Happy Thursday! Our 21st poetry form is the Tanka, an ancient Japanese poetry form consisting of five lines with the syllable sequence: 5/7/5/7/7 for a total of 31 syllables. The word Tanka, means “little song” and was often presented as one continuous line or stream of thought. The modern American version breaks the tanka into 5 separate lines.

7th century nobles in the Japanese Imperial court engaged in tanka writing competitions and it was also a popular form of love note given to partner after an evening spent together.

Tankas can be written about any topic and should also contain an emotional element. It is not necessary to give a Tanka poem a title.

I woke to birdsong
between cool silken bedsheets
still damp from our tryst,
hoping to glimpse you sleeping
but you had already gone.

~kat – 21 April 2016