Friday tanka

I'm pleased it's Friday
for with a half-day today
I have time to play
in the sunshine for a while
and seize essence of moment

©Jemverse

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Back to Lazy Day Tanka

4 of 12 in the ‘About Brighton’ series

Breakfast in Brighton
November morning sunshine
follows after rain
Both providing sustenance
for lazy Sunday slowness

©Jemverse

Series photo is from the front cover of a First Edition of a book by Antony Dale from 1951

'Lazy Day Tanka' was first published in November 2016

A tanka is a five-line non-rhyming poem of Japanese origin dating back almost 1200 years. Using simile, metaphor and personification, the five lines must follow a syllabic sequence of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7.

Tri-tanka XVI (Lucidity)

With lucidity
lightbulb moments came to me
from left field this week
Caught me unaware but filled
the hole which had been growing

With lucidity
fulfilment left me complete
with realisation
And relaxed into happy
the proverbial clouds parted

With lucidity
the sunshine returned again
and with spring in step
I was dancing in my mind
Some decisions born of that

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

[Tanka is a Japanese poetic non-rhyming poem with a syllabic sequence of 5-7-5-7-7. ‘Tri-tanka is a derivative of Jemverse making, returned to periodically as part of an ongoing series]

Delectation Tanka

For mid-November
a Sunday tanka I bring
Five short lines of verse
in thirty-one syllables
for your delectation here

©Jemverse

Image – authors collection

[Tanka, of Japanese origin, is a five-line non-rhyming stanza with a syllabic sequencing of 5-7-5-7-7]

Tanka for Thursday rain

5 of 7 in ‘The Syllabic series 22’ from Jemverse

And a raindrop fell
to add concentric circles
spreading into life
building its reserve today
for when the sunshine returns

©Jemverse

[Tanka is a non-rhyming Japanese poetic form with a syllabic sequence of 5 – 7 – 5 – 7 – 7]

Tri-tanka XV (Friday)

Come Friday, relax
for it is the weekend now
Time for more yellow
and for some in swathes of sun
for comfort in safe harbour

Come Friday, enjoy
for it is again your time
Safe in the knowledge
of 'je ne sais quoi' feelings
to simply be you and breathe

Come Friday, begin
again to find that freedom
and then reclaim it
for it is to have and hold
a treasure made for riches

©Jemverse

‘Tanka’ is a Japanese poetic non-rhyming form with a syllabic sequence of  5, 7, 5, 7, 7

Tri-tanka XIV – tanka

Concluding Tri-tanka week (7 of 7)

Tanka week is done
well…when you’ve read this it is
Seven days of verse
each with syllabic sequence
replicated thrice each day

Five and seven and
five and seven and seven
Five lines, thirty-one
syllables to frame each verse
Heralding poetic voice

Tanka week is done
By and by there will be more
This is cathartic
so to it I will return
as it is a favourite

©Jemverse

Picture – ‘Hayase’ by Yoshida Hiroshi (1933)

Tri-tanka XIII – Saturday

6 of 7 for Tri-tanka week

Following coffee
my Saturday slow starting
pauses yet again
Cathartic indecision
rules and I’m happy with that

For this is my rest
Snoozing may well play a part
staring into space
and doing little except
drinking coffee and resting

Music plays a part
as will reading and a game
or another snooze
For this is my Saturday
mine to do with as I choose

©Jemverse

Picture – ‘Hayase’ by Yoshida Hiroshi (1933)

Tri-tanka XII – morning

5 of 7 for Tri-tanka week

It is quiet now
and dark and silent and still
Night-time clings on here
determined not to let go
Failing as the morning comes

Light slowly merges
The darkness slip-slides away
as a new day dawns
Witness to awakening
this is privilege indeed

And here to welcome
without fail the dawn chorus
Lifting voice I sing
and join this happy refrain
for morning has come again

©Jemverse

Picture – ‘Hayase’ by Yoshida Hiroshi (1933)

Tri-tanka XI – Shining

4 of 7 for Tri-Tanka week

Throughout and shining
lighting night into morning
driven by the sun
solar for the twinkling time
little lights to guide the way

Iridescent here
friend to nightlife passing by
foxes and the like
clamour to the twinkling time
here for them and here for me

Luminescence
guaranteed here night by night
diamond-like it
glows here for the twinkling time
echoing the stars above

©Jemverse

Picture – ‘Hayase’ by Yoshida Hiroshi (1933)