Mom sweeps back
my mop of hair
crown shyness
the space we make
for each other
I measure
my horse at his withers . . .
these hands
know how to gentle
everything but you
a charm
of rufous hummingbirds
sipping nectar
wings blur the edges
between darkness and light
Tanka Editor's Choice
What stands out again is this poet's unusual use of language in her tanka. Instead of writing 'a flock' of rufous hummingbirds, Debbie penned 'a charm'. And charming they are, for who has not been spellbound by these birds suspended mid-air, wings a-blur as they sink their beaks into the center of blooms, their reddish-brown countenance glowing. While the simplest of language works best in tanka and affords more dreaming room, so too creative use of words that affords multiple understanding, a poetice device Debbie has mastered in many a tanka.
This tanka is a 'charm' in itself.
—Kathy Kituai
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