Roadside ditches

roadside ditches

brimming with dark water

after the rains 

even they can shimmer

with the right touch of sun

—The Right Touch of Sun, 2017 TSA Members' Anthology

Pleased that the editors of the 2017 Tanka Society of America members' anthology, David Terelinck and Margaret Dornaus, were able to use wording from my tanka for the anthology title. I wrote "roadside ditches" during the wild rainy season of Spring 2016; my mother passed away at night as our region, in southeast Texas, experienced the first bout of torrential rain. Ironically, I submitted "roadside ditches" to the anthology editors 2–3 weeks before Hurricane Harvey struck in late August 2017. I'm a native Texan and have lived for the bulk of my life in Houston (or not too far away from Houston). I'm used to rain—and, conversely, also to drought—though not to such extreme amounts of it. 

Roses removed

roses removed,

rock garden replaced

with asphalt . . .

who are these people

living in our old house?

—Ribbons, Spring/Summer 2017

Here I am again. I didn't drop off the face of the earth!

P.S. This tanka is about the house we used to live in, in England, when I was 10–15. Walked down the street it's on when we visited last year.

Near the dunes

near the dunes 
search-and-rescue shifts 
to 'recovery' . . . 
how can a life 
vanish so completely?

—GUSTS 25, Spring 2017

While my niece was staying here with her family in August 2015, she learned of a good friend's swimming accident. The other two in the group survived. 

I gather

I gather

clumps of aloe vera

for my neighbor—

life spreads hither and yon

from my mother's garden

—Earth: Our Common Ground (a Skylark Publishing anthology), 2017

Wanderlust

wanderlust

soaks into my pores ...

dishwater 

sudsy with the scent

of crisp Iowa pine

—Earth: Our Common Ground (anthology), Skylark Publishing, spring 2017

All my life

all my life

a yen for small

unnoticed

or discarded things 

... a poem's seed

—Skylark, summer 2017

One door

one door

marked electrical

the other, stairs—

sometimes I'm tempted

to open the wrong one

—GUSTS, spring/summer 2017

Crows and clocks

crows and clocks,

clatter in the kitchen

from my husband ...

how active the world is

while I'm inclined to slumber

—GUSTS, spring/summer 2017

Long kidskin gloves

long kidskin gloves

she wore in the ʼ60s—

on my bare arm

is this just a freckle

or another age spot?

—Moonbathing, issue 15, fall 2016

She seemed to me to be quite the fashion plate back in the day.

Bridge may ice

bridge may ice,

shoulder ends ahead—

road signs

I see for the first time

soon after her passing

–Ribbons, winter 2016/17

Even in Texas, out here in the country, bridges can ice in winter, though we only had a few "real" days of winter this winter.

INFJ

INFJ,

four letters that ID me ...

Myers and Briggs,

bet you didn't know

I'd paste them on my forehead

—Ribbons, Tanka Cafe (theme: "Self-identity"), fall 2016

I'm kind of borderline in the last two test categories (not the first).

Papers, cards, letters

papers, cards, letters 
crammed in every cranny 
of their house … 
I unearth a clipping, 
How to bust a litterer 

—Frameless Sky, issue 5, fall 2016

I took possession of that clipping. And if my desk weren't so cluttered, I might be able to find it.

I say goodbye

I say goodbye

to her camellia bush—

its bounty

of new pink blossoms

as if nothing has happened

—Frameless Sky, issue 4, June 2016

The blueness

the blueness

at this altitude—

before takeoff

I read my horoscope,

your head might be in the clouds …

—Frameless Sky, issue 5, fall 2016

Bold new signs

bold new signs
at the nursing home
about guns—
I look for glimmers of life
behind the glass doors

—Ripples in the Sand, 2016 Tanka Society of America Members' Anthology

Long kidskin gloves

long kidskin gloves

she wore in the 60s—

on my bare arm

is this just a freckle

or another age spot?

—Moonbathing, fall 2016

A rustic broom

a rustic broom

scenting our hearth and home

with cinnamon …

less sweet, the year's debris

I ought to sweep away

—Mariposa, spring/summer 2016

H A P P Y  N E W  Y E A R

Well, it's finally gotten cold here again. And now the heating system (including the backup heater) appears to be broken once more. So, maybe not the best way to end 2016! But the good news: it's supposed to warm up this weekend for a little while.

A stream of warmth

a stream of warmth

from this vent in the floor ...

the people

from all my winters

who still hold onto me

—GUSTS, 24, Fall 2016 

Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings
from my small corner to yours!

The clink

the clink

as I drop each pine cone

into the bucket—

keeping the pretty ones,

isn't that the way it is

—Ripples in the Sand, 2017 TSA Members' Anthology

Tanka Pair

Eiderdown

curling up

on this old mattress

bony knee

on top of bony knee

I search for softness

expansive,

this quilted cover

of clouds    

…..patches of darkness
threaded with light

—Skylark, Winter 2016