First day of autumn
a sunflower turns
back toward earth
have I used it well
this life . . .
Published by
Sylvia Forges-Ryan
Sylvia Forges-Ryan recently received the International Azsacra Poetry Award from the Taj Mahal Journal in Allahabad, India which published her poems in December 2014. Also, she won Third Prize in the 2014 Robert Frost Poetry Contest. Her book, Take a Deep Breath: The Haiku Way to Inner Peace, which won an R. H. Blyth Honorable Mention for Outstanding Books in Haiku Literature from the World Haiku Review in 2013, was selected for permanent inