TANKA TUESDAY POETRY STARS | Poets choice no. 209

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted inPrior Years Poetry StarsTags:, , ,

Hello from snowy Michigan!

What a tremendous success our first poetry challenge of 2021 was! Bravo to those of you who tried a new form and taught us how to create it! Many thanks to everyone who joined in below:

1.ladyleemanila10.Padre19.Goutam Dutta
2.Trent McDonald11.Zander20.theindieshe
3.Tina Stewart Brakebill12.D. L. Finn21.Vashti Quiroz- Vega
4.Dave Madden13.s. s.22.Marsha Ingrao
5.Jules14.anita dawes23.M J Mallon
6.Ritu Bhathal15.Jude24.Kerfe Roig
7.willowdot2116.Gwen Plano25.Ruth
8.The Versesmith17.Cheryl  
9.Donna Matthews18.kittysverses  

Kerfe Roig’s poem, “Renderings,” using the Badger Hexastitch form caught my attention. This form is syllabic and written in six lines with a 2/4/6/6/4/2 structure. It is unrhymed with optional rising and falling end-words, which I think is an interesting twist. 

I re-
turn to the earth
reflected as shadow–
silhouette echoing
the places I
have been

©2021 Kerfe Roig

The optional rising and falling end-words often refer to the intonation or rhythm of speech. I also believe from the examples that the rising and falling end-words often end in “ing,” but not always. (See the second poem below). This is a made up form and sometimes that makes it difficult to understand what the creator intended.

Another explanation for the rising and falling end-words could be simply writing a definite beginning and end where everyone can interpret the meaning, like in the third poem below. Kerfe used a similar interpretation, beginning with “I re-” [return] and ending with “have been.”

Or, the rising and falling end-words could be opposites, like in the first poem below:

"Growing"

Fall down
consider tears--
crawl to where grandpa sits
grab onto grandpa's leg
grin like a fox--
stand up

© Lawrencealot - February 16, 2014
reading,
rooted in mind,
not tasting ripe berries,
the oozing summer scent,
window open,
waiting

~~Phil Wood
First flight,
small granddaughter
visits Grandma with Dad,
Mom, brother and sisters
in soccer play-offs
back home.

--Judi Van Gorder

This is a fun form to experiment with. The syllable count has a pleasant rhythm. This year, Word Crafters, we will have a list of optional forms to choose from, including the twelve forms we’ve been using for the last few years. I’ll add the Badger Hexastitch to that list, which I will publish soon.

See you tomorrow for Tanka Tuesday!

Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

33 thoughts on “TANKA TUESDAY POETRY STARS | Poets choice no. 209”

  2. It’s great that Colleen and the challenge is back. Well done Kerfe Roig for your poem. I don’t get the new form as yet but I will at some point try the Badger Hexastitch . Well done everyone.💜

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yay, Willow. I liked this form because it kind of left it open to interpretation if you choose to use rising and falling end-words. It should be fun to try. I’m glad to be back. ❤

      Like

    1. I think so too. Thank you for the great find. I hope I interpreted the rising and falling end-words correctly. There was no explanation to go with the form, which is why I wanted to use it. Sometimes that ambiguity leads to more creativity. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Pingback: #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 210 #SYNONYMSONLY | Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry
  10. Pingback: #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 210 #SYNONYMSONLY | willowdot21
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