undertow tanka review: issue # 1

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UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW ISSUE # 1 The Talisman of Grief (A tanka sequence) ‘Do you see white hairs?’ Mother asked and I laughed but now I too ask my ten-year old and she rolls her eyes her fourteenth day rite - a blue butterfly alights

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Page 1: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW

ISSUE # 1

The Talisman of Grief(A tanka sequence)

‘Do you see white hairs?’Mother asked and I laughedbut nowI too ask my ten-year oldand she rolls her eyes

her fourteenth day rite -a blue butterfly alightson the prayer wheelhas mother alreadyfound a new rebirth?

Page 2: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

she callsthrough drifts of mistsin the pine grovethe fear of not finding hershatters the carapace of dream

that coaxing smileas she sculptured mango shapesfor my fevered mouthI want to remember thisnot her cancer-hollowed face

each springher favourite rhododendronsfill the valleywith their scent and hueI see her in every bloom

Sonam ChhokiBhutan

Earnest(A tanka sequence)

forgetting facesyet some of them stick…those kidswho hung nicknamesaround my neck

tauntsof Ken the Hammerdrive me deeperinto the holeof myself

a bullyfishing for weaknesshooksmy shyness with

Page 3: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Kenny the Shark

a curve ballfrom the kid who calls meEarnest…I drive it deepto center field

Ken SlaughterUSA

betrayal(A tanka sequence)

all heroesare fated to rescueand betrayalboth darkling knightand sabbat lord-b-

I feel his breathas he ridespast my doorthe church bellsring the sloe hour-j-

sweepingthe floor behind meI leavefootprints in the dewwhere I mount-b-

at daybreakhis shadow fadesas alwaysI wait for the nightand the dark man-j-

Page 4: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

the madmankeeps the talesto himselfhis large black baghidden in the forest-b-

wild beastshave torn the bagwith tooth and clawthe chalice lies sulliedthe cloth rotting-j-

hungerof necessity rendsand tearsthe long-limbed mandrakehowls at separation-b-

Brian Zimmer & Joy McCallUSA & UK

Page 5: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

another gazefrom a handsome stranger...I seal my lipson a heart pendantwith my husband’s ashes

Christine L. Villa, USA

the way he tucksmy hair behind my ear…for the first timeI feel the sincerityof a man’s apology

Christine L. Villa, USA

belly ache from laughingat my own jokes…I realize I’ve carveda deeper sorrow

Christine L. Villa, USA

where do I gowithout you now…the heavy silenceafter I turn offthe oxygen machine

Christine L. Villa, USA

to love somebody even after death…I keep in a boxa photo of a womanhe once loved

Page 6: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Christine L. Villa, USA

the sound of him sleepingmore hours in a dayany bird songis a sad lullaby

Christine L. Villa, USA

a dewdrop danglingfrom the tip of a petal…I try hardnot to show himmy tears

Christine L. Villa, USA

a whiff of hyacinthby the grocery entrance . . .this cold winter nightI hope from aisle to aislethinking of spring

Christine L. Villa, USA

all the pillshe couldn’t take anymore…alone I countthe tulips waitingto be photographed

Christine L. Villa, USA

a babyenclosed by hermother's arms...

Page 7: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

when does a shelllet go of her pearl

Christine L. Villa, USA

watching Gator Boyswith my daughteron the couchher feetwrestle with mine

Susan Burch, USA

grandma’s wearing hergaudy holiday sweateragain this yearI bite my tongueand tell her it’s lovely

Susan Burch, USA

hiding behindher shaky smilethe diagnosisof Parkinson’s, she hasn’tbeen able to swallow

Susan Burch, USA

finding outher son’s a pedophilemy motherwonders whereshe went wrong

Susan Burch, USA

hearing the cheersfrom Wrigley Stadiumthe boy imagines

Page 8: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

he’s there, eating a hot dog,instead of in chemo

Susan Burch, USA

eyeinghis old baseball bathe sighsafter all these yearsstill no kids

Susan Burch, USA

maybe I shouldbury your ashesin the backyardyour blue pinwheelstill spinning

Susan Burch, USA

f i s s u r e sand (whose) fault linescracking openwe try to mend the damageof our quaking lives

Debbie StrangeCanada

African sunhoned on a rasp of skyleaking ichorour hands are stainedwith the blood of child-soldiers

Debbie StrangeCanada

Page 9: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

she heldher daughter's lipsto a mirrorno baby's breathbloomed in the garden

Debbie StrangeCanada

jellyfishon the beachat low tideyou still make meweak in the knees

Debbie StrangeCanada

our years roll bylike runaway trainsgathering speedthe closer we cometo the end of the line

Debbie StrangeCanada

childrenof war zonessilencedwith no legs to walkalong the path to peace

Debbie StrangeCanada

sun rayspalpate mossy loamon the forest floora nursery log suckles fungioh, to wean myself from you

Page 10: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Debbie StrangeCanada

this alchemyof ripened clementinesand woodsmokethe fragrance of my pastboth curse and benediction

Debbie StrangeCanada

silencesor tirades cursedevery mealwe lost weight eatingdegradation for dessert

Debbie StrangeCanada

the widow sinksinto depression's paletteher life's pigmentonce the richest saffronnow Vincent's shade of blue

Debbie StrangeCanada

Page 11: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

as tea leaves in watermy heart sways and submergesunder the moonlightis it too much to ask youto stay two moments longer?

Aruna Rao, India

with monsoon windstwo moons have passed alreadyin wilting breathI seek the length of your sleeveand the eclipse to sing again

Aruna Rao, India

the stench of sweetnessstill lingers in the grasswhen I walk backthe mountain carries the moonfrom one side to the other

Page 12: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Aruna Rao, India

in these heavy cloudsI search for the shade of greywith bated breathI wake behind shrouded doorsto the sound of your footsteps

Aruna Rao, India

as quicksand does,I fall into the mouth of your heartwhile it pondersmy ribs tinge in flavoursdeep and bold, swirling

Aruna Rao, India

as tea in winterI drink your breathin evening whistleshow I wish the snow staysand your blanket upon me

Aruna Rao, India

over this blank scrollmy brush hoverswhile I search my heartlove's hummingbirdsflit further away

Aruna Rao, India

Page 13: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

in the gardena calendula bloomsunnoticedjust another day that slips by

Shloka Shankar, India

summer skies...wing by wing a bluebirddisappearsthe house grows eerierwith just me and my shadow

Shloka Shankar, India

the faintvoices in my headgrow louder...

Page 14: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

a caressing moonbeamrests on my cheek

Shloka Shankar, India

under the elmI count broken promisesby rote...learning to unlearneach one of them

Shloka Shankar, India

Caroline SkanneUK

draped in dreamsof stars and moonswe wander togetherentwined by nighttwo souls surviving

Caroline SkanneUK

full moonin scorpioa passionthat lastsall night

Caroline SkanneUK

Page 15: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

the afterglowof our lovelingers softlymoonbeamson bare skin

Caroline SkanneUK

love's light touchtwo butterfliescircling the sun --together we knowanything is possible

Caroline SkanneUK

taken undera wrens' wingweightless, i travelon all that iseffervescent

Caroline SkanneUK

half moonyou show metwo sidesto the sameold truth

Caroline SkanneUK

Page 16: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

the book of my lifekeeps getting biggerit's a good thingI choose to write iton trimmings of the Lokta bush

 Kath Abela WilsonUSA

one stema  hundred bloomsthis century planteach life shapesits own spring

 Kath Abela WilsonUSA

from the airI see itthe long agomore watery more greenI forgot that this is home

Kath Abela WilsonUSA

I keep itunder my flowery hatthe magic gardenthat grows therein my head

Kath Abela WilsonUSA

sometimesI can't tell the differencebetween usdo we swim or fly

and what do we fish for

Page 17: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

 Kath Abela WilsonUSA

sometimes impossiblebecomes possiblemagnoliaI watch you turninto a bird

Kath Abela WilsonUSA

as if twilightwas an easy dooryou leftfor the place where lightswere already off

Kath Abela WilsonUSA

as if the seawere were your villageyou lead me oncrumbling steps to shoreto slice sashimi

 Kath Abela WilsonUSA

even by this busy streetI notice the placewhere the deer sleptwishing it were youall night the bent lilies

 Kath Abela WilsonUSA

broken pieces

Page 18: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

mortared with tearssceneson a Moroccan plateI set into my hearth

Kath Abela WilsonUSA

with duressfirst wife holds insideher outragehe is lookingat a young filly

Joann GrisettiWinter Springs FL USA

frost fingersa watercolor palettein Octoberwings wash the skyby the thousands

Joann GrisettiWinter Springs FL USA

loud wordstrying so very hardto hurt youI would do anythingto remember our your smile

Joann GrisettiWinter Springs FL USA

first manto last more than three datesquite specialthe feeling that comes

Page 19: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

while dancing

Joann GrisettiWinter Springs FL USA

autumn…sailor drifts backin timeon a summerundertow

Pat Geyer, USA

alone,watching the waves crash...i remember the future

Pat Geyer, USA

ocean wavescrashing over sand castleschildren laugh...i try to remember thatfeeling of scattered laughter

Pat Geyer, USA

bluest of bluethis undersea ridge...waiting,we cross a bridgeto our ocean of dreams 

Pat Geyer, USA

Page 20: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

no fresh groundsand covered debriswaits to float away...ghosts of sad memoriesrush back to the sea

Pat Geyer, USA

undertowrunning back to the seaa seashelllooking back at your stepscannot remember your face

Vessislava Liubomirova SavovaSofia, Bulgaria

someone singseasy come easy goan echothe waves are going backback to the deep ocean

Vessislava Liubomirova SavovaSofia, Bulgaria

unknown creatureat the bottom of the oceana secreta robber has stolena picture of yours

Vessislava Liubomirova Savova

Page 21: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Sofia, Bulgaria

waiting forthe supermoonabove usa pair of lovebirdspecking

Angelo B. AnchetaPhilippines

still reelingfrom the surgeonly we knowthe slamming wavesgoes a refrain

Angelo B. AnchetaPhilippines

Arunansu BandyopadhyayIndia

ripping apartyour last letterin a fit of rage--white butterfliesflutter away

Arunansu BandyopadhyayIndia

applying a balmover burning ulcers

Page 22: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

i can only smileto your morbid eyesill with love

Arunansu BandyopadhyayIndia

sun sets behindbullet-ridden cloudsat Golgothaa violin plays outthe agony of mankind

Arunansu BandyopadhyayIndia

watching the trailof a Grad missile...was this the routefollowed by the Starof Bethlehem?

Arunansu BandyopadhyayIndia

a late summer sunsetsumptuous and surrealwears cloudsof salmon pink and charcoal gray …a kiss of lightning ends the day

Judi Brannan ArmbrusterUSA

coveys of quail scuttleunder dead blackberry busheschallenge Jays and Juncosfor seeds shaken from the feeder…

Page 23: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

count sixty 

Judi Brannan ArmbrusterUSA

there is on earththis mangled mountainwhere progress loomsand nature tumblesto her knees

Judi Brannan ArmbrusterUSA

trying to figure outthe meaningof undertowtanka,find it's too deepfor me

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

I ponderand seemto understand,after all, good tankahave more than a surface meaning

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

at eighty-eightI find the surfaceis old, bent,cane-driven,and still I guard an undercurrent of wisdom

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

Page 24: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

my wifedied in l972,and she mentioned oncethis surface lifewhich she wanted no part of

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

no penniesfrom heavenin the violence of our world,our hate has a depthbeyond all understanding

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

oncewe sangover the rainbow,how beautiful we feltour world would be

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

walkingon sandand treadingdown, down,to what?

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

perhapsthe younger she wasthe prettier,but so much behindher splendid scarf and hat

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

long ago

Page 25: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

I felt the worlda tour-de-force,now I want to hidebelow and beyond

Sanford GoldsteinJapan

I searchmy moon all the way          horizon of hopeoffers solace in the midnightrekindling vastness of the sky

Pravat Kumar Padhy,India

I paintedthrough out nightmy memoriesof grief and anguishremain as patches of white

Pravat Kumar Padhy,India

autumn morningall my wishes fall apartsome drainsinto the meandering riverrest blown before I could gather

Pravat Kumar Padhy,India

the spiderrides up and downon the mirrorI readjust my facepicking up the shinny hair

Pravat Kumar Padhy,India

Page 26: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

thin moonin the hot summerthe nest swingscatching darknesseverywhere

Pravat Kumar Padhy,India

the trainwhistles to startI carry hermemories till I reachthe stretched distance

Pravat Kumar Padhy,India

Page 27: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

harsh sunlighton the fourth anniversaryof his deathsunrise on the loughalmost painful to watch

Marion ClarkeWarrenpoint, Northern Ireland

winter gardenthe steady creakof a rusty swing chairI try to remember my father's voicecalling us for Sunday mass

Marion ClarkeWarrenpoint, Northern Ireland

at low tidethe sound of seagullsand moaning windin the rock pool I findnothing but my reflection

Marion ClarkeWarrenpoint, Northern Ireland

an old farmerreturns a field mouseto the scarecrow's pocketI long for the ridged textureof Dad's old corduroy coat

Marion ClarkeWarrenpoint, Northern Ireland

I walk between worldsa shadow born of lightand darkness...who hears the cry of legendsunder this waking moon

Page 28: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Rebecca Drouilhet   Picayune, Mississippi, USA

swimmingin an ocean of stars...all the yearswe spent racing through the nightnever looking up until now

Rebecca Drouilhet   Picayune, Mississippi, USA

fireworksand the star-spangled bannerunder a half-moon skywhat afterglow will remaininside my American dream

Rebecca Drouilhet   Picayune, Mississippi, USA

sliver moonwaterbugs creep intoshadowsthe dog's tags jangleon the lonely street

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

the moonis a ghost eggfloating

Page 29: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

like a spotted snakemade of orange jello

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

in my dreamwriting haiku withKerouacI write of his eyeshe writes of dead flies

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

gave awaymy first haiku bookbrokenlike a blue bead museI want it back

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

will I everunderstand pine treeshow they dropand keep their needlesliving on poet time

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

wish I couldbelieve in her ghostshow she steals -the blood of family storiesbad enough without her lies

Page 30: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

we played in the atticof the gingerbread castlehiding in closetsnever knowing howthe crooked man lurked

Carole JohnstonLexington, Kentucky, USA

late summerwalking the beachlight blinds uswe spend the daywatching our feet

Liz Moura, USA

so few petalsremain on the stemseach morningI find them piling upinside my old shoes

Liz Moura, USA

supermoonwe hear the neighborsoutsideas we nestlein threadbare sheets

Liz Moura, USA

Page 31: UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW: ISSUE # 1

another polar vortex

my first winter

with a puppy –

Mother Nature’s

sense of humour

Leslie Bamford

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

morning walk

two sparrows spooning

in a magnolia

bridal suite of pink -

who needs Vegas?

Leslie Bamford

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

quarreling under

the patio umbrella

this afternoon -

baby grackles scold

us from their nest

Leslie Bamford

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada