my midnight callerI see you through the peepholeafter our quarrelI swear not to let you inas my hand turns the doorknob
Issue 8
48 tanka by 40 poets, from Tanka Journal’s free online edition.
Also in print
Issue 8 in paperback
This issue was printed by Prolific Press. Copies are still available in the bookstore.
Buy the paperbackcafe on the squarequite alone at our tableI reach for your handthen reality—my loveI’ll be along soon enough
birch stands autumn rawcracked ivory skin nakednow trepidationwords etched in India inkworld seen through a poet's eyes
my eyes still sought sleepdreams of too-quick velvet nightstime is relativeif the sun ever does sleepare its dreams mirrored in dawn?
a litter-strewn ditchcould not choke this hardy plant;the fen ragwort bloomsto outlive we polluters;a golden emblem of hope
in complete trustthe boy’s prize hog almost smilesas he walks to doomand the farmer rolls his pricedeeper into his pocket
Tears flow down our cheeks,laughter crazy contagious.Then a foolish joke--the mood suddenly somber,joy vanquished in an eyeblink.
Strangers meet in bed,bodies primed for quick relief.Lust engenders love--roses bloom in desert sand,suns explode in nightime skies.
Silver tide draws inSunlight gently paints the sceneGull shrieks on the breezeTrailed by dancing crisp packetsReverie sadly broken
Silk skims her shouldersPlayful eyes display her truthVirtue uncoveredApple offered by the suitorPleasure filled red lips move slow
While I cry, you sleepCut the grass, pack your boxesOur love a ribbonYou cut with impunityLike a zip tie on your wrist
Forgiveness has failedAppeals to solid reasonWartime blazes nowYour silence is like a roarHearts close off remembered lies
Buds thrust forth then leavescome fast in early April,like hatching birdies,once they’ve broken through the shellof winter, they race to fledge.
Doting bluebird bringsone flecked fledgling to feeder.He flies very well.They light beside the meal worms.She spoils, stuffs worms in his mouth.
First Letter:Severed clean the bondsWithered root left us to holdSorrow, longing, rageScream Your Name at blur'd mirrorCome back! Your sons, wife, and friendsReply Letter:So severed the linkCut loose earthy encumbranceRelease, Freedom, PeaceSacred source returningBeyond call, dark eternal
always be happy…a thought scrawled in a yearbookby a boy long deadwho will be forever smilingsearching for his future
articulatinga rapacious agenda,contractor’s backhoe;displaced artists stand, silent,their lofts reduced to rubble
Above honking soundsIn makeshift rooftop gardensTiny lights far awayProvide luminous questionsTo my limited eyesight.
Wounded black-backed gullHides amid tallest sea grassKnows others will comeOn predatory missionLacking flight, he waits.
Like an upthrust thorn,A cry rises from far canyonsStill blue with shadow.Wrapped in lean vines of yelps.It commands the new day’s hunt.
First Letter:Dulcinea truePlaying with words in the skyDiamonds for namesDragon's flames test the foolsSoliloquy of soldiersReply Letter:Quixote indeedPuzzles for rhymes of intrigueDaggers for gamesDamsels chase swords to playSojourner's heroic song
The televisionBreaks the silence, spewing noiseA chaotic mixOf lights, pictures, and soundSlowly rotting my brain cells
they told me honeywas sweet, and that was the truthbut for every drophoneybees died while tryingto protect themselves from you
you walk towards menight surrounds this reunionmoonlight graces your skinyour starlight extends to meyour touch in my galaxy
undulating wavesawaken dim memoriesprimeval heartbeatocean assails the sensesfilling the voids of my soul
backlit morning suntranslucent beryl green skysultry summer heatlow distant growl of thunderheralds an approaching storm
uprooted pebbles,lost, tumbling in rolling tide,caught in the current --newfound lovers swept away,seeking sanctuary shore
seagulls saunteringacross the linen canvasshores out of my reach –my weakened soul comfortedseeing the world through her eyes
remembering warredcoats parade in full dressoutside my windowa corps of scarlet poppieschalices brim-full of blood
tea beyond a fenceFujisan in distant cloudsI gazed far and breathedthen plucked fragrant tiny leavesbrought them home to my mother
childhood friends and gamessounds of windchimes kites that soarFujisan in memorythe joyful times I recallthough I'm far they feel so near*
Waking from a dreamAttempting to rememberThoughts recede quicklyOnly swirling memoriesLeave patterns of confusion
Another autumn Japanese maple flaming brief luminescence So little time left to read So little time left to write
full moon shiningon the east wallall is quietonly the fan marksthe pace of time
Keep that stove door shutLet the embers dance insideSteel heat machineRefined victory in ashTrue triumph in destruction
Blaring metal, sharpNoxious vapors rise aboveFields of red rustMountains of red dust gatherShoots grow from polluted mud
The dark clouds rumbleat war with the sky aboveThe sun is hiddenmaybe being protectedfrom the harsh world underneath
Homemade lemonadeTingling and mouth numbingWith a hint of sweetSugar sunk to the bottomStings every cut but worth it
Silicon CastlesAll that virtual powerIf nothing is realWhat do we do afterwards?After the servers go down
a fly in a webthe spider scurries to foodthe fly is eatena bird eats the spider wholeand leaves the web bare and dull.
Heading OutThe mountain stands tallWhite snow draped across the topA lone hiker standsAt the base ready to goInto the unknown forest
Street lights look so warmI could watch them foreverYou said you liked itWhen the darkness was brokenBy the street light and the moon
In the dark of night,The train wails its lonely callScreaming awfullyIt shakes the ground it roamsGone again to unknown lands
I've stumbled through lifeI walk on not knowing whyYet somehow I liveStriving to change my own worldI cast out thoughts to make change
freezing winter dayraft of Common Goldeneyedive in unisonaquatic invertebratescoastal cuisine for dinner
I’m one of the kidsnot respected by parents,but thought highly ofby angels and devils—allflying, invisible brutes.
Mom still in my phoneseven years after her deathmissing her now, stillI tap her number and hearher voice mingling with the rings
Sweet scented May BellsUnder lilac's shade blossomBell shaped jewels, lucent whiteA bed of violets creeps closeIn vernal companionship
Issue 8
Poets in this issue
- Kelly Sauvage Angel1
- Michele Baron1
- Lauren Berard1
- Jeffrey Cooper2
- Matthew Cowles2
- Tim Dadswell1
- Jessica Renee Dawson1
- Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo1
- Melanie Duppins1
- Mary Crane Fahey1
- Michael Flanagan2
- Monica Flegg1
- MaryEllen Gambutti2
- Mukund Gnanadesikan2
- Shasta Hatter1
- Savannah Johnson1
- Cynthia Kaserkie1
- Jessica Van De Kemp1
- Iris Lee1
- Terry Macrae1
- Carl Maier1
- Nakai Mckenzie1
- Bill Melton2
- Maya Messenger1
- Grace Neff1
- AJ Padron1
- Christa Planko1
- Justine Poor1
- Melissa Robinson1
- Blue Rogers1
- Angela Sargent1
- Wesley Sims2
- Tina Stickles1
- DJ Tyrer1
- Robert Walton1
- Nells Wasilewski2
- Gabriel Weller1
- Ethan Williams1
- Makenzie Williamson1
- Mantz Yorke1