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This is my playground for poetry written for children with ideas and inspiration for writing your own poems. Come on in. Sit for a spell, have a cup of words to swirl around and make your own cup of poetry. I'm so glad you are here. I hope you'll find the Kingdom of Poetry a fun place to be.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

TANKA



new moon,      a dark time
searching firefly can't find
an answering flash
a single frog by the stream 
haunts my night with his croaking

     I thought I'd try another tanka for today's poem.  A tanka is a syllabic poem like a haiku.
It starts with the 5-7-5 pattern and adds two more 7 syllable lines.  So it is 5-7-5-7-7.  Unlike haiku that is a nature poem, tankas are poems about love.  They were called pillow poems because in early Japan women would write the poems and leave them on their lover's pillow.Would you like to try writing a tanka today? Have a great Saturday. 


Children's Poetry Can Help You See.

10 comments:

  1. Aw! Those are sad love poems! I do like the tanka format. May have to try one later today. Laundry first. Poetry second.

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    1. Forget the laundry. Poetry is a lot more fun.

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  2. I like this form as well. I especially like our second and third lines about the firefly. Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Yes, thanks, Rosi. I keep wondering if the bees and butterflies are decreasing in number is it true for fireflies too? I miss them. We don't see fireflies in Tucson.

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  3. Joy,
    It's sad when we don't find our match. Thank goodness for love!

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    1. Yes, you did it again, Linda. You told me you got it. Thank you.

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  4. Hello, Joy. I enjoy your blog. It is filled withgreat poetry.

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    1. Joan, your heart is filled with goodness. Thank you for sharing yourself with the rest of us.

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  5. Nicely done! I also enjoyed your lanturne...I'd seen it the other day, but for some reason, my comment didn't post. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

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    1. Thanks, Matt. Hope the parents are doing better. I had a great weekend. Went caving and saw a bobcat, celebrated my birthday, sold two poems, heard from you--life doesn't get much better. I'm trying to say YES.

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