Tanka is another Japanese form of poetry similar to Haiku. Like Haiku, traditional Tanka often deal with nature and love. Most poets I know concentrate on the form of the Tanka and drive it in fascinating directions. I recently read an article comparing Tanka to the Western Sonnet. When I first read it, I said, “no way.” Now, I’m seeing it. Can’t explain it yet, but I’m proceeding as though the two forms are comparable. What do you think?
It’s playing with these beautiful forms and seeing the changes they are making in our modern poetry that make poetry so much fun.
Here’s the basic format for writing a Tanka:
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 7 syllables
Here’s my take on a modern Tanka
Mindful of the crack
Feather floating mindfully
Beyond the clamor
Soaring into the cosmos
Frightfulness lost long ago