golden leaves drifting
trees whisper in the wind
forlorn reveries-
trees once wearing stained glass hues
hold a few golden children
your gaze hides a love
entrenched deep within your heart
peeking through the veil
a shy glance that holds my world
like dahlia blooms all seasons
the sun still rises
the moon also but shyly
following cycles
as certain as my feelings
for you though you notice not
My love slowly grew
Since I found someone new: you.
I always just knew
That you would soon love me too.
For you, I'll live this life through.
A gurgling brook
Surrounded by large oak trees
Flowers everywhere
And a blanket for the ground
Best picnic place ever found!
FOREST SOULS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
burst of vibrancy
leaves amber, peach, and crimson
late autumn harvest
a time of serenity
forest souls sparking to life
Was it I wonder
For cracks on heels he was mocked
Or to meander.
No, to have for values walked
That he was heavily docked.
______________________
Tanka (Senryu + couplet) |12.09.2025 | irony, meander, values
SILENT FOREST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
silent forest deep
ancient secrets guarded, kept
mossy paths unfold
the past whispers, tales told
nature's wisdom to behold
spider web artwork
a dewy autumn morning
bead embroidery
adds shine to everyday life
utility is z e r o
The brooding moorland
Is windswept and desolate...
And gives nothing back.
In this vast, hushed upper-land...
A very dreadful beauty!
-------------------------------------
Inside that wide void...
A resounding emptiness
Which fills the whole sky.
For never greater volume
With such solitude than here.
-------------------------------------
Strange, shrill calling birds
Above the rippling heather;
Their ragged shadows
Buoyed up on combing waves
Pushed out with each surge of wind.
--------------------------------------
Starlight is defamed
comets swallow their own tails
time folds entropy
shadows not now reflected
all applause rendered to void
In the vanishing
I stand stripped of flesh and bone
naked to atone
as a soul in reckoning
for what I've become, not done
GOLDEN AUTUMN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
golden leaves descend,
whisper tales of summer,
sun-kissed memories.
cool, gentle breeze carries them,
to earth, a gilded slumber.
asteroids descend
lava erupts from below
flood waters sweep clean
leaving traces of its stay
for wildfires to have its way
Glass vial brimming
with distilled desire waiting
to be vaporized
on warm skin to fire the want
with scent of blooming flowers
Hollow taint remains
a genie swirls from the rub
whiff evaporates
hope lingers in the remnants
of what the genie scent sang
SEEDLINGS*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
new dreams grow from seeds
each one a future blossom
delicate yet strong
nestled in mind’s fertile soil
creativity enhances
*Note: This poem was originally written for and published at WriterMonk for its Poesy and Poise contest: Dreams are Seeds of Inspiration, June 28, 2025. This is my original poem.
Specific Types of Tanka Poems
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Definition | What is Tanka in Poetry?