Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver

I was delighted to read this anthology of tanka, tanka prose, and experimental tanka called Sunflower Tanka. The theme “Into the Light” and the stunning cover photo by Robbie Cheadle drew me to this 2024 collection. Because I haven’t written many tanka, I decided to make this anthology my tanka manual. The book’s introduction clearly explains the tanka forms, and the entries are excellent teachers. The editors devoted a chapter to each author in alphabetical order and labeled the tanka forms used. The contributors’ bios are in an appendix. The contributors are from all over the world.

A tanka poem is five lines with the syllable count of 5-7-5-7-7. They are untitled and unrhymed. What interests me is that contributors used a syllable counter to compose the poems. I would like to use this site. https://syllablecounter.net/

The contributors’ exploration of shafts of light are brilliant. Several selections cover the seasons. Destiny, who is from South Africa, writes a stunning double tanka (two tanka poems) about winter.

(tanka)

echos of despair
hushed as tears fail haunted eyes
silence expresses
a quiet faith’s grip on hope
firm through darkened horizons

winds of winter wail
icy breaths bitter they burn
this chilled numbness aches
as days dim to long of nights
Spring colors are dreams with hope

***
I’m familiar with haibun poems (a prose stanza followed by a haiku). I learned about “tanka prose” in this anthology (prose followed by a tanka or, I noticed, a tanka followed by prose). This example is by Kenneth, who is from Guyana.

At Dusk (tanka prose)

At dusk, I walk to the gate of my yard and survey the heavens. I just did my meditation. Usually, in the evening, I sit in silence with closed eyes, my feet on the earth. My shelter is a shed just outside my house, and my seat is a hammock. Today, 17th October, the full moon is ascending. It is a big one this year because of its pedigree.

the fallen leaves moon
fills the sky with its glory
as the night extends
the restless people of earth
await a dawning within

***

The anthology also introduced me to “tanka Puente”, a 3-stanza form that Robbie Cheadle created. A short quotation acts as the second stanza to bridge two tanka which are separate thoughts. The third stanza shows a new outlook. (Traditional Puente poems include two poetic stanzas, not necessarily tanka, connected by a quote that acts as a bridge between the first and third stanzas. “Puente” means “bridge”.)

This example is by Jules Paige, who is from The United States.

Disconnection (tanka Puente)

I have given birth
to children and great ideas
I have shed my tears
some in grand jubilation
accomplished those feats with grace

“As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, my country is the world.” (Adeline) Virginia Woolf

and yet many men
discount my contribution
my cries reach their dumb
deaf ears because of my sex-
limit my rights and freedoms

***

Sunflower Tanka contains other tanka forms to study and use as models: rensaku and garland tanka. If you’re curious about these forms, I highly recommend that you purchase this anthology. You won’t regret it! Even if you don’t need it as a manual, you will enjoy the poetry.