My first tanka
Sprouting eagerly; Stretching, absorbing learning, Seedling roots search deep ~ Humble grey watering can; Though I get refilled daily
EIF Poetry Challenge #14: Tanka
The above poem is my entry for Ingrid’s most recent poetry challenge. She provides a very thorough explanation of tanka poems for those who are curious to know more. But ~
In short:
- The first three lines (following the haiku format) are the โupper poemโ (kami-no-ku) and the final two lines are the โlower poemโ (shimo-no-ku);
- To write tanka in English, we normally divide the poem into five lines with the following syllable pattern: 5/7/5/7/7.
The Skeptic's Kaddish ๐ฎ๐ฑ 
The tanka looks easy, but it’s not. Well done. (K)
It’s interesting, you know, it really does take time to find the right words with the right sounds and meanings to convey my ideas in this form.
Thanks, Kerfe!
Yours,
David
This is good, David!
Thanks ๐
You are welcome. ๐
What a Tanka! What an expression!! I loved it.
Thank you, Kaushal!
-David
๐๐๐โค๏ธ๐
๐งกโค๏ธ๐๐๐๐
๐
Lovely! I enjoy a tanka with a nice twist on the usual….
It’s about a different (non-romantic) kind of love โค
Thanks, Muri!
-David
I really like the simplicity in the “humble grey watering can.” A great tanka! ๐
Thank you, Tricia!
-David
Reblogged this on Prisoner of Hope 2011 and commented:
Don’t miss this, it’s GOOD!
Thanks ๐
Wonderful! And I’m reading it as a metaphor for myself–I like being a humble gray watering can that still has useful, valuable purpose! ๐
Very much so. It’s definitely intended as a metaphor โค
-David
love this and this line “Though I get refilled daily” reminding us we needtop watter our souls and bodies daily too! โค๏ธ
๐ฆ
๐โ๏ธ
delightful!
Thanks, Kate ๐
Sweet!
๐ฅฐ ๐ฅฐ ๐ฅฐ
Thank you for your entry, David: a very unusual and interesting metaphor…if it is one, and youโre not just writing about the humble watering can! I wasnโt sure my description was thorough enough…
๐ต๏ธ Ingrid, do you want me to tell you?
๐คช,
David
No…I like ambivalence!