2016 Fleeting Words Tanka Competition
mute swans
under a moon bridge
the things
I should have confessed
make no difference now
Comments from the Judge:
Selected for the first place in this competition, is this tanka by a well known author from Canada, Debbie Strange. Smoothly composed, the words "mute swans" in line 1 and "under a moon bridge" in line 2 starts it off beautifully. Debbie creates a distinct pause before she goes into lines 2 and 3 which juxtapose with a human relationship. This tanka then finally spills over to line 5, in a flowing crescendo and the moment of closure. Simple images, and straightforward words make this tanka work for anyone and everyone who reads it.
—UHTS Contest Judge: an'ya cattails principal editor
Jane Reichhold Memorial Tribute (1937-2016)
a broken shell
her words return
in waves
*****
failing light
my life lines cradle
her laugh lines
one-eyed crow
a glimpse of starshine
between clouds
wind gusts
a rotten burl full
of wild plums
these stones
skim across water
letting go
of every burden,
I float into light
in my garden
a gatekeeper butterfly
basks in the sun
I cover my pale body
only coming out at night
the songs
my father sang to me
in a tongue
I could not understand
still, they carry me home
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