My Heart: A Tanka
When I was a young adult, I had the opportunity to live in Japan for a year. I learned to speak the language when I was there and carried my studies through upon my return to the United States. I have not spoken Japanese for some time.
As a poet, I have come to love the small forms, exemplified by the Japanese poets of the Basho era. Lately, I have been tinkering in these smaller forms, both in English and in Japanese. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my tinkering.
father
so sad
welcome
my heart
otosan
totemo kanshii desu
youkoso
watashino korkoro
all errors in Japanese construction are mine alone.
copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2012
Tanka (短歌 is a short poem in Japanese. Although the form is often in a 5-7-5-7-7 pattern, I have taken liberty with form and syllabic structure. Gomen nasai.
