In the light of day
many things are clearer now—
I can see their shapes;
but it isn’t just my eyes
that I’m using to perceive.

*     *     *

If you were to seek
something outside of yourself
with an open mind,
you might possibly receive
insight that you’d always sought.

*     *     *

(The following three Tanka were composed during a trip to Flagstaff, Arizona June 23-26, 2014)

On a summer day
strolling unfamiliar paths
of a college town,
Suddenly came flooding back
thoughts of my own eighteenth year.

*     *     *

A cool breeze through trees,
the scent of Ponderosa,
wildflowers too—
nature’s vistas open up
filling me inside with joy.

*     *     *

Bright and colorful
masterworks of agèd hands
old-time Kachinas
lovingly reveal a past
when gods helped their people thrive.

*     *     *

On June 18, I gave a brief presentation and reading on Tanka poetry at The Golden Pen Writers Guild and then we took it on for our weekly homework. I used my first Tanka above as an example of the form. — dpk

© 2014 Douglas P. Kendrick, all rights reserved