The Trouble with Tanka-9

charcoal night
no moon
no stars in sight
just silent hearts that rise and fall
with the breath of this frangipani wind

*

cross legged,
the late November wind
breathes slowly, in and out,
cold, colder as it journeys within
the past lies still, unyielding, under the frost

*

love decays fast
with the bitterness of regurgitated ache
reeking of sour regret
as my memory plays salty tricks
things I forgot to remember to forget

Fujiwara no Teika’s Tanka Technique 9: Exquisite detail – komayaka naru tei -exact and precise details with often complex imagery.

The Trouble with Tanka-8