It has been an absolute pleasure for me to collect these tanka for Songbirds Online. Everyone who submitted paid close attention to the rhythm and aesthetics of this genre. Thus, I had a most difficult time even choosing “one” Editor’s Favorite, albeit this first tanka came as close as possible (in my opinion) to representing a poetically stellar English language tanka.
Editor’s Favorite
the ups and downs
of pain from an affliction
how days unroll news
and news spreading news
into grief this wilting rose
Alan Summers, England
This tanka is by a true “songbird”, Alan Summers who has captured the true essence of the short song rhythm. It’s definitely one that could have been composed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge the poet credited with founding the Romanticism movement in England. Alan’s words conceptually evoke the pathos of existence which is characterized by a sense of angst, a frequently used key poetic device in Japanese poetry forms, especially in tanka.
Editor's Choice
the straight line
of two white egrets
arrowing
across a sky-blue sky …
quo vadis, quo vadis
Amelia Fielden, Australia
My Editor's Choice is by Amelia Fielden, a well recognized and respcted tanka poet who has made many trips to Japan. Her use of “straight lines” and “arrowing” set the scene for the “two egrets”. She continues with the repetition of “a sky-blue-sky” which makes the tanka lilt. The rhythm of this tanka is a fine example, and the long last line is a clever use of Latin, rather than just saying “where are you going”.
Thank you to all who submitted and I know each of you will find your favorite and most admired tanka from the other fine works below.
an ex-marine
and peace activist
speaks of death
while apple trees flower
bright crimson behind him
Jerome Berglund, USA
white blossoms
falling on green fields—
quiet moments
across our lake the cry
of returning cranes
Christina Chin, MY
in the midst
of these winter blues
I search
for you to find me
under a spotlight moon
C.X. Turner, UK
how the ocean
tide pulls out dreams—
sleep dancing
between the rise and fall
of a summer moon
Melanie Alberts, USA
lake’s edge
the repeated lap
of waves
go up and down
the heron's leg
Ram Chandran, India
shadows falling
on the wall behind the fan
quite naturally
you are always there
for me in the background
Kathy Kituai, Australia
hearing
honks of migrating geese
I yearn
to follow them until
part of me disappears
Jo Balistreri, USA
preening lovebirds
in the magazine
ancient secrets
I keep close to my heart
about how he treated me
Pris Campbell, USA
sitting alone
the gentle summer breeze
caresses my face
how often I mistake it
for the touch of your hand
Mona Bedi, India
I can’t accept
anything less than
all your love
… 360 degrees
of a lighthouse beacon
Susan Burch, USA
excited by
her talk about wabisabi
in old things—
I tire of wallowing
in my own melancholy
Anne Curran, NZ
dawn shakes
her sleep-mussed hair
at first light
the outback sky suffused
with glorious colours
Marilyn Humbert, Australia
even today
when a flower falls
in my palm
I still dance to your
once spoken ardent word
Richa Sharma, India
midlife crisis
at the dealership
his next red car ...
lightly salted popcorn
on the showroom floor
Roberta Beach Jacobson, USA
stubble field—
all my loves mown down
like wheat
only the skylark remains
to sing about them
Aljoša Vuković, Croatia
dream-incited
I awake with a start
to her promise
sleeping together once
more before we depart
R.K. Singh, India
empty shells
left on the shelf
and pebbles
that have taken
someone’s fancy
Mark Gilbert, UK
nocturnal chorus
a cacophony of croaks
and deafening rain
I have come to realize
how still the sound inside me
Lakshmi Iyer, India
fallen leaves
scatter their colours
on the sidewalk
my shadow covers
that final glow
Daniela Misso, Italy
the campfire ...
an unending static
between us
a few sparks escape
and ignite my heart
Mona Bedi, India
watching raindrops
merge on the window pane
forming streaks ...
how quickly my day
slips into the humdrum
Jackie Chou, USA
your rhythms
script my prose of life
so intimate
aroma to a flower
the anthology of our love
Pravat Kumar Padhy, India
grey winds
a tender sapling
in spasms
standing its ground
against all odds
Elancharan Gunasekaran, Singapore
fluttering
butterfly wings
your eyes—
I miss a few
of my heartbeats …
Ram Chandran, India
his lies
like a flooding river
overwhelm
everything in its path
… do I stay or leave
Marilyn Humbert, Australia
his face
just an inch from mine
ahhhhh ...
all the things we feel
with our eyes closed
Vandana Parashar, India
happy waking
to calls from water-fowl
and the pling pling
of an incoming text
from someone who loves me
Amelia Fielden, Australia
evening wind
the rustle of dry leaves
in giant trees ...
this eases the weight
of my heavy thoughts
Mallika Chari, India
it is decided!
in the rhythm of my heart
singing goldfinch
a letter in my hands
brings me tears of joy
Sonja Kokotović, Croatia
the green promise
of a new relationship
this fluttering
of malachite butterflies
between sun and shadow
Debbie Strange, Canada
the sad song
of a yellow canary
in an empty room
I pack dad's warm clothes
into his old suitcase
Mircea Moldovan, România
I stand weeping
at my father’s grave
regrettable
my callous acceptance
of a more privileged life
Keitha Keyes, Australia
olive harvest
our voices overpowered
by the whistling
love song of a happy
red-winged blackbird
Željko Vojković, Croatia
ironing
creases on clothes
she folds
her ceaseless thoughts
into the suitcase
Amoolya Kamalnath, India
in a single line
determined deer ascend
the silvery hill ...
on the crest a proud stag
romances the moon
Barbara A Taylor, Australia
the silent lap
of a stone buddha …
two geckos
seeking nirvana
in a tight embrace
Milan Rajkumar, India
is it just the chase
or will you be here after
to hang up your spurs …
the smooth lope of betrayal
as I watch you ride away
Claire Vogel Camargo, USA
the full moon
and silence around me
I feel longing ...
the paths in front of me
lanes of autumn butterflies
Dubravko Korbus, Croatia
a big scoop
of the moon topped up
with stardust
and crushed hailstones …
midnight cravings without you
Vani Sathyanarayan, India
putting on
my new glasses
it’s clear now
that you were never
going to stay
Susan Burch, USA
an autumn wind
carries the last leaves
farther away—
just your old letters
still warming my soul
Mirela Brăilean, România
the rain-wet rose
of a belated blossom
in December
frost adorns its petals
with silvery lace
Slavica Sarkotić, Croatia
wind's magic
countless pink petals
whirl in the alley
skitter up the street
inviting me to dance
Susan Weaver, USA
sometimes I miss
quiet winter isolation
by the fireplace
the cat purring on my lap
and books by my armchair
Djurdja Vukelić Rozić, Croatia
the subtle swings
of my pensive mood
lost in love songs
my heart still swoons
to your eyebrow arches
R. Suresh Babu, India
snowflakes
still hanging onto
willow sprouts
I turn my ear toward
the whistle of a thrush
David He, China
as pretty as
an ornamental starfish
the girl who
skims her treasure across
the waves at low tide
Anne Curran, NZ
southerly wind
scattered dots of birds
across the sky
she remembers no names
only the notes of their songs
Iliyana Stoyanova, UK
a honey bee
left sitting on the last rose
its fragrance
and all petals suddenly
taken away by the wind
Zrinka Supek Andrijević, Croatia
I watch you
in the morning mirror
carefully
paint your face
into someone I know
Gavin Austin, Australia
a cold train
rolling down endless rails
our divorce
the sound of raindrops
in this silence of farewell
Dimitrij Škrk, Slovenia
rocks & runes
around the mountain’s
ocean track
the waves of missing
waves of your leaving
Jenny Fraser, NZ
on the writing desk
in a corner of my room
this slip of paper
from a fortune cookie
has all the words I need
Marcie Wessels, USA
a ruddy bush
touched by the breath of autumn
catches my eye
what short-lived beauty
on an eternal circle
Gordana Kurović, Croatia
wings flutter
a learner dove lands
on our porch
cooing softly, I place it
back into the nest
Neena Singh, India
refugee dreaming
in her native language
finch footprints
carve their cuneiforms
into a frozen pond
Judit Hollos, Hungary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haiku Section
Editor’s Choice
serrated
a cockerel comb
sunrise
Mike Gallagher, Ireland
I can only say (in my opinion), this 5-word zen style haiku by Mike, is “really a powerful and new “aha” way to see the sunrise”, through the profile of that “cockerel’s comb”! It shows that without over-padding a haiku with syllables, and keeping it simple, works …
Editor's Choice
midnight train
the curlew’s call
even louder
Marilyn Humbert, Australia
Another fine and unique "aha" ending to this one where Marilyn Humbert from Australia lets us hear the curlew's call over the noise of a passing train. Marilyn also gives us repeating "c" sounds in her line 2. Thank you to all who submitted haiku.
until long
after your departure
mourning doves
Neena Singh, India
empty nest …
the only promise left
of next summer
Barry Smith, NZ
pattering rain ...
the number of bubbles
in a sea wave
Djurdja Vukelić Rozić, Croatia
sidewalk art—
two long steps over
the rainbow
Silva Trstenjak, Croatia
an offering
riding on the breeze
a betel leaf
Vibha Malhotra, India
a poem mood
in the bushes and treetops—
pro bono
Aleksandar Košeto, Croatia
a broken kite
on the windswept beach—
cottage for sale
Elaine Whitman, USA
windy corner
a frail figure stoops over
buckets of sweet peas
Sheila Barksdale, UK
a honey bee
stealing the attention
at our church mass
Josipa Braut, Croatia
stargazing
the mind answers
most questions
Ernesto P. Santiago, Philippines
from the dustbin
a homeless man and a fly
feasting together
Sanja Domenuš, Sisak, Croatia
after the storm
a roofless house fills
with moonlight
Ravi Kiran, India
springtime…
the song within
birdsong
Ed Bremson, USA
fungi life—
the photographer looks
for good light
Danijela Grbelja, Croatia
raining leaves …
the last butterfly lost
in the crowd
Don Baird, USA
a fallen leaf
on my welcome mat
I let it in
Mona Iordan, România
see how the morning
unstraps itself from moon glow
chorus of bird songs
Gillena Cox, Trinidad
getting bigger
the sky through the plum tree
deepening autumn
Govind Joshi, India
loud chirps—
maple leaves hiding
the singer
Nada Jačmenica, Croatia
dawn combo
the pop of my porridge
with birdsong
Adjei Agyei-Baah, Ghana/New Zealand
autumn leaves
gathering ...
parting
Sankara Jayanth Sudanagunta, India
graveyard visit
smoke from her match rises
in cold drizzle
Michael Lindenhofer, Austria
kite flying
the journey back
to childhood
Uchechukwu Onyedikam, Nigeria
summer’s end
swallows on the wing
beaks at full stretch
Tony Williams, Scotland UK
rolling rolling
the colony of ants roll
a fallen apple
Rajka Andelić Maslovarić, Croatia
poppies at dusk
in my dream, he says yes
the boy lost to war
Richa Sharma, India
winter bathing
a bumblebee tucks
into grass
Jenny Fraser, NZ
first camellia
so close to the ground
so at peace
Tzetzka Ilieva, USA
great stillness
over the battlefield …
then lark song
Marta Chocilowska, Poland
upside down
blues matching mine
winter nuthatch
Luminita Suse, Canada
old gravestone
a crow shadows
the carved name
Pris Campbell, USA
every gust
a shower of red leaves
every gust
Meera Rehm, UK
sunset fields—
a flock of pigeons
takes flight
Mona Bedi, India
hurricane’s far edge
rifling through my wool sweater
the wind spins a hole
Shelli Jankowski, USA
late summer ...
all dandelions await
the right wind
Daniela Rodi, Finland
a velvet-red rose
the sun’s energy rays
multiplies its thorns
Dakota Williams, USA
world news
tansies freckle our way
with light
Debbie Strange, Canada
mackerel clouds
whipbirds loudly alert
each other
Barbara A Taylor, Australia
tree pruning
the blackbird searches for
his favourite branch
Julie Adamson, NZ
temple visit …
the pooja basket heavy
with hopes and wishes
Kavitha Sreeraj, India
fog lifts
over the sea strand
steeping tea
Neal Whitman, USA
white cumulus clouds
white lilies of the valley …
an all-white English spring
Anna Maria Mickiewicz, Great Britain
translating
the language of rain—
blackbird’s song
Adele Evershed, USA
slim moon …
admiring the old cat’s
appetite
Keiko Izawa, Japan
chalk doodles
along the sidewalk
wildflowers
Joseph P. Wechselberger, USA
another winter ...
this oleander tree too
is bent all the time
Sankara Jayanth Sudanagunta, India
cackling winds
lake effect witch hats
hushed by ice
peterB, USA
island causeway—
a summer tide washes out
the bridge of stars
Pippa Phillips, USA
dawn chimney
a hooded crow steals the dregs
of last night's heat
Mike Gallagher, Ireland
surprise rain
autumn colors flowing
to the sea
Eavonka Ettinger, USA
park bench
the quiet spot found beside
a spring crow
Elancharan Gunasekaran, Singapore
care home window
the songbirds are counted
as visitors too
Tony Williams, Scotland UK
calm bay waters
splashing pelicans
stir up trouble
Elaine Whitman, USA
mom's garden
goldfinches devouring
bits of cosmos
Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro
baby's breath bouquet
rooted among the walkway
my children grown-gone
Dakota Williams, USA
dawn beats
the eternal shine
of dew
Ernesto P. Santiago, Philippines
a lone crow ...
its eyes are full
of autumn
Dubravko Korbus, Croatia
gnarled apples
forgotten orchard
feeding deer
C.X. Turner, UK
a stroke of wind
brushes across the sky
horse now a whale
petro c. k., USA
literary day—
a goldfinch compensates
for bad poetry
Aljoša Vuković, Croatia
autumn dusk …
rotting lemon thrown
in the dustbin
Bipasha Majumder, India
too late for frost
too early for the mud
a smell of peat
Neal Whitman, USA
the matriarch leads
her herd of elephants
puddle to puddle
Keitha Keyes, Australia
the ringing of bells
an echo of blessings
over a mountain
Gordana Kurtović, Croatia
fetal ultrasound—
when shadows move apart
the baby's smile
Silva Trstenjak, Croatia
cradled
in the curve of a pine
blood moon
Joseph P. Wechselberger, USA
old scarecrow
with a new hat—
hunting style
Štefanija Ludvig, Croatia
sipping
the winter moon—
a mushroom
Vani Sathyanarayan, India
just bloomed rose—
the butterfly lands gently
on a petal
Vladimir Ludvig, Croatia
a call to roost
each rook gathering
yet another rook
Alan Summers, England
harvest moon—
a cicada chorus
rubs my nerves
Don Baird, USA
unmindful
of the effect on me
a singing thrush
Vandana Parashar, India
spring's arrival
new life awakes like
never before
Maid Čorbić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
hill country—
I trace the curvatures
on a toad’s back
Chris Langer, USA
morning field—
grasshoppers jump over
sleeping refugees
Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria
the wartime …
a soldier from the tank
watches pigeons in flight
Gordana Vlašić, Croatia
passing storm
i touch a rainbow
on a rose chafer
Meera Rehm UK
alarm clock
the Koel’s coos pour
into my cup
Minal Sarosh, India
feeling the wren's song
unfurled from a great distance
my own folded wings
Shelli Jankowski-Smith, USA
mountain trek
my name heard among
bleating sheep
Adjei Agyei-Baah, Ghana/New Zealand
river's bend
a robin's cry fills
the willow
David He, China
winter dusk
crows screaming insults
each to each
Susan Nordmark, USA
ahead of me
a rabbit leads the way
fallen leaves
Jenny Pratt, NZ
to the last leaf
a fig tree by my window
keeps autumn colors
Nevenka Erman, Žminj, Croatia
crossing
the eye of the storm
rogue wave
Cynthia Anderson, USA
spring cleaning
the dust of winter dreams
leave the dream-catcher
Dubravko Korbus, Croatia
misty daydream
Vikings land on the shore
of my childhood
Michael Dudley, Canada
Good Friday
at the end of our procession
first swallows
Mihovila Ceperić-Biljan, Croatia
night nursery—
through a sleepless window
tiny stars
Robert Witmer, Japan
autumn day
chestnuts being taken
by squirrels
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams, USA
thawing pond
a frog croaks once
and naps again
Charles Harper, Japan
the froth
atop my morning coffee—
tui song
Margaret Beverland, NZ
a pinecone
high above still water …
lets go
Vibha Malhotra, India
moving on
from barely to plenty
hummingbirds
Luminita Suse, Canada
train whistle
the loneliness
of old age
Maureen Sudlow, NZ
broken cloud
the golden seams
of sunset
Gavin Austin, Australia
the sparrow
lands on a bush before …
firecrackers
Gordana Vlasić, Croatia
afternoon—
spider silk bridging the tree
and the vine
Govind Joshi, India
closed window—
only light shines through
the settled dust
Dimitrij Škrk, Slovenia
fountain
my pocket full
of wishes
Birk Andersson, Sweden
one sunbeam
after another—
cat napping
Eavonka Ettinger, USA
nice neighborhood—
they intertwine their boughs
a cherry and walnut tree
Vilma Knezević, Croatia
bottlebrush in bloom …
about the red flower spikes
birds busy themselves
Rob McKinnon, South Australia
earthworm
my breath curls, curls
and uncurls
Minal Sarosh, India
mountain temple
a bag of chestnuts
from the priest
Keiko Izawa, Japan
early blackbirds
giving color to the garden
still without snow
Michael Lindenhofer, Austria
climbing beans
with the help of two poles
and a staircase
Marija Maretić, Croatia
false dawn
a purple martin’s chortle
out of tune
Judit Hollos, Hungary
chirping—
maple leaves hiding
the singer
Nada Jačmenica, Croatia
blackbird´s song
the first snowflakes to land
on a rusty fence
Mircea Moldovan, România
sparrow
carolling
me home*
Helen Buckingham, UK
dark mountain path
lost sheep witness their shepherd’s
transfiguration*
Richard Arriaga, USA
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