Last Train Home: an anthology of contemporary haiku, tanka, and rengay

 Almost missed the train! So glad there was still one more "seat" for my tanka.

Thank you so much,

Jacquie Pearce

! Last Train Home: an anthology of contemporary haiku, tanka, and rengay is now available on Amazon.

San Francisco International Haiku, Senryu, and Tanka Contest 2020

So honored to be the tanka judge for the HPNC's San Francisco International Haiku, Senryu, Tanka Contest 2020. Congratulations to Susan Burch, Margaret Chula, and Debbie Strange. Here are the winning poems and my commentaries. 2020 | mysite (hpnc.org)

*Click the photos to enlarge. 

Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Tanka Society of America

I made this video for Tanka Society of America. It's a compilation of taiga posted from April 1-21, 2020 on the Tanka Society of America Facebook page to commemorate the 20th anniversary of TSA. Contributing poets in order of appearance are Julie Anne Thorndyke, Bing Bingham, Debbie Strange, Pat Geyer, Pamela A. Babusci, John Martell, Izumi Shikibu, Ignatius Fay, Susan Burch, Xenia Tran, Pris Campbell, Alexis Rotella, Anne Benjamin, Carol Raisfeld, Michael H. Lester, Christine L. Villa, an'ya, Pravat Kumar Padhy, Julie Kelsey, and Marilyn Ashbaugh.

*Compiled by Susan Burch

Here is the taiga I contributed. 

Results of the Annual Tanka Contest 2016 at Mandy's Pages

     My first time as a judge for a contest was a little stressful and frightening, but I stepped up to the plate and made it a very enjoyable experience. I bravely picked the winners and try not to worry about who I would be disgruntling. Just as the saying goes, "You can't please everybody."
     Here are my top selections and my comments:

 

FIRST PRIZE:

 

each moment

here on earth is numbered . . .

so why not

fly too close to the moon,

and hang our hats on stars?

 

Debbie Strange

Winnipeg, Canada 

 

 

I chose this as the winner because I wanted to base my decision on originality, freshness, and  authenticity. The poet’s writing style is utterly captivating! The serious tone of the first two lines pivots in the phrase, “so why not.” The mood that follows is somewhat childlike, evoking a sense of adventure and imagination. Isn’t that how we should enjoy life? We should take risks, dream big, have fun! With the use of the s/l/s/l/l form, this tanka gives you a heartwarming ending with some dreaming space.

 

SECOND PRIZE:

 

the verdant hills

of his childhood

he scratches

his growing

bald spot

 

Billy Antonio

Laoac, Philippines

 

The poet’s perfect choice of metaphor proves that humor can be used effectively in tanka. The verdant hills implies lushness which is in contrast to his growing bald spot. To emphasize the decreasing loss of hair, words are placed in descending order. A hint of annoyance about the poet’s aging is implied with the word “scratch”, but using humor in this tanka shows us his/her acceptance of this human condition. I enjoyed the surprise ending. Brilliant tanka!

 

THIRD PRIZE:

 

after tea

I linger in the garden

this summer day

held tight by sunlight

and the scent of honeysuckle

 

Barbara Kaufmann

USA

 

This breathtaking tanka has a lasting effect on me because of the lovely choice of words. The “s” sounds in “summer,” “sunlight,” “scent of honeysuckle” has a soft, soothing effect. It makes me “linger” longer to feel the “sunlight” and smell the “scent of honeysuckle.” The use of the phrase “held tight” elevates the tanka. For a moment, I feel like I am entranced, absorbed in the present, and in one with nature. I also wonder what the poet is thinking as he/she lingers in the garden. A well-crafted tanka that naturally falls into the s/l/s/l/l structure.

    
     Congratulations to all the winners! To read the full post at Mandy's Pages, please click here.

 

Frameless Sky Issue 3

     Frameless Sky Issue 3 is hot off the press and available to purchase! - http://framelesssky.weebly.com/purchase.html

     I thank all the 40 contributors turning this issue into a successful poetry video. I wouldn't have done it without their support, patience, and cooperation.

 

 

     And of course, I haven't forgotten my team.

 

 

      I am also thrilled to announce that there is a special feature added to the array of poetic gems. In this current issue, you'll be able to watch the video recording of Claire Everett and David Terelinck's tanka sequence, "Whispered Vows," being read by the poet Beverley George and her husband.

