow
in the deep distance
your light
making the least
of every shadow
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