Tanka

The tanka (also called waka for a long period of Japanese history) is a Japanese 5-part, moraic form with the parts consisting of 5/7/5/7/7 morae. In English, the parts are typically written as separate lines. It's structurally similar to the haiku with two additional long parts and less thematic constraint.

In tanka, the first 3 parts (5/7/5) are called the “upper phrase”, which sets the scene or provides context, and the remaining 2 parts (7/7) are called the “lower phrase”, which expounds on ideas and emotions related to the upper phrase. However, the actual division is flexible (see the notes for haiku for more on the form's flexibility vs “traditional” restrictions) and can also occur after the second part, making the upper phrase be 5/7 and the lower phrase be 5/7/7.

Poems

2025-10-27
```
my shadow
reaches the door
before me—
who rings the bell?
who steps inside?
```
A slight variation on another tanka I wrote the same day with a significantly different feeling.
2025-10-27
```
a shadow
reaches my door
before me—
who turns the key?
who steps inside?
```
A slight variation on another tanka I wrote the same day with a significantly different feeling.

2025-10-07

thin figures
lounge on the pavement
feet to feet
they take turns on dead cigs
and wait with me till dawn

2025-09-30
```
each day
a new branch falls
on the path—
the work never ends
as the path never ends
```
An expansion of a previous haiku, made a bit more interesting with some ambiguity in the lower part.

2025-04-15

stark shadows
crossing the field
to greet me
I wave into the sun-flood
a gesture at a gesture

Based off an earlier haiku I wrote.

2025-04-14

stark shadows
crossing the field
to greet me
I greet them in turn
not seeing, not knowing