Friday, 16 February 2024

Six Haiku & Five Tanka by Dr. Randy Brooks

 



Haiku and Tanka

 

her confessional

my confessional

we have each other

 

 

grilled salmon fillet

ground pepper dots

a loop of honey

 

 

chicken house

hand into the dark

nesting box

 

 

after the funeral

the weeds thriving

in her garden

 

 

beach hotel

splashy kids in the pool

mine for now

 

 

bedtime story

ribbing grandpa to wake up

again

 

 

washing and drying

tonight’s dishes

a list of everything

we could do

with two kids

 

 

the bluegill

turns out to be

pregnant

mound of fish eggs

in the skillet

 

 

blue jay

the autistic boy

keeps a feather

for

protection

 

 

Christmas cookie party

not a crumble

of a word

to give

her ex

 

 

Humpty Dumpty

an optimist?

not what

he’s cracked up

to be

 




Dr. Randy Brooks is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he teaches courses on haiku, tanka, and Japanese poetics. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent books include Walking the Fence: Selected Tanka and The Art of Reading and Writing Haiku: A Reader Response Approach.


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