1:04 p.m. Happy Sunday! It’s my Saturday since I work Tuesday-Saturday, so it’s my day off, but I’m sitting in my bookstore writing my poem for the day. 🙂

In preparation for writing a poem today, I decided to research tanka, a Japanese form of poetry closely related to haiku.

Tanka follows a syllable number pattern of 5/7/5/7/7, and, like haiku, features a “turn” around the middle of the poem. It’s not usually rhyming, so let’s see what happens.

Artemis watches
as the tin can slingshots round
her lover the moon
she will let them return home
draped in victory this time

1:12 p.m. Okay, that was fun. A little darker than I’d intended. Instead of rewriting that one, I think I’ll try another.

valor, bravery
values they pin on heroes
proud soldiers of war
who thought, pinned down under fire,
I wish I'd known I was dead

1:16 p.m. I think I’m in a dark mood today. But I was brought up to believe you should leave a room better than you found it. So…although all this talk of war and drafts and bad economy can bring you down, I did stop to look at my irises again this morning.

Iris shines golden
warm sunlight on soft petals
tonight when dark falls
she will stand proud, straight, and brave
head up under Night's caress

1:22 p.m. I can’t say tanka is my favorite form. It’s much easier to be bright and shiny when you’re rhyming, maybe? But I don’t hate it.

What do you think?