Charles Messina | + Follow Poet |
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Of Once Was

shadows of mountains 
reflecting on a still lake 
a strong wind blows in 
continuous whitecaps drift 
rows of ripples fade near shore 

falls soon arrival
turned mountains brown and naked 
trees in skeleton 
hold nests with broken eggshells
that echo through the forest  

heat related torch 
wildfires engulf the mountains 
killing everything 
extinguished ashes remain 
the residue of once was

Copyright © Charles Messina | Year Posted 2025

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John Hamilton Date: 9/6/2025 7:51:00 PM Well done congrats Charles, glad to see you on the podium. Login to Reply

Valsa George Date: 9/1/2025 2:47:00 AM Great Tanka series. Hearty congratulations dear Charlie on your top win. Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 9/1/2025 4:30:00 AM Thank you so much, Valsa!

Terry Miller Date: 9/1/2025 12:34:00 AM Congratulations on your top place in this challenging contest excellent imagery throughout Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 9/1/2025 4:30:00 AM Thanks Terry...much appreciated!

Dr. Vandana Sharma Date: 8/31/2025 8:04:00 PM All the three scenes paint such a vivid picture and I could visualise them all through these words. Congratulations on the first place in the contest. Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 9/1/2025 4:31:00 AM Thank you so much, Vandana!

John Anderson Date: 8/31/2025 7:20:00 PM Congratulations for your First place in my Tanka Triptych Contest. You did an excellent job with the strict format rules. I really enjoyed reading your poem and hope you may consider using this and similar Tanka String format poems in the future. Thanks again for your entry - Very Well Done. Cheers Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 9/1/2025 4:29:00 AM John, thank you very much for my awesome win! It certainly made my morning! I really enjoyed writing for your contest, and I will absolutely try writing this or another similar form you can create. Cheers!

Suzanne Delaney Date: 8/22/2025 5:11:00 AM Charles. This is great how all your lines are tied by the last line in each stanza. I enjoyed reading it. Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 9/1/2025 4:25:00 AM Thank you so much, SuZ! :)

Gershon Wolf Date: 8/19/2025 7:10:00 PM Sara's comment below says it all. I keep reading the last line of each stanza again and again. Powerful stuff, CM. Thanks, gw Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 8/20/2025 6:42:00 AM Thanks, GW!

Sara Etgen-Baker Date: 8/19/2025 5:18:00 PM I love how the last line summarizes each of the three verses....doing so takes skill and patience. Faving. Wishing you a splendid evening, Sara Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 8/20/2025 6:43:00 AM Thank you so much, Sara! Have a wonderful day! Gershon Wolf Date: 8/19/2025 7:09:00 PM This is a great comment, Sara. I hadn't noticed; many thanks for mentioning. ~ gw

Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/19/2025 12:55:00 PM That final line is SO awesome. It is a super tie-up of the entire set, Charles. Login to Reply Charles Messina Date: 8/19/2025 1:57:00 PM Thanks so much, Andrea. Coming from you that means a lot. Ya know, I'm not even sure if I did it right, it is my first attempt at this form, so my fingers are crossed (lol) Much appreciated!