Tanka for dVerse

lillian

waves crash in full tide
rush starts at epicenter
full moon excitement
night’s passion touched rekindled
we lie in sweet exhaustion

Toni hosts the bar at dVerse today (bar opens at 3 PM) and asks us to write a Tanka, a Japanese form of poetry comprised of five lines with the following syllabic count: 5-7-5-7-7. This form is older than the haiku, first appearing in the 8th century!  There is no punctuation, no capitalization, and no title. Third line is a cutting or pivot line. The first two lines examine an image and the final two lines are a personal response. Tankas were considered a “female” form, written more by females than males and were often sensuous. Photos from Bermuda.

41 thoughts on “Tanka for dVerse”

  1. kanzensakura August 18, 2016 / 12:49 pm

    Lovely and quietly sensual at the end. Oh those crashing waves! I love the photos of Bermuda.

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    • lillian August 18, 2016 / 2:27 pm

      September 10 we leave for Provincetown on Cape Cod — different ocean — beautiful still. Glad you liked this one.

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      • kanzensakura August 18, 2016 / 3:14 pm

        Nice trip! You folk certainly go to a lot of interesting places!

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  4. Candy August 18, 2016 / 4:46 pm

    this beautifully depicted that moment of passion – *sigh*

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    • lillian August 18, 2016 / 5:29 pm

      Thanks, Candy. Love is in the air — um, I think that’s from the old Loveboat theme song? Perfect for the waves, right? 🙂

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      • Candy August 18, 2016 / 5:35 pm

        Oh no, now I’m humming the Love Boat theme song 😉

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  5. Karen August 18, 2016 / 4:47 pm

    How complicated! I’m amazed you can do this. And every day!

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    • lillian August 18, 2016 / 5:28 pm

      Well, not quite every day — I’m slipping a bit! But I do enjoy the morning reading and writing!

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    • lillian August 18, 2016 / 5:27 pm

      Well I’ve never had a poem whistled at!!! 🙂 Smiling I am with such romance in the air!

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  7. kim881 August 18, 2016 / 5:03 pm

    Your tanka evoked an image of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity.

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    • lillian August 18, 2016 / 5:26 pm

      Oh my — I am old enough to recall that very very romantic image! It had tongues wagging in the day 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this one — and such a lovely lovely compliment you’ve given it! 🙂

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  8. Grace August 18, 2016 / 5:27 pm

    I admire the twist to the full moon excitement ~ Such a passionate write Lillian ~

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    • lillian August 18, 2016 / 5:30 pm

      Ah the full moon — what it does to those waves and love 🙂

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  10. Josslyn Rae Turner August 18, 2016 / 6:30 pm

    Lovely! ❤

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      • Josslyn Rae Turner August 20, 2016 / 1:38 pm

        You’re welcome! 🙂

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  11. Truedessa August 18, 2016 / 8:32 pm

    beautiful, the crashing waves and tides of emotion, water to me is very sensual

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    • lillian August 20, 2016 / 12:05 pm

      So glad you enjoyed! Many great responses to this prompt!

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  13. Raivenne August 18, 2016 / 9:53 pm

    “we lie in sweet exhaustion” I saw the photos and thought *afterglow* before I read your perfectly sensual words.

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  14. Bodhirose August 18, 2016 / 11:56 pm

    There’s something about crashing waves and a full moon that can bring out the passion in most anyone I think! Love your sensuous tanka, Lillian.

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  15. Barry D August 19, 2016 / 3:14 pm

    Beautiful. Loved the juxtaposition of the tide’s urgent power with the exhausted aftermath of the night’s passion.

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