inner art journal

cold cemetery
the long sleeves of your old coat
warm my fingertips
even from beyond this grave
you manage to comfort me

old memories
like tangled fish hooks
impossible
to pick up only one
without all the others

the symmetry
of this peppered moth
makes me think
about all those times
I’ve been unremarkable

midsummer’s eve
underneath a rose moon
I’ll wait for you
until my hands are bloodied
from holding back the dawn

the rains came
and from that day on
continued
throughout a lifetime
of floods and bridges

have you ever
noticed that certain things
are inseparable…
a mountain and its valley
the sea and shore, you and I

cold cemetery – Most Votes in the Tanka Splendor Contest
old memories – First Place the Tanka Society of America Competition
the symmetry – Simply Haiku A quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry
midsummer’s eve – Winner Tanka Splendor Contest
the rains came – Judged Excellent in the 7th International Tanka Festival Competition Japan Tanka Poet’s Society
have you ever – A Tanka Companion, publisher Rosenberry Books