Tanka, #4

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It does look like a
phone. Time's collapsing. I want
to call, 'Be careful!'
What if he startles her? Or
is he the expected one?

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The above is my response to Word Craft Poetry’s #TankaTuesday poetry challenge.

This week, Challenge 318 is to write ekphrastic poetry – using either a syllabic poetry form (my choice), or a freestyle poem that includes a syllabic form. An ekphrastic poem is one inspired by a work or works of art – in this case, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller’s The Expected One (1860).

I’ve chosen the form of tanka – my fourth ever attempt, technically. Here are its rules, according to Word Craft Poetry’s Colleen Chesebro:

• Five untitled lines written in first person from the poet’s perspective.
• Turn/volta/pivot: not mandatory. Traditionally, it’s the third line, but it can be placed anywhere or not at all. If one is used, its meaning should apply to lines one and two, and four and five.
• No rhyme.
• Syllable structure: 5-7-5-7-7.

Find a full list of responses here, beginning the following week’s challenge 🙂

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Image by Word Craft Poetry

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