Tanka for harvest moon

For Frank Tassone’s haikai challenge.

sunflower heads hang

beneath the weight of seeds

we look away

when beauty withers—its gold

faded even by moonlight

Equinox tanka

Fun with Google translate, or the perils of trusting a machine to make poetry.

sun moon day night
balanced the space of a day
before earth tips spills
rain fills thirsty mouths washing
summer’s dust-dry taste away

gives this (inaccurate) French translation:

soleil lune jour nuit
équilibré l’espace d’une journée
avant que la terre ne tombe
la pluie remplit la bouche assoiffée de se laver
le goût sec de l’été loin

then back-translated to English:

sun moon day night
balanced for a day
before the earth falls
the rain fills the thirsty mouth to wash off
the dry taste of summer away

Tanka for a dream of cooler weather

It’s still far too hot here. Up again to 38°C/100°F and it’s going to be hot all this week. The break in the weather gets put back further every day.

For Frank Tassone’s haikai challenge.

receding into
the distance the autumn mists
cool of orange leaves
we thought we could bear no more
flames—I hear their crackling still

Tanka for swallows

For Frank Tassone’s haikai challenge.

evening swallows flock
swooping through gnat-rich air
sweeping the sky
summer’s lingering heat
billows with bird memories

Tanka for morning glory

For Frank Tassone’s haikai prompt.

 

before the sun burns
morning glory trumpets
an echo of
sunset purple—night nestles
among leaves even at noon

Oven-ready tanka

heat slams

like an oven door

contents bubbling

scattering brilliance

on unshaded grass—scorching

Tankas for summer’s end

A clutch of tankas for Frank Tassone’s haikai challenge.

twilight and the air

trills to strings of insect legs

katydids sing

to the setting sun rising

moon and the end of summer

 

cooling the air

the year birds leave following

the heat

katydids stay to play

Titanic orchestra

 

throb thrill thrum

not melodious

but katydid beat

is the rhythm of the heat

late summer’s final dance

Tanka for grey clouds

For Ronovan’s haiku challenge: Sheep & Weep.

 

flock of clouds

sheep-jostles

cold sky bleats

mournful wool grey cries

of winter-bound birds

Oak leaf tanka

I don’t know if this is a proper tanka and it’s slightly off-subject, but here is its anyway for Frank Tassone’s challenge.

 

oak leaves cling

not in vanity

in memory

of summer past

green and russet glories

Haiku challenge: Brook & Moss

For Ronovan’s weekly haiku challenge. I’m done with winter. Hasn’t started yet, but still…

beneath cool trees

bright brook trips and runs

through green moss

ice-melt and dearth forgotten

spring seeps in velvet softness