Presented by CW HAWES
TANKA
Tanka is as old as Japan. A short lyric poem, which in Japanesefollows a 5-7-5-7-7 sound unit rhythm, tanka has become almost as popularas haiku in the Western world. In English, tanka is usually a five-linefree verse poem; although various approximations of theshort-long-short-long-long rhythm do exist. Note: Japanese forms aretraditionally untitled.
--------
Tanka Sequence by
MARJORIE BUETTNER
am I dying
my mother asks her nurse
while fighting for breath
I step outside, wish for rain--
one more thing I can't control
after your death
I wander through my dreams
looking for you
these pelicans on the lake
drifting back and forth in pairs
six months have passed
since your death dear mother
out of world, out of time
as I watch this snow fall
where have you fallen to?
--------
Three Tanka by
ALISON WILLIAMS
what would you do
if one bright day she should
come back
casting shadows
of the past?
wondering
how much you've
changed
I catch
a stranger's eye
signing in
beside my name printed
on a list
feeling very much
like an imposter
--------
TAN-RENGA
Tan-Renga is a very old form and is the shortest linked verse.Composed by two poets, it consists of an upper stanza (the long one, like ahaiku) and a lower stanza (the short one, the 7-7 sound unit pair in atanka or the short stanza in a renku). The two stanzas maybe closelyconnected as in tanka or they may be more distant as in renku. As withhaiku, there are a variety of styles with most English language writersfavoring the free form approach. However one unique approach is JohnCarley's attempt to duplicate Japanese strict form prosody; called "zip",the format provides English-language writers of tanka (along with haiku,renku, etc.) a standardized format to follow in a way similar to theirJapanese counterparts. The upper stanza consists of 15 syllables arrangedin two lines; each line divided by a caesura and the lines centered on thecaesurae. The lower stanza consists of one line of 11 syllables, dividedby two caesurae.
--------
Two Tan-Renga by
AURORA ANTONOVIC and C W HAWES
on this grey grey day in February
only the crow sings
the sun becomes quiet as snow starts to fall
a cardinal and his staccato song
on the snowy bench
the old woman throws bread crumbs from the park bench
--------
A Tan-Renga Sequence by
JOHN CARLEY
Alden
a pennine landscape
the little lambkins bounce about
before their sinews thicken
a ginger cat streaks against green a rabbit
deep eyes dark with urgent lust
a heifer churns the April mud
some rhododendrons shelter in the forest
chords are plundered moaning
from a lost Mancunian road sign
hailstones fizz like static through a band of reeds
giddy rivers at The Rackles
gush and gouge like glaciers
if only they would wait a haiku moment
foxes and a kestrel
tint the sunlight with a hint of blood
the poet earns a squawk for merely passing
* Alden - is a solo composition written as an exemplar
**Macunian - of or from the city of Manchester
**The Rackles - a locality where water cascades through scree
--------
RENKU
Renku, or haikai no renga as it was originally called, is a formof linked verse. Very popular in Basho's day, its popularity continuestoday. Written by two or more poets, renku tells an unfolding story as itwere. Each stanza is written by a different poet. To read renku, onebegins with the initial long stanza (hokku) and then adds the followingshort stanza; then one reads the short stanza with the following longstanza; and so on through the poem. An example from "those country blues";one begins with:
summer breeze
those country blues
movin' through the door
the initial stanza is self-contained in meaning (which is why iteventually evolved into haiku); to this we add the next stanza, whichcannot be independent but must complement the hokku to form a single poemof two stanzas, thus:
summer breeze
those country blues
movin' through the door
sign on the barbed wire fence
Beware of Dog
we then continue by adding a long stanza to the previous short stanza:
sign on the barbed wire fence
Beware of Dog
moonrise
lighting up
the stubble fields
to create a new single poem of two stanzas, and so on throughout the poem.