     I can't wait for those who are interested in getting a copy to see the full video. For the meantime, here's a sneak peek ~ https://youtu.be/DgHgIhO528Y

     By the way, I've created a Frameless Sky account on Pinterest. So if you are one of those hook on Pinterest, start pinning away! I'm in the process of updating it.

 

     I've also created my own dvd covers. Shades of violet with butterfly stickers. :-)

    

  

Ribbons Journal (Fall 2015)

     Are you enjoying every single page of Ribbons (Fall 2015)? I hope you haven't skipped my tanka sequence, "Last Sip," on page 45. For those who don't have a copy, here it is.

 

Last Sip

 

parch lips . . .

for you I draw a well

of memories

from steel drum music

to the sound of waves

 

a sparrow's last sip
from the birdbath . . .
on your birthday

how I didn't want to believe

in your goodbyes

 

my thoughts

spinning counterclockwise

the silence

after I decide to turn off

the oxygen machine

 

streaks of foam

tail away from the reef . . .

how I remember

your wishes for me

when you're gone

 

Frameless Sky Issue Two

     It's great to be back blogging again. I know I keep promising to update my blog, but life gets in the way. To make up for it, I'm back with a big bang! I'm here to announce that the 2nd issue of Frameless Sky is now available! Thank you so much to the team who worked with me and to all the contributors:

 

Frameless Sky team:

 
Artist:

Rick Daddario

art blog: http://19planets.wordpress.com

website: http://www.rickdaddario.com

 

Musicians:

 

Alex Bett

https://www.youtube.com/user/AlexBettMusic

 

David Hollandsworth

website: http://davidhollandsworth.com

 

Proofreader:

 

Shloka Shantar

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shloka-Shankar-a-rasikas-musings/745965042120215?fref=ts

 

 

Contributors:

Traci Barlow (US), Willie R. Bongcaron (Philippines), Helen Buckingham (England), Anne Curran (New Zealand), Stephen Chase Gagnon (USA), Hazel Hall (Australia), Devin Harrison (Canada), Josie Hibbing (USA), Judit Hollos (Hungary), Mary Holman (USA), Alegria Imperial (Canada), Violette Rose-Jones (New Zealand), Annie Juhl (Denmark), Arvinder Kaur (India), Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy (UK), David Kuhlmann (USA), Vibeke Laier (Denmark), Chen-ou Liu (Canada), Kumarendra Mallick (India), Jayashree Maniyil (Australia), Elizabeth Moura (USA), Archana Kapoor Nagpal (India), Kathy Uyen Nguyen (USA), Veronika Zora Novak (Canada), Rita Odeh (Israel), Sandi Pray (USA), Kala Ramesh (India), Shloka Shankar (India), Debbie Strange (Canada), André Surridge (New Zealand), Paresh Tiwari (India), Julie Warther (USA)

For those who haven't heard of it, Frameless Sky is a biannual haiga and tanka art video journal showcasing poets, artists, and musicians in a collaborative project. It seeks high quality tanka—either as stand-alone poems or poems that would be paired with artwork—and artwork that would be paired with tanka. There are three different submission categories. To find out more about the submission guidelines, please click this link http://framelesssky.weebly.com/submissions.html.

 

   Here is the sneak preview of Frameless Sky Issue 2.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t7Z1j2rct8

 

 

Cattails - Premier Edition January 2014

      *My very first tanka sequence now appears in Cattails, the first collection of the United Haiku and Tanka Society. If you'd like to be a member of UHTS or would want to submit for the next issue, go to this link. 

Between the Rubble


huge waves roar
throughout the city . . .
over and over
just my urgent prayers
all through the night


after the storm
between the rubble
and stench of death . . .
I wait to hear a voice
on my cellphone


another coconut tree
uprooted from the ground . . .
my finger shakes
as I scroll down the list
of flood survivors


a midnight call
jolts me from my sleep . . .
am I dreaming
when you say you're alive
yet thirsty and starving?

(Dedicated to the Quisumbing family who were victims of typhoon Haiyan. There's nothing that love cannot rebuild)

*I've just requested to be a member. Here the link to see the membership list. 

Not a Single Star

     I was invited by Ed Bremson to join another group in Facebook called Five Line Poems. For my first post, I wrote this before I went to bed.

