The Tanka Challenge Project

2019

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A pair of sparrows
Shake the cherry tree as they
Bounce from branch to branch.
Deer come down the hill to graze.
Unfazed by the falling rain.

04/01/2019

Again and again
She returns triumphantly,
Her tail like a flag.
I had forgotten the squish
Of a much chewed tennis ball.

04/02/2019

As the day departs,
They come out of the trees to
Savor new spring grass.
With a tail flick they depart
The dog's cries from the window.

04/03/2019

Mobirise

Jewel like they gleam
And seem to float in the night
Against the black hills.
Too near for stars, the lanterns
Of houses nearby keep watch.

04/04/2019

Another grey dawn
Glowers outside the window
Like a sulky child.
After so much winter rain
I long to see the sun's face.

04/05/2019 

As the day slips past
The hilltop, they emerge from
The sheltering trees.
The dog is safely inside
And the spring grasses are lush.

04/05/2019

A hot cup of tea
And a favorite blanket
Are enough welcome.
After a week at a friend's,
These little things speak of home.

04/07/2019

I dreamed a forest,
Lushly green and echoing
With the song of birds.
For now I must be content
With the crows in the maple.

04/08/2019

Despite the sunshine
Cold winds buffet the treetops,
Scattering blossoms.
Chilled, I must leave my hard bench
And go back to my duties.

04/09/2019

Mobirise

I can see the trees
Swaying against a chill wind
Outside my window.
Though no rain is expected,
It still feels much like winter.

04/11/2019 

I didn't see them
But I heard their soft voices
Outside my window.
In the tree beside the house
I heard the calling of doves.

04/13/2019 

All things that flourish
Must one day pass like a dream
Or a bell's echo.
Yes, we foolish humans mourn
And cling to memories.

04/15/2019

The empty new house
Blasts light from all its windows
Late into the night.
After three years of building
This is the latest assault.

04/16/2019

I have missed more days
Of my self-imposed challenge:
A poetic drought.
At least the road beckons me
For a weekend adventure.

04/19/2019

Today's winding road
Led through towering forests
And springtime pastures.
I was a little drunk on
A thousand layers of green.

04/21/2019

Mobirise

Windows thrown open
For the first time this season
I hope for a breeze.
Distant windows gleam with light
On the west-facing hillside.

04/23/2019 

Juggling them like balls,
I still count on my fingers
As I write these lines.
My building blocks are just words:
They're all we have to go on.

04/24/2019

I have failed this month
To produce a daily poem
Although it is spring.
Sometimes life gets in the way
Of all our best intentions.

04/30/2019

Copyright 2019, Lisa A. Joseph, all photos by Lisa A. Joseph. 

No HOBBY LOBBY products were used in these projects.