This week I am participating in #TankaTuesday for the first time. Inspirational photo prompt was shared by Terri Webster Schrandt. I hope I am following the instructions correctly. Apologies in advance if I didn’t!
Terri says: “This is a filtered version of a rose I photographed at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.”
Tankas are syllabic poems of five lines—5 syllables, 7, 5, 7, 7. Here is my tanka:
Note how the red rose, velvet worn by early frost, clings confidently to its own treacherous stem, never accursed by mirrors.
This writing prompt and process reminded me of a poem I wrote a long time ago and forgot about. It’s not a tanka, but free verse and about “one particular rose.”
my essay students write of gifts or if I'm persistent flowers I have to nurture for a full quarter to earn violets or daffodils or simply bouquet I'm the one with the backyard full of rosebushes which my husband usually waters he's in Korea now with my one particular son while I water them, each blossom an individual that must be noticed by me between the time it rises and sets this particular bend toward the light this particular black eye-dash of blight this particular magenta shading into pink I'm usually too busy for this particular about the work I do teaching show not tell
Thanks for letting me participate!
Welcome to our poetry family, Luanne! I love your tanka! Its message is quite powerful! I, too, am a teacher, so I connected well with your second poem. Thanks for sharing!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Thank you, Yvette. Your welcome makes me very happy. I will check out your blog.
Delightful
Thank you, Derrick!
I love both your rose poems. How do you find writing tanka?
I liked both poems, as well as the explanation of your poetic journey/process. I love when that happens–ideas and memories sparking more.
Thanks, Merril. Did I set up my post ok, do you know?
You’re welcome. Set up how? As long as you write a syllabic poem responding to the theme, and you put the link in the linky box on Colleen’s page, it’s great. 🙂
Oh ok. I did that. But I see people with the number of the prompt and hashtags all over their headlines.
I’ve never done that. Haha.
I didn’t think so but wanted to make sure. Not just rules, but conventions. I would rather violate a convention knowingly hahaha
😅
Whatever the instructions I enjoyed both poems, Luanne. Thanks.
Haha thanks, John!!!
😁
Welcome, Luanne! What a lovely tanka and freestyle poem. I’m so glad this rose inspired you to join in. You did everything perfectly. Don’t worry. 🌹
Thank you, Colleen! I love the system you have set up–very easy to follow. And I can see now that I can use different syllabic forms, depending on what works best for me.
I like the juxtaposition of forms (freestyle & syllabic). I added the freestyle poetry back this year. The only thing I ask is to add a syllabic form with your freestyle poem, which you did. This is so good, Luanne. 💛
Thank you so much, Colleen. And thank you for holding this project!
You’re so welcome. This year seven of the challenge. I can’t even believe it lasted this long. LOL!
That is absolutely amazing. Seven years is a long time!
Right? I think everyone enjoys the variety. Writing syllabic poetry is like solving word games. LOL! 💛
That’s true. It is a game and like playtime.
That’s a great way of looking at it!
I never can remember the Tanka rules, but I think your is spot on.
Well, I tried. I think I followed the rules. It’s definitely not one of my best poems, but I’m starting from the ground here ;).
I liked it!!
Yay!!!
Welcome! Enjoyed your poetry!
Thank you so much for reading it and for the welcome!
🙂
I like both poems…each very different. 🙂
Thank you, Linda. Yes, so different. The tanka has got a harder edge to it, I think.
Hi Luanna, nice to meet you! Both poems are beautiful, you are right, red roses exhale confidence. Welcome to Tanka Tuesday!
Nice to meet you, too! Thank you so much! I feel very welcomed :).
There you go – expanding your horizons again! You did a beautiful job with your tanka and I liked to second poem as well.
You are right–I am stepping outside my comfort zone with syllabic poetry. While I love constraints, I do like a poem to feel somewhat natural, so I plan to put some work into this! Thanks, Eilene!
Thank for sharing those beautiful poems. Amazing how you have wanted to tell similar flower stories twice!
Thank you. I have found that to be true a little too often haha!
I like the way you condensed the second poem into the first. I’m also thinking about the rose not needing a mirror to be sure of itself…that’s a powerful image. (K)
Thank you so much! So happy to be participating in #TankaTuesday!
Luanne – I simply LOVE how you referred to the stem as treacherous – that’s SO clever… And, also, I second Kerfe’s comment about how you brilliantly condensed one poem into the other.
Sincerely,
David
Thank you, David! Much appreciated.
Beautiful poems, Luanne. I came here through Colleen’s wrap up for the week. Congrats on joining in!
Thank you so much, Diana! I appreciate the welcomes to the project!
Luanne, 😍 beautiful. Welcome. 🙂 😀 😃
Marje, thank you so much–about the poem and for the welcome!!!
My pleasure Luanne. 😀
HI Luanne, I enjoyed both poems very much.
Thank you, Robbie! Have a great week!
Luanne ~ you rocked this prompt and the tanka form. Both of these poems are lovely <3
Sincerely,
David
Thank you so much, David.
This is lovely. Great Tanka and free style poem. Enjoyed reading them.