my unfinished work
littered with brittle browns
deepening shadows —
autumn’s reds and yellows
forsaking their offering
—
It was one year ago today I took the photograph that inspired my first tanka. It has been a less prolific season this year.
my unfinished work
littered with brittle browns
deepening shadows —
autumn’s reds and yellows
forsaking their offering
—
It was one year ago today I took the photograph that inspired my first tanka. It has been a less prolific season this year.
rough stones and moss
made slick by humid air
gather fallen leaves —
unsure footsteps and silence
grace summer’s indecision
—
I have typically posted tanka accompanied, and inspired, by an photograph. The image here is in my mind only, placed there on a late summer, quiet afternoon walk through the woods, unaccompanied by my camera or technology of any sort. I was disappointed at first not to be able to capture the moment…yet the words can do it justice, and the feat is unattainable in any event.
the shallow stream skirts
softened edges of a field —
emptiness surrounds
steady retreat on a path
through morning grey and stillness
Not waiting for dark,
when merging is effortless,
involuntary —
clouds, hills, and fields reach across
quiet gaps and outstretched space.
(A Tanka poem. Photograph from a New England late afternoon, 8 December 2012)