See below for the video that goes with this fireplace photo.
Today Colleen’s prompt for #TankaTuesday involved writing a syllabic poem using a photo by https://secondwindleisure.com/about-me/ as a prompt.
I’ve been wanting to try a cherita, which is 3 stanzas–one line, two lines, three lines. So this is what I came up with.
I can hear the thunder and spray before I see it. Then it appears before me in its many textures of wood and stone and the glorious movement of water. As I stand on the viewing platform overlooking all, the mist parts from the water, rising up toward the blue sky, hugging me in its wet embrace.
Then I started to question if a cherita was really syllabic poetry because you don’t count the syllables, so I quickly came up with a haiku to make sure I’m covered!
powerful water sheeting down to be as one with its still-wild self
The publisher, Alien Buddha Press, of Our Wolves has created a YouTube playlist of authors reading from their new books. I read four poems from the chapbook. Oh, and if you do check it out, watch for when I say the most UNINTENTIONALLY FUNNIEST thing. Hint: it has to do with whether Antarctica has folk and fairy tales.
Luanne, those are wonderful poems from your Wolves book. Lots of food for thought there.
Thank you, Anneli! I am thrilled that you like them!!!
I just watched the video. An excellent way to whet people’s appetite for the poems. Was unintentionally funny comment about folk and fairy tales on most but not all continents?
LOL yes!!! No, Luanne, not all. Not ANTARCTICA HAHAHA. Good grief. Shows you the dumb stuff that can come out of my mouth. I meant that a lot of tales that can be found in the Americas, Europe, and Asian cannot be found in Africa, for instance (I will say that I am very ignorant about tales from Australia). But I made it sound as if some tales can be found in Antarctica. Which of course they cannot. Tales require human habitation.
But you said it in such a professorial voice that I didn’t notice the gaff until you called our intention to it!
Haha, this is why I shouldn’t be allowed to be in videos, etc.
😀
I enjoyed watching and listening to your readings, Luanne. You have such a sensitive way of dealing with complicated human interactions.
That might be the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me! Thank you so much, Eilene!
Both your poems are very good with fine imagery of the scene. Particularly with the cherita, I tend to ignore rules like the numbers of lines and syllables, and just look at the words – which in this case are really engaging and present the power of the apparently still water. I enjoyed your reading in your cosy setting
Ah, thanks, Derrick. So appreciated!
Luanne, your cherita does this photo proud! I love the haiku which adds another layer of meaning in how we can embrace our wild side, or how our wild side sometimes, embraces us. What a great connection inspired by the photo! Congratulations on your new book. It sounds wonderful! 💚🍀
Colleen, thank you so much! I’m glad you like them. That photo was very inspirational. And thank you on the new book!
You’re so welcome. ❤️
Lovely form and poems <3
Oh, thank you so much!
Both the poems complement the image beautifully. I haven’t heard of this form called Cherita. Thanks for sharing Luanne.
I love that wild water! and this line is so tender: “the mist parts from the water, rising up toward.”
I had to look up Cherita, still learning everyday through this poetry adventure with you. It was a treat to listen to you read your own poems and in such a cosy setting.
For non-indigenous Australians, most of our fairy tales are taken from the European, and personally Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Anderson and Aesop’s Tales are books I readily remember reading. Those who have migrated since WWII would have brought their own with them, depending on nationality.
Aboriginal Australians have an entirely different way of looking at life and ancestry, called The Dreaming. I doubt they consider these fairy tales, it is an intrinsic part of their cultural life and defining who they are.
But they do have a creature called the Bunyip. You can Google him. He is an amphibious devil-creature.
Both poems give a great sense of nature and movement, beautiful 💜
I’ve never heard of a cherita, so thank you for teaching it to me. I love both of your poems, Luanne!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalliero.blogspot.com
You’re on a roll! Or you were since this post is from Tuesday and I’m reading it on Thursday 😉 I loved both the cherita and the haiku!
Your verse reminds me of my visit to Niagra. Once on the ‘Maid of the Mist’ ferry… once was enough. We did visit Niagra again… so touristy. But the draw is the magnificent falls…
I enjoyed both poems very much.
Thank you so much, Robbie!