--------
A Nijuin (20 stanza) Renku by
JOHN CARLEY, KIRSTY KARKOW, and HORTENSIA ANDERSON
Waiting for Anubis
first folio, front
Easter comes and crocuses
rise yellow through the sodden groundkirsty karkow
vestiges of ice unfurl a fractal edgejohn carley
our shadows on this hazy day
distinct against the wallhortensia anderson
groups of souls gather waiting for Anubis
- - - - - -
first folio, back
the endless blue of summer skies
perturbed by a waxing moon
though the romance wanes they share the sorbet spoon
each one whirling in ecstasy
the Sufis dance before God
stones nothing but stones and gardens turned to sand
with the cresting waves of the sea
another solar eclipse
fountain pens out of date like blotting paper
- - - - - -
second folio, front
the boy ploughs on through driving sleet
resentful of short trousers
the long stay as the pine boughs bend beneath snow
yearning for ten year old Scotch
smooth skin to touch and rumpled sheets
he left while there were martins over Morray
we have the moon to our right
on the way to the pumpkin patch
this fashion of tatting lace like spider silk
- - - - - -
second folio, back
the girl that packs the parachute
wonders what it's like to fall
they've made it to the mountain peak through the night
dawn reveals a sprig of plum
so graceful in a pewter mug
the sudden rushing tang of new mown pasture
--------
A Blues Renga by
BRETT PERUZZI, RAFFAEL DE GRUTTOLA, AND PAUL DAVID MENA
THOSE COUNTRY BLUES
summer breeze
those country blues
movin' through the door
sign on the barbed wire fence
Beware of Dog
moon rise
lighting up
the stubble fields
heading North
autumn leaves
grass stains
on her white blouse
the neighborhood tomboy
he sings of his undying love
for two women
red-light district
the cold chill
of rain
Lightnin' Hopkins
illuminates the moon
field hollers
of the ancestors
echoed in his songs
planting time
talkin' of boll weevils
state troopers
marching on
dogwood petals
crackles and pops
an old blues record
Fourth of July
the brass band
swinging Dixie
Leadbelly's
crooked bow-tie
a full moon
over Angola's
death row
The Crips and The Bloods--
a fall truce
my eyes follow
a snake tattoo
between her breasts
hypnotized
by bared flesh
winter night
a cigarette and booze
to stay warm
a homeless man sleeps
on the town hall steps
Jailhouse Blues
Bessie growls
over the rhythm section
spring
the stock market soars
thinking of retirement
dandelions seeds
in the air
near death
Howling Wolf laments his diet
--------
HAIKU
Haiku, as a form independent from the opening stanza of a renku, owesits existence to Basho; for he elevated the hokku to stand by itself as aliterary form capable of expressing our deepest thoughts and pointedobservations of nature and life. Classical haiku have a seasonal referenceand a cutting word, which divides the poem into two parts. In English,punctuation is often used in place of the cutting word.
Three Haiku by
JOHN CARLEY
the call of a pheasant taking flight
more dry the falling leaves
bales of silage slumber on
sound as the sheep they will become
warfare on the radio
a frog crouching in the garden
--------
Two Haiku by
DENNIS M HOLMES
clementine ~
early sunlight slices
the front porch rail
strewn
thick and thin ~
cherry blossoms
--------
Four Haiku by
TOMISLAV MARETIC
by the railway
the sky fleeting noislessly
from puddle to puddle
on the road curves
sound of rolling potatoes
from the trunk
Autumn butterfly
in the sky? - No, it's a leaf
carryed by wind.
lifting its thread -
but the little spider
descending faster
--------
Four Haiku by
RUZICA MOKOS
mild summer evening
he loves me...he loves me not
a daisy dying
rustling down the wind
flags of the marching warriors -
corn stalks in the blizzard
under a cap of snow
the last chrysanthemum
even whiter
chasing each other
playing dancing and falling
children and snowflakes
--------
One Haiku by
BRETT PERUZZI
Gathering storm clouds
the dobro player sings
in a low moan
--------
Four Haiku by
TOSHIRO TAKESHITA
coming in
from out of the cold--
children's voices
returning home
after many years--
rainy season
autumn--
raking the leaves . . .
raking the leaves . . .
raging blizzard--
the check out clerk says
'Have a nice day'
--------
One Haiku by
ALISON WILLIAMS
journey to work
the morning sun glinting
on ditchwater
--------
HAIBUN
Haibun is a form, invented by Basho, consisting of a haikuesque prosesection followed by a haiku, or occasionally a tanka. Variations on thisbasic format abound. The relationship between the poem and the proseshould not be immediately obvious, but should be evident; the prose beingthe macrocosm of the poem, as it were.
--------
Two Haibun by
MARJORIE BUETTNER
Late Afternoon
We have watched the November sun carry its wealth to the west. Eventhe sky has become a gilded coin, priceless. O these rich, pure momentsthat cannot be spent! We catch our breaths when we view the rising moonfull in the east like a pearl riding the forehead of the night.
the evening
returns
to itself
This Slant of Snow
This slant of snow gathers the world white while leaving hidden thoseuntidy duties unfinished. This is our undoing in the end. The plants at thewindow strain after a more certain light while somewhere your soul
hovers still as if in second thought. All of the unaccomplishments ofa lifetime falling down around us--this slant of snow.
moonlight across snow
this first Christmas
without you
--------
One Haibun by
ALISON WILLIAMS
Dust
The sky today is a bright, light blue. The air through my open windowcold
and clear as water. Sunshine falls on the far end of a wooden shelf where
odd things, picked up here and there over the years, lie gathering dust.
a small shell
from another summer
spirals around
what used to be
a secret sanctuary
These autumn days, when we look into the west, do we see two sunsetsor only
one? I can't help wondering how you see it now. A breath of wind and the
dust motes rise, glinting, then slowly settle back into dullness again.
--------
SENRYU
Senryu originated in the 18th century as a satire on haiku. Senryu isless elevated in tone than haiku, does not need a seasonal reference, andusually explores the human condition.
One Senryu by
DON BAIRD
old photo
half in the sand
a desert treasure
--------
One Senryu by
TOMISLAV MARETIC
beggar woman
counting so strictly
my handout
--------
Two Senryu by
BRETT PERUZZI
First date
her smile
flecked with parsley
Lost in a new city
a bum's scabbed hand
points the way
--------
Two Senryu by
ADELAIDE B SHAW
escape from the storm;
teenage boys in the cafe
bring their own thunder
another small town-
again, the finest house
is the mortician's
--------
Two Senryu by
ALISON WILLIAMS
through a rip
in the holiday poster
Gollum smiles
the child's hair -
same shade of purple
as her mum's
--------
Bios:
Brett Peruzzi has published haiku, senryu, haibun, and renga innumerous journals and anthologies for over fifteen years. His latestproject with two fellow poets is a multimedia performance of renga inspiredby different musical genres, accompanied by a photographic slide show and alive blues musician.
Adelaide B Shaw has been writing haiku and related forms for 30 yearsand has been published in several journals both in print and on-line. Shealso writes short fiction. Married for 43 years, she lives in Scarsdale,New York and has three children and six grandchildren.
Tomislav Maretic, born in 1951, is one of the most prominent andproductive Croatian haiku poets and has received many awards atinternational haiku competitions in Japan, USA and Great Britain. His workhas been included in Croatian, Japanese, American, French, and Belgiananthologies of haiku and tanka poetry and has been published in manyCroatian, American, German, Romanian, and Slovenian haiku magazines andalmanacs. His haiku collections "Boat in the Reed" and "Naplavine" werepublished in 1990 and 2002 respectively. He is a physician and specialistfor infectious diseases; lives in Zagreb, Croatia; and is the father of 4children.
RUZICA MOKOS (married name Matuka) was born in Zagreb on May 30. 1936.She took her degree in English in Zagreb, where she lived and worked untilher retirement. Now she lives with her family in the countryside outsideZagreb, occupies herself with her hobbies and pets, and enjoys haikumoments. She writes haiku in standard Croatian, in the kaikavian dialectand in English. So far she has published her work in Croatian and othermagazines. "Under the rafters" is her first haiku collection.
Toshiro Takeshita is a Japanese poet living in America. He was born inSakai City, Osaka but was brought up in Orlando, Florida where he stilllives. He has been a poet for over forty years writing haiku, tanka, senryuand haibun. During that time, he has belonged to many literary circles atdifferent times. His current memberships include the World Haiku Club ,Evergreen English Haiku Society, MIFA international Haiku Circle, HaikuOz,and the Dragon Haijin. He has been widely published around the world. Healso has a great passion for art.
Marjorie Buettner lives with her husband and three children in Minneapolis,Minnesota. She has been published in several anthologies in the USA,Canada, and the UK; along with numerous publishing credits in haiku andtanka magazines. She has also won numerous awards for her poetry,including first place in the Tinywords haiku contest for 2003, and writesbook reviews for North Stone Review, Modern Haiku, and the World HaikuReview on line.
Don Baird has taught kung fu for over thirty years, as well as tai chich'uan and chi kung. Writing poetry has been an out growth of his martialart training and has become a major part of his life in his "golden years".Though featured in many magazines (including online), he writes mainly forpersonal enjoyment, enterainment, and to share with others. When notwriting or working, he enjoys the wonderful company of his wife of sixteenyears. His website is kungfukarate.com .
Hortensia Anderson lives in NYC. She is editor-in-chief of
Mothertongued.com
Kirsty Karkow lives in Maine. She is secretary to the Tanka Society of
America
Aurora Antonovic is a Canadian freelance writer, visual artist, andthe former co-editor and columnist for the now-defunct GT Times. Herpoetry has recently appeared in seven countries and five continents inpublications such as Thunder Sandwich, Megaera, Adagio Verse Quarterly,Makata, Write-Away, All Things Girl, The Sidewalk's End, Skyline, TheRegal Quill Quarterly, and Poetic Voices, where she was featured poetfor May 2003. She is currently completing work on a collection of poetryentitled SoHo in September. She resides in Ontario.
C. W. Hawes lives on a small farm in northeastern Iowa with his wife,daughter, dog, and cat. He is a bureaucrat by day and a poet by night.His interest in Japanese forms goes back to high school English class. Heis especially interested in tanka because of its lyric nature. His desireis to see Japanese forms become as mainstream as the "Italian" sonnet.
John Carley is 48 years old and lives in the Pennine Hills of northern England. A polyglot and former musician John has a particular interest inthe phonic properties of poetry and has written, performed and published awide range of material in English, Italian, French and Piemoteis. In recentyears his radical analogue to Japanese teikei (strict form) prosody,nicknamed the 'zip' style, has earned both consternation and supportamongst those specialising in Japanese verse forms in the
English language. His fascination with Renku stems in part from apassionate belief in the transformational power of collaborative art, andin the unity of the human condition.
Dennis M. Holmes lives in northwest Georgia, USA. He has a wife andtwo teenage sons. He has been writing haiku for over three years andpoetry for more than 30 years. He is published in the Tokyo haiku circlemgazine, Kusanohana (grass flowers), a monthly magazine. He is currentlystudying under master haijin (haiku master) Mr. Fujita Akegarasu.
Alison Williams is a college business librarian, student of alchemy and an
associate editor of Presence, a magazine specialising in publishing high
quality haiku, senryu, tanka, renga/renku and related poetry.