There
were so many good, healthy tanka submitted that it was very hard to
choose a winner. I received many more submissions than I could have
imagined. A total of more than the age I'll be turning this birthday!
Entries came from the USA (18), UK (6), New Zealand (3), Canada (2),
Philippines (2), Australia (2), Singapore, Serbia, France and Japan,
totalling 37. After finally making a short list, and then over
repeated readings, there was one that kept springing from the page,
one that pulled an emotional and musical chord within me that
wouldn't quit. But before I reveal the winning tanka, I want to share
some of my favourite lines from the poems entered, in no particular
order:
I
grasp the edge of my dream Chen-ou
Liu (Canada)
the
choices I didn’t make Asni
Amin (Singapore)
to
the last beat of my heart
Claire Everett (UK)
the
full thunder moon Andrea
Grillo (US)
Cicadas
scream love songs
Charles T. Whipple (Japan)
Thank
you for sharing these wonderful words with me, dear poets. Of course,
you can read each of these tanka in full on the entries page.
In
the winning tanka, I was looking to be deeply moved. Tanka is a very
emotional experience for me: the reading and the writing of it. So
much so that I find I can't read too many in one sitting, and that I
most often write them myself when I'm feeling low physically,
emotionally and/or spiritually. The power of the poem has a strength
that I know can carry me away, beyond my immediate surroundings and
current mood, into a place that's often easier to keep hidden. Tanka
perhaps stay with me longer than haiku as more of my self is needed
to fully be present with the poem. The shift I feel with a stunning
tanka is immense, and the winner here had to take me on a journey.
But
I'm greedy: I also wanted lyricism. Tanka is, after all, poetry. I
wanted words and phrases that flowed, that fitted to perfection, no
flaws or missteps present. No punctuation or line breaks that stuck
out as not sitting right with me. I wanted words that sat together
comfortably and exquisitely as a whole, as well as individual lines
and images. And I found it...
my
dream is one
of winter long ago...
my cold father
whom first I met late in life
helps me build a snowman
of winter long ago...
my cold father
whom first I met late in life
helps me build a snowman
André
Surridge (New Zealand)
Author's
statement: I love the versatility of tanka. It
allows you to write about anything, real or imagined. As with haiku,
every word counts but tanka allows a little more breathing space. I
always feel that writing tanka is an opportunity to get closer to the
essence.
André's
tanka has me right from its beginning two lines “my dream is one/
of winter long ago...”. I love how it is phrased and sets the mood
so well, as if in a child's storybook, “Once upon a time, long, long
ago...”. Dreams are by nature elusive, but to believe that their
symbolism (and the symbolism of fairy tales, for that matter) has no
meaning for our everyday lives is to dismiss the cries of the soul.
This tanka says, 'come here, sit and listen, I welcome you to my
world, see what you make of it'. The phrase “cold father” is
again perfectly worded, succinct and strong. The economy of language
throughout this tanka is superb, so much has been said in so little,
without any loss of flow or musicality. Then with the last two lines
– the twist – I'm left wondering, is this a dream during sleep?
Or is this a daydream, an imagining, a wish? Is this true, and if so,
what are the implications to him emotionally, mentally, spiritually?
What are the implications of it as a dream image? The symbolism of
the “cold father” and the “snowman”? To end on such a simple,
childlike image, “helps me build a snowman”, is part of this
tanka's magic. I'm completely moved, taken over by the words, and
sent on a journey to any number of places depending on where I begin
personally with each rereading. It has such depth without losing its
lightness of touch. A stunning tanka and I'm so pleased to award it
as the winner. Richard von Sturmer's DVD 26
Tanka Films
will be coming to you soon!
Runner up:
winter
dreams
how they always show me
the same thing...
you waking from your sleep
in the graveyard
Tracy Davidson (UK)
how they always show me
the same thing...
you waking from your sleep
in the graveyard
Tracy Davidson (UK)
A
close second. I love the melody of the first three lines, which
really draws me in. And the imagery of the final two lines had me
captured – so simple and yet so powerful. Great work, Tracy! A copy
of the latest Eucalypt:
a tanka journal
will be heading your way.
Special
mentions:
the
transparent weave
of this vintage tea-cloth
my fragile dreams
still hand-dried and polished
by the faded green linen
Julie Thorndyke (Australia)
of this vintage tea-cloth
my fragile dreams
still hand-dried and polished
by the faded green linen
Julie Thorndyke (Australia)
This
one took longer to fall for, but once I realised its beauty, I
couldn't let it go. Fine tuned lines, attention to detail and strong
images. Thank you, Julie!
by
the fireplace
the crackle of our laughter
melting into a dream
only the winter moon knows
how long is forever
the crackle of our laughter
melting into a dream
only the winter moon knows
how long is forever
Christine
L. Villa (USA)
This
reminds me so much of hubby and I these winter evenings sitting by
the fire that I loved it from its first reading. “only the winter
moon knows/ how long is forever” - extremely poignant, and
excellent imagery. You have a great tanka future, Chrissi!
‘brass
monkeys’
don’t care about origins—
the wind
coming off the North Sea
pulls tight on my scrotum
Colin Stewart Jones (Scotland)
don’t care about origins—
the wind
coming off the North Sea
pulls tight on my scrotum
Colin Stewart Jones (Scotland)
I
really enjoyed Colin's take on my theme. There were a few tanka that
made me smile and this is the one that stood up to repeated readings.
A strong voice along with the strong winds. Keep it up, Colin!
Congratulations
to you all! I'll probably do this again come July 2013, maybe a haiku
contest next time. For anyone that wants to purchase 26
Tanka Films please
get in touch with Richard von Sturmer, who can be contacted through
his Haiku NZ Showcase page or you can look him up on Facebook.
To find out more about the beautiful tanka journal Eucalypt
(AUS) edited by Beverley George head to the website. And lastly, a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped promote this contest, either through your blog, Facebook, Twitter, website, or just letting your friends know about it!
I
am also gearing up to run a poem(haiku)-a-day (PAD) challenge here at
Swimming in Lines of
Haiku, which I hope
you'll all get involved in. I'm looking towards September 2012, so
stay tuned for updates about this fun project, which I think will be the first of its kind! :)
Kirsten Cliff
31 July 2012
