Tag Archives: tanka

To Dust – Weekly Poetry Challenge

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Yesterday we went on a hike that led us to Alsace and three old castles: Loewenbourg, Wegelnbourg, and Hohenbourg – mostly reduced to ruins. The sight’s a good reminder: All that is now will eventually turn to dust. So here’s my entry to Colleen’s Poetry Challenge. Synonym words were CHANGE and DEFY.

2018-09-01 16.43.06picture: Castle Hohenbourg  – September 1st, 2018

~To Dust~

The hands of time turn
mercilessly—eat the world
alive, bit by bit.
Stone breaks to dust, flesh withers.
Nothing withstands time’s power.

All shifts, all crumbles—
memories that remain fade
into nothingness.

 

Another picture of one of the ruin’s doors/arches – it’s the entrance that led to a spiral staircase used to get to the upper part of the castle. Only a few steps are left, you can see the remains peeking out from behind the left door frame.
The castle was established in the 13th century and destroyed and rebuilt several times as ownership and allegiances shifted. This arch’s time stamp dates back to 1578. That’s 400 years between the year the stone mason chiseled those numbers into that slab of stone and my own arrival here on earth – 440 between that day and the day this picture was taken.

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Summer Peril – Tanka Challenge #96

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My Tanka poem for Colleen’s Tanka challenge #96. It’s been unbearably hot in most of Europe – a poem about the summer’s cruel grasp seems to be a natural topic.
This week’s prompt words were CONGREGATE and PASSION. I chose meet and heat as synonyms.

~Summer Peril~

Meet me at the foot
of the thirsty willow tree.
Its leaves fall in sheets,
dancing pirouettes of death
down to the dry riverbed.

Last week’s rain dance went
unheard, is unanswered still.
The sky’s unblemished.
Below the weeping branches
we hide from the burning heat.

 

Head over Heels – Tanka

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Welcome to the 94th instalment of Colleen’s Poetry Challenge—the 9th I am participating in. The synonym prompt words were BELIEFS and STRANGE. I used theory for beliefs and foreign for strange.
This week, my poem consists of two Tanka stanzas with a Haiku wedged in between.

~Head over Heels~

Is it yours to give
the heart I seek—I long for?
Black-hole gravity
in your eyes pulls me to you,
capturing skin, soul and mind.

Serendipity—
romantic theory—yet
inexplicable.

Simple sensations:
sweet blood rushes, pulse quickens,
heartbeat jolts and jumps.
I take the risk and follow
this foreign path, this promise.

You, Melting my Core – Poetry Challenge

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Here’s my entry for Colleen’s 2018 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 79.
The weeks’ prompt words were DANCE & COMMAND – as always, synonyms only.I used sway & twirl, and govern & guide.
I wrote a set of three stanzas, each in Tanka style. I really like the form. Enjoy.

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~You, Melting my Core~

Give me your hand and
I will sweep you off your feet.
I’ll sway you, twirl you
’til the world dissolves and all
you see is my glowing smile.

Grant me a kiss and
I will touch, ever gently,
my honest promise
to your heavenly-sweet lips
’til I steal your breath away.

Gift me your heart and
I will gladly grant you mine
to govern, to guide,
to melt, and to shape anew;
’til it’s yours, forevermore.

Forging Our Luck – A Haibun/Tanka

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It’s time for the weekly poetry challenge, brought to you by Colleen (77th installment.)
This week’s (non)prompt words were CHARM and TIME. I’ve done a lot of Tanka poems recently, but today I opted for the Haibun form, this time a double Tanka reflecting the prose. Enjoy!

DSC01376 Picture: Schiessentümpel waterfall, Mullerthal, Luxembourg; IR-June 2017

~Forging Our Luck~
The world’s prime attribute is to be a never ceasing flux, the future constantly changing, challenging old habits and notions. This is good. It’s how we evolve as human beings, as nations, as mankind.
At times, those currents run low and hidden from sight, working their magic on a subtle level like a river licking away its icy confines come spring. Slowly, but steadily.
At times, it’s less gentle.
At times, something trips and the pent-up power of change breaks through and ripples the polished surface of established routines. With a vengeance, it forces us to assess our reality anew. Hopefully, we evolve to a better kind of ourselves, to a more magnanimous future.

At times, perception
Shifts and points our attention
To the core issue
Hidden beneath a layer
Of old, stifling conventions.

If ever the day
Was ripe for change, it is now.
I see a new age
Dawning, rising, bewitching,
Pushing ahead, undaunted.

#Tanka Tuesday – Weekly Poetry Challenge

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I missed the last two rounds but this week I made it. Here is my entry for Colleen’s weekly #Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge No. 75. The prompt words for the week were “Patience” and “Green.” I used for serene for patience, but there are more phrases hinting at patience in the poem. Same with the prompt “Green” — I used fresh, new, and tender.

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~Tokens of Change~

Follow me and feel
Frosty winter’s sparkling coat
Scrunch beneath our feet.
The world’s serene and silent
And waiting, biding her time.

Come with me and search
The white blanket for fresh hope.
See! The snowdrops poke
Their proud heads through frosty floes.
Brave soldiers, defying ice.

See! Silver catkins
Herald winter’s close demise.
The old kingdom melts,
Relinquishing its cold kiss
To a softer, milder touch.

Together we yearn
For tender, budding color.
Hear the new promise,
The faint whisper of springtide.
The queen of seasons returns.

Weekly #Tanka Tuesday – Challenge #72

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This is my poem for Colleen’s weekly poetry challenge.
The (no)prompt words were breakthrough and movement. I used gain for breakthrough and stirring+shifting for movement.

Once again, the picture was taken by my husband on last Saturday’s walk through Weingartener Moor – a marsh near Karlsruhe, Germany.

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~Heart, watch your step~

Treacherous prospects,
Just off the path, beckon me,
Stirring and shifting,
Luring me with foolish gain.
Head, hold my step, hold my step!

Keep me safe and sane,
Above the tricky mire,
Where false desire
Threatens to lead me astray.
Heart, watch your step, watch your step!

Sometimes we stall, procrastinate, dally…and wonder how fast a day, a week, a month goes by. But even more often, we try to do too many things at once instead of focussing on one thing, the actual goal, savoring it to the fullest.
Sure, the possibilities creeping up along the path are tempting. That’s life. Sometimes opportunities are too good to pass on. But still, we need to apply caution when and where to deviate from the plotted path as to not get lost.

 

Weekly Poetry Challenge – Qunituple #Tanka

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For me, Colleen’s weekly Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge has been a source of joy for some weeks now, but this week it has been hard.
In the face of the horrific events in Florida and the unbelievable indifferent reaction of so many US politicians (and citizens), I couldn’t but reach out across the ocean and show my solidarity with the people of Parkland and I dedicate this poem to the students of Stoneman Douglas Highschool. I can’t even begin to grasp what they are going through. May the dead rest in peace, and may the survivors of this gruesome act find the strength to carry on and lead the US out of this mess.

The prompt words for the 71st challenge were: Affection and Character. I used thoughts & kindness for affection and puppet & spirit for character.

 

~Awoken~

Apathy’s henchmen
Send thoughts and prayers your way.
Rancid, callous tools
on puppet strings, offering
Drops to quench an inferno.

The world ought to stop!
Instead, keeps turning, turning.
Relentless sorrow—
Even shared a thousandfold
Still fails to lessen the pain.

I see you weeping,
Tender heart and broken soul.
I see you craving
For yesterday’s lost kindness,
Gone, but never forgotten.

In awe, I behold
Your spirit’s awakening.
From pain to passion—
Horror reshaped to resolve,
I see your courage rising.

Furious voices
Give birth to a roaring choir,
Demanding action.
I hear you! I hear your call
And amplify your message.

Weekly Poetry Challenge – a #Tanka

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I’m a mom of two girls and to me, it’s pure wonder seeing them grow up and develop into individuals with distinct ideas and traits. They grow so fast and the day will come when they are ready to leave our house. On the one hand, I look forward to it. On the other, I wish I could keep them with me, protect them for eternity.

This week’s prompt words were bond and seek. Somehow these words immediately stirred an old memory. The memory of a picture I took years ago… I wanted to share it for this week’s installment of Colleen’s Tanka Challenge. I had some trouble reactivating that long forgotten Flickr account but managed in the end.

So here it is. Wintry day, some unknown trail in Bavarian woods, and my excited daughter.

I just love her open expression and the sheer joy of handling such mundane thing as an old fir branch. It always reminds me that children have a special view of the world around them, one that we as adults have often ceased to experience. We often skim over the details where for them everything is exciting, new, and fascinating. Through my girls, I got a glimpse of that world once more.

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~Forgotten Perspective~

Through your eyes I see
The world awash with wonder.
Anchored here, I watch
In awe. Your winged soul takes flight,
Chasing dreams, probing limits.

Children are our legacy. But all we can do is to accompany them for a while, make the joined part of the journey as happy and secure as possible and prepare them, so they are ready when they leave us to follow their own paths.