pink petal bokeh shimmer
fragrant season’s glint
sky gazing usher
conducting sunbeams
teasing every shade of grey
Once upon a time when I was just a young girl of about 8 or 9 years, I discovered poetry. Rhyming words…well, it just rocked my little bobby socks off. I wrote my first and only tanka poem and haven’t really dabbled in poetry since. That is, until Joanna Young challenged me with a group writing project, encouraging us all to explore the possibilities of writing this month.
I used to enjoy exploring writing this way but like many things, I forgot how much fun playing with words could be. Sharing a poem after so long makes me a little uneasy because like visual art, reading poetry can be subjective, and either really good or really, really bad. I know I will look back on this tanka and wish certain words away. But I’m happy to be posting it anyway, because I had fun writing it and in particular I was able to draw upon some tips Joanna has taught me through her Confident Writing blog over the last couple of years.
To make the seemingly impossible possible again took a little courage, a little reflection, a little planning and a little influence . After researching the structure of tanka and reading some examples I realised it would take a little time to prepare. However it wasn’t difficult to find subject matter for this writing challenge. It’s nearly spring here and the blossoms look just amazing, both on hazy overcast days and sunny afternoons where our big blue sky provides the perfect backdrop.
I set about observing trees in blossom this week, on the way to school drop-offs, in-between swimming lessons and running errands. Why do they capture my attention each time I see them? What’s so special about them? Why do they seem so resolute and full of possibility? Then finally I had some time to jot down some keywords on paper. I started with small steps. Once written the words seemed to pair together and I was able to rearrange them into a little ditty that I liked. Do I use the word ‘arms’ or ‘hands’ or ‘fingertips’? And which words convey a moment of time best? I wrote and re-wrote it a couple of times before settling on the poem you read above. I hope you enjoyed the end result!
You can read more about tanka, get some tips on writing it find tanka on Twitter and even submit your tanka poem to a website via DM
Thanks Joanna for once again issuing an enjoyable and rewarding writing project, and encouraging us to explore new possibilities!
You are one of the most playful-with-words person that I know. Thanks for sharing your poem, your reflections, and the blossom of possibility :-)
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What a wonderful poem – thanks for sharing it!
What a gift – to see, to feel, and then to translate what you seee and what you feel into suitably, no, profoundly evocative words. Thank you for sharing this and inspiring us.
-Shimmer- Rumble tremble, plunder slumber / Love pouts, “Imitation pleasure” / Life’s refrain a tender glimmer / Written bright, but growing dimmer / Jeweled tangle, rhyming shimmer / Violet flutter, living treasure / On tomorrows verse we stumble / Speak up then and do not mumble