Welcome to the Tanka Tuesday Poetry Recap featuring the work of poets from around the globe. If you would like to participate in this challenge, you can learn the rules in the menu item called Colleen’s Weekly Tanka Tuesday Guidelines.
POETRY NEWS: Poetry Contests & Journal Submissions
Currently, UHTS is accepting poetry for the Autumn Issue of the Cattails Journal. Submissions for Autumn/ October issue open 1st July (midnight) GMT and close 15th August (midnight) GMT. Read the submission requirements: HERE. You can view the journal HERE. READ the UHTS poetry definitions that are acceptable for submission HERE.
UHTS also is sponsoring the “Fleeting Words” Tanka Competition. Submission Period and Deadline: May 1-August 15 of each year. There is a 10 poem limit on the number of submissions. If more than 10 poems are submitted, only the first 10 poems will be entered. Entries must be the original work of the author, be previously unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere for the entire time period it takes to complete the judging. Click HERE for submission requirements and read carefully to find the current competition.
I’m still having issues with WordPress – It takes a bare minimum of two tries to get your links to take in the editor. In addition, when I grab your poem from your emails many of your poems come across as “Headings” in the new Gutenberg editor. That means each line has to be manually changed into a paragraph and centered on the post. Until we all use the same Editor on WordPress, I don’t see this issue improving.
This is the final week I will be featuring all the poems in the recap
Because of this issue, and due to time constraints (I’m novel writing), starting next week, I will ONLY include the Poet of the Week, and the Honorable Mention(s) in the Recap. You won’t be required to email me your poems any longer. I will visit your poems from the links on the challenge post, and encourage everyone else to do the same. Thank you. <3
Thank you for jumping through hoops this year as we struggled together to find a workable solution to the Recap. Thanks for understanding. <3
The Poet of the Week will be published in the 2019 Poet of the Week Anthology, which everyone will be able to grab as a FREE PDF in January 2020.
Each week, I like to highlight a poet who I call the Poet of the Week, who has shared an exceptional message, or shown impassioned creativity through words or form. Poetry is all about perception, so don’t be shocked if you don’t feel the same way about a poem that I do.
This week, I’ve chosen Sue Vincent as the Poet of the Week. Her Tanka, called “Whispering,” really captured the meaning of the prompt words. Her accompanying photos, which are quite haunting – along with her words, gave me goosebumps! All in a good way. She tapped into something primal! This poem is a true Tanka and can be read forward and backward. Excellent!
The Honorable Mention this week goes to The Dark Netizen, for his Senryu, called “Human Nature,” which really conjured up images of the prompt words, kind and shift. Many of us touched on this same subject. We all need more kindness in the world! Not sure about the difference between a Senryu vs. a Haiku? Click HERE.
HERE’S WHO JOINED US LAST WEEK FOR THE POETRY CHALLENGE USING SYNONYMS FOR
“kind & shift” , #Tanka by Keerthi Ramesh Iyer
dawn awakes soft warmth
blushes in sweet pink and red
horizon paves change
embrace the giving light
tearful prayers of hope
***
“Compassion,” #Tanka by Ritu Bhathal
An alteration
In attitude will bring
About compassion
We all need to change the way
That we act and see the world
***
“Before,” #Cinquain by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
Before
I was someone
I didn’t want to be
I was sad, lost, and invisible
I changed
Before
I became strong
I knew what it was like
to be weak and undeserving
I changed
***
“Beach Bum,” #Haiku by Donna Matthews
affable beach bum
spurning frenetic movement
soaking up sunshine
***
“To Better Understand,” #Etheree by Sally Cronin
It
is most
genial
to meet someone
who is of like mind,
and who influences
us to explore and to change
the perspective we have of life,
so that we can better understand
how we are all connected together.
***
“Crazy Bug,” #Haiku by Traci Kenworth
The nature of
Family, a crazy bug
Their stretch endless.
***
“A Helping Hand,” #Haiku by Dave Madden
Sometime, you get stuck.
A helping hand can change things,
Getting you on track.
***
“Spirit Lingering,” #Shadorma by H. R. R. Gorman
Down she treads
In ivory chemise,
Steps muted.
The spirit puts
Her pale lips
To the sleeping babe’s forehead,
Wishes gentle sleep.
***
“Nice Try,” #Etheree by Annette Rochelle Aben
Eyes
Rolled twice
About face
FORWARD MARCH, now
We don’t tolerate
That TYPE of behavior
Young lady, you know better
Than to lick all the chocolate
From the raisin and peanut candies
And then put them back in the covered dish
***
“Whispering,” #Tanka by Sue Vincent
Consciousness wavers
Ancient kindred whispering
Silent secrets shared
To know with other senses
Understanding of the heart
***
“Black Diaphanous Horses,” #Tanka by M. J. Mallon
Such a breed they are
Like no other you will see
Transformed from shadows
Wicked horses galloping
Are they real or devil’s dream?
***
“The Heat Breaks,” #Shadorma by Kerfe Roig
sky clouds rain–
suddenly letting
go, transformed–
drunk vortex,
mélange of thunder swirling–
spilling wind water
***
“To Be the River,” #Butterfly #Cinquain by Linda Lee Lyberg
Subtle
nature’s movement
when deep dark rivers glide
through rolling hills and lush valleys
tranquil
smooth stones buried in shifting sand
Oh! to be the river
to understand
life’s flow.
***
“Human Nature,” #Senryu by The Dark Netizen
If Humans Were More
Caring, We Could Change This World,
And Make It Better…
***
“Shift & Kind,” #Etheree by Anita Dawes
My
Loving
Father said
You have it all
Move your thoughts forward
Plan your life your own way
Make as many changes you need
I felt my father’s gentle whisper
With his help, I became the butterfly…
***
“Beware,” #Tanka by Willow Willers
What type of weather
Has this earth’s moved its axis
Climate upside down
Be caring of our planet
Don’t cover it in granite.
***
“Milk of Human Kindness,” #Butterfly #Cinquain by Jane Dougherty
What breed
is ours that stirs
only when our little
cup over-flows though death stalks for
others?
Evil grows banal and we watch
with bored indifference
as the red tide
rises.
***
“Late Afternoon Weeding,” #Haibun #Tanka by Frank J. Tassone
Mira has the green thumb, not me. The cool of the late afternoon comes upon us at last. The humidity remains constant; that is the one thing we did not miss out west! Still, She decides it’s a better time to weed than during the prime heat of the day.
She fills her pine basket with the first round. One grunt, and the intruders strangling her flowers come up, roots and all. She hums as she works. Meanwhile, grasshoppers chirp on, a cicada sounds off, and sporadic birdsongs abound beside a central Air Condition’s constant drone.
Under her care, our flower and vegetable gardens have a chance. The backyard critters will be so happy.
descending sun
and a gracious change
in the weather
a mammoth-sized cottoball
slowly floats away
***
“Save Our Mother,” #Haibun #Haiku by Colleen M. Chesebro
I feel the tremors of mother earth beneath my feet. In my heart, I know she is on the brink of a huge shift – the likes we’ve never seen before. Many issues will come into play for us and our many worldly neighbors: politics, economic disasters, dramatic weather fluxes and changes, the migration of peoples to other lands, and even our own shifts in perception of the truth. These are the thoughts tearing my heart apart today.
I want to speak out – to somehow make my voice heard above the constant grind of the news cycle. How can I help?
Hearts in the right place—
demand a public forum
cry for songs of change
Some secrets should be made public, known, shown, and spoken. Still, our cries for the truth go unheeded. When will we work together in concert to save our earthly mother?
***
Are you looking for more writing/poetry/photography challenges?
H.R.R. Gorman has created a comprehensive list on his blog. Click HERE to learn more. <3
See you tomorrow for the new challenge!
Follow Me on Social Media...
August Specific Form: Yvette
August Photo Prompt: Reena
August Theme Prompt: Sarah
I’m sorry you are having so many issues sis. But congrats to our Sue!!!
Lots of fantastic poems 🤩
Sue writes amazing poetry! I love how she shares the magic she feels. <3
😍
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and commented:
Time for Colleen Chesebro’s Poetry Challenge Recap with congratulations to Sue Vincent as Poet of the Week.. as always a wonderful collection.. thanks to Colleen for her prompt and also work in pulling all our submissions together..
Thanks so much, Sally. ❤️❤️❤️
♥
Well done Sue Vincent Poet of the week , and The Dark Netizen for your honourable mention.
Well done to all who entered and congratulations Colleen for this lovely challenge’s success.💜💜. You have been so patient with us and wordpress. We really do appreciate you 💜💜💜💜
Thanks, Willow. We all tried. It’s frustrating but the show must go on. ❤️
Yes indeed it must 💜
Thank you for another great collection of poems. “All sorts on board”. Lol Now, i think the metrics will be better getting into my mind too. Congratulations to Sue (and her hidden muse Ani. ;-)) Best wishes, Michael
Thanks so much, Michael. ❤️
Thank you Colleen! Sometime i will get into the metrics. (Hopefully!) Michael
You’re always welcome, Michael. <3
👍❤
Quite a few entries here, Colleen. Shame about your problems with WordPress. I guess the only other solution would be emails but that could be daunting.
I’ve tried the emails, contact forms, etc. I’m on the new editor, most people are not. 3+ hours to do a post is just too much. 😢❤️
I agree. I’m still getting used to the new wordpress too. I find it easier to copy and paste most stuff as long as it’s corrected in Word first. 🙂
Such a pain. Now do that for around 20+ poems. LOL! I’ve concluded it’s the formatting between the editors and the themes. What a pain. LOL!
Thank you very much, Colleen…I’m honoured. And thank you for persevering and getting the post out. I know how long these things take, even without WordPress issues! xx
I so wanted to continue sharing everyone’s posts, but it’s so time consuming. I hope everyone understands. Sue, your Tanka and photos really touched me. <3
I know…and I’ve not yet adopted the new editor either ( and won’t till I have to, in th e hope they iron out some of the issues…).
Thanks, Colleen… these stones really got to me. <3
My issues lie with the fact that I use the new editor and most of you don’t. The blogs are changing to a “Medium” format. Less glitz and glamour with more room to write. Not very attractive at all. I like the new editor, it just won’t let me grab everyone’s data without re-formatting the whole thing. WordPress has operated like a social media outlet for years. I see that changing in the next year or so as we lose more functionality to share, etc. Many of the themes have issues too. It’s frustrating! Plus, the recap received less views than the challenge post which took on average 4 hours to compile. It’s all good, though. We’ll make it work! <3
Yes, my feeling is that it is going more towards a business orientation.
I think so too. The business plan subscription is where this is headed. <3
Well, they’ll lose me at that point…
I know. It’s all too much. 🙁
🙁
Oh wow, these were FANTASTIC! There was such an enormous array of synonyms that it never got repetitive or boring! Was riveted the whole way through.
I know it was fabulous. I picked some great words for tomorrow. I’m sorry I can’t share all the poems in the recap any longer. It’s so darn time consuming and I have to change most of the formatting on everyone’s entry. 🙁
🙁 If I could figure out a way to help, I would. I don’t know why these things entertain me so, but I’m going to figure out how to make a program to scavenge email data and spit out formatted stuff. Not sure if it’ll work, but worth a try!
If you can figure out a way to make it work, please do. 4 hours to compile one post that gets less activity to it than the challenge post itself is pretty frustrating. 😀
We’ll see. This is a bit more of a computational challenge than any of my previous adventures. Just getting the data out in a useful format is being a pain!
I had to do a manual copy and paste into Word (unformatted) in order to get it all work. It was a nightmare.
Blech! I’ll see if I can come up with something… so far it’s all too complex.
That’s all right. We need to move forward. ❤️
Colleen, we all appreciate your challenges, and will persevere with you! I can’t make heads or tails of WordPress much of the time, but this seems like a good solution. You need to make time for your own work.
So nice to see Sue featured, she is always worth reading. (K)
Thanks for your support, Kerfe. You’re all marvelous! <3