Tanka and expanded Free Verse poems about Eastern Poetry |
META (a Tanka about Eastern Poetry) Maddeningly brief Limited puzzle pieces Every word matters Crafted elegantly, there’s artistry in brevity PARADOX (a Free Verse expansion of the above) Maddeningly brief Concise Meticulous attention to every syllable Careful choice of words arranged in flawless order Complexity and elegance Simplicity and grace Nuanced structure laces meaning into every line Limited puzzle pieces Only so many places to move Like a game of chess or a hand of poker Rules must be followed but the genius lies in carefully playing your cards in just the right way to make it look easy (deceptively so) Every word matters Each syllable critical Assembling a tanka or a haiku or a senryu is no easy feat Subject, structure, and style In Japanese poetry form and function are indelibly intertwined Crafted elegantly, there’s not an ounce of wasted space or effort anywhere in the work From top to bottom it’s painstakingly detailed to show a mastery of the beauty and versatility of the language of human expression Artistry in brevity Charm in concision Poise in pithiness Eastern poetry is quite a challenge especially among those that prize an economy of language and find protracted, unstructured poetry a bete noir ------------------------------ Total: 53 lines / 178 words (Tanka is 5 lines / 14 words, Free Verse is 48 lines / 174 words) Form: Tanka and Free Verse Originally written for "Invalid Item" and "I Write in 2018" . |