Honoured to have five tanka selected for the first issue!
there was
so much I wanted
to teach you . . .
a blue jay's feathers
are not really blue
1st Place, San Francisco Int'l Competition for Haiku, Senryu and Tanka, 2023
between the spokes
of your spinning wheel
a dusty web . . .
I never thought our lives
would so quickly unwind
1st Place, British Haiku Society Tanka Awards, 2019
the ocean
was in a rage last night
but today,
these peace offerings
of blue mussels and kelp
1st Place, Tanka Society of America Sanford Goldstein Int'l Tanka Contest, 2018
a halo around
the long night moon . . .
I find
another strand
of mother's light
1st Place, 10th Annual Moonbathing Tanka Contest, 2018
mute swans
under a moon bridge
the things
I should have confessed
make no difference now
1st Place, United Haiku and Tanka Society Fleeting Words Tanka Competition, 2016
Commentary by the editor, Ranice Tara:
...Comparatively more silent, the mythical and symbolic imagery of mute swans floating under a highly arched bridge reminds us of the classical proverb: 'The swan sings before death.' What is interesting here is that the poet's special thought hints towards the wisdom of shaping and directing one's life. By thinking about things that matter, we can avoid becoming completely vulnerable to chance in life.