 

not a single star

speaks to me tonight

but all these poems

I tuck under my pillow

with a smile

     It was quite liberating writing this poem because all I had to do was write a poem with five lines. I didn't have to  stick to the rules of a good tanka, a kind of poetry I need to learn more about. 

     You may read comments on my poem here. If you think you'd like to join us, check out Five Line Poems.

Cherry Blossom Centennial Stamp

     Have you run out of stamps? Make sure you purchase the cherry blossom stamps, the ones that were just released on March 24, 2012, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees of Japan to US. I haven't seen them myself because each time I went to the post office, I was always told these Forever stamps have been sold out.

 

     Today, on the 11th of April, incredible news about these cherry blossom stamps were reported on The Washington Post. Nearly 1 million are being sold a day, exceeding all expectations! Read here for more details.

     Michael Dylan Welch was so thrilled when I told him the news. Why wouldn't he be? He and Emiko Miyashita have a waka (tanka) translation appearing at the backing paper for each set of twenty stamps. If you want to see the translation and read more about it, click this link leading to Graceguts.  

   

Missing Kathy

     While Kathy Uyen Nguyen is on her two-month hiatus, I'm posting some of my favorites which she had written for The Collaborative Photo-Haiku Project.


Click the entry for Tif Holme's photo.

1) Entry 17

    framing us
    in this sidewalk
    rain puddles...
    the way our love
    ripples into song

2) Entry 20

    new love
    fumbling for the keys
    and for the perfect kiss
    just as a firefly
    skips by our shadows

3) Entry 22

    spring buds...
    even after all these years
    we still count
    the firsts of everything
    in our love

4) Entry 23

    outside
    the sidewalks darken
    I learn the meaning
    of filling the cracks
    between us

5) Entry 25

    is it possible
    to long for so much...
    even these thorns
    cannot count the times
    my old wounds reopen

6) Entry 27

    looking over
    the ledge between love
    and the unknown
    like the pigeons I fight
    the urge to fly towards you

7) Entry 29

    the deep bloom
    of fuchsias outside
    until the days shorten
    I can only dream of what we
    will say when we meet again

    The perfect haiku to match the most gorgeous photo of the month! Indeed, there is so much to look forward when she comes back in May.
    As she leaves, a bittersweet goodbye seems to permeate from some of the last haiku.

    no luggage
    only the flower scent
    to remember

                         Ambra Quelleri

    sunrise light
                my heart opening
                              with welcome sorrow

                                                    Kris Lindbeck

    purple dusk...
    the last blueberries
    staining our tears

         The last one is mine, especially written for her. :-)

     To Kathy, I wish you well. When you come back, I'm sure you'll even have more beautiful poetry to share to all of us.    

CPH Project Feb. Series

     Today, I'm going to start sharing my favorite tanka from Kathy Uyen Nguyen. She posted these on The Collaborative Photo-Haiku Project (February series).  
     Click the entry to see the photo of Tif Holmes.


Entry 1  
  
morning stillness
climbing into the dry birdbath
rose vines..
the deepening hollowness
of things just found
     
Entry 3


which stones
should I place my worries under?
from the garden
stirring in Buddha's hands
a mourning dove        
            
Entry 4


from the shutters
the slash of sunlight
to where you used to be--
how many more notes can I hold
between my palms?
                      
Entry 5


this tilting planet
watching you
watching me
watching the scatter
of breadcrumbs in the wind
                      
Entry 6


the times when I find
disappointment in myself
but from your arms
I rise from the ashes to skim
every sky of your heart 
                    
Entry 7


your song leads me 
to follow my heart...
from this shattered nest
a nail rusting
in the sun
                    
Entry 8
  
creviced sky
the stir of dreams
from a pigeon's breast...
the part of me in you
that I call home
                     
Entry 9


stepping over
fragile ground
all the words
I never meant to say
before you died
                       
Entry 10


falling
in between
the sidewalk cracks
your goodbye
last fall
                      
Entry 11


slicing
the edge
of this onion. . .
how it feels to fall
into the meaning of us 


Entry 13


like lovers
trading secret kisses
how each maple leaf
slips onto our bench
and lingers in our shadows


Entry 14


he loves me
he loves me not . . .
even the spring wind 
tries to find love
under unturned stones


     For somebody who claims to be shy of submissions, her poetry is worthy of sharing to the whole world.
     More of her tanka on my next post. :-)