Passionate Interlude Tanka

Daylight receded,
conversation diminished,
distractions vanished,
then fervent kissing ushered
one passionate interlude.

——

This tanka was written in response to Experiments in Fiction Poetry Challenge #14: Tanka. I attempted to embrace the traditional use of the form as a note between lovers, and I even delivered a hand-written version to my lover be read first thing this morning.

About Tanka (from poets.org)

• Definition: The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.
• History of the Tanka Form: One of the oldest Japanese forms, tanka originated in the seventh century, and quickly became the preferred verse form not only in the Japanese Imperial Court, where nobles competed in tanka contests, but for women and men engaged in courtship. Tanka’s economy and suitability for emotional expression made it ideal for intimate communication; lovers would often, after an evening spent together (often clandestinely), dash off a tanka to give to the other the next morning as a gift of gratitude.

The Challenge: Write a tanka on any subject. For the purposes of this challenge, this means a short, five-line poem with an ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ element, and a ‘turn’ from the former to the latter: think of taking the general view and making it personal. Strict syllable-counting is not necessary. This week’s challenge will be judged by Jane Dougherty, an accomplished poet whose work has been widely published in literary magazines including Visual Verse and The Ekphrastic Review. She has also written some excellent examples of tanka, which you can find on her website.