Dear Readers,
I hope you've been well. This is my first blogpost of 2026. I've been more absent than present in blogsphere.
So, what better way to spring into action than to jump into a challenge to write a poem a day.
The NaPoWriMo site has a tag line: There is so much to discover.
Despite the demands on my time this April, I've decided to open up to muchness and discovery.
In order to make this challenge easier for myself, I've decided to give myself an hour (and no more) after I've read the prompt to write and share. Therefore, these poems will be first drafts. I am taking off the scaffolding of rewrites and second, third thoughts this time. I plan to catch up on reading other poets last thing at night. Hopefully, I can keep up. Wish me luck.
Also, I will take these poems down after a week of posting, so that I'm able to submit their best versions to poetry journals, sometime in the not so distant future.
Today, we’d like to challenge you to write your own tanka – or multi-tanka poem. Theme and tone are up to you, but try to maintain the five-line stanza and syllable count. The tanka is an ancient Japanese poetic form. In contemporary English versions, it often takes the shape of a five-line poem with a 5 / 7 / 5 / 7 / 7 syllable-count – kind of like a haiku that decided to keep going.
Here are my two tanka:
Outside, the koel
prancing in neem, promises
a Moon, full and pink
Inside, the silenced telly
puts out stars, shatters my peace
#
Coffee grinds a-halt
the siren- jagged, shrill. Red,
my favourite mug
like hibiscus, our blood, hope
springs, oblivious to war
Thank you for being here. See you tomorrow. My inspiration for the second Tanka:)
