these blossoms
have so much to teach...
inside
outside
gone

there's no pretence
out here
where the river
runs dark...
everything just is

so many
different paths
to choose
raindrops
on the window

she sees
something beautiful in me
I can tell
by the flowers
in her eyes

the ink
of night
runs dark -
a river
without swans

I see it glisten
in her eyes
from time to time
that place
where time has no meaning

Atlas Poetica No 6 Summer 2010

the art of feelings
is a mystery
lines drawn
in sand
over and over again

she carried me
to another world
this butterfly
and never once asked
what if? or how long?

in her presence
words stumble
down the stairs
of my tongue
like elephants

nothing is lost
in translation
as poems
spill out
from moonlit eyes

this day
asked nothing
of me
but a willingness
to let go

her words
have painted a meadow
in me
where countless flowers
bloom

inspired by Claire

I drift
from joy
to weightlessness
in the ocean
of your eyes

with no hint
of sadness
the silence
of this day
is blue

offering back
my silence
the unimaginable
depths
of the peony

in the breeze
light shimmers
across the water
a future memory
in the making

Gogyohka

I have recently become aware of a new form of Japanese poetry called Gogyohka. Gogyohka means literally 'five line verse'. It is an evolution of other traditional Japanese short forms and bears a striking resemblance to Tanka. The form was given birth by Mr Enta Kusakabe and is gaining momentum around the world. It is probably fair to say that the differences between Gogyohka and Tanka are more clearly visible in Japanese than English. That said Gogyohka does offer a freedom as there are no formal requirements other than it be written on five lines. I have found Gogyohka to be the perfect outlet for poems I have written on five lines that I would not consider to be tanka. See below for a small selection.

You can learn more about this exciting new form by following the links below.

http://gogyohka.ning.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gogyohka

The first link will take you to Gogyohka Junction a vibrant online community of Gogyohka poets and the second is an overview of the form on Wikipedia. Enjoy!


held up
against the mystery
of this life
words are no more
than empty shells


in my arms
the face
of our love
is looking up
and smiling


so many people
so many masks
through this life
we pass
invisible


sometimes light
sometimes dark
my mind
is a bridge
across time


they appear to be
floating
this young couple
hand in hand
through the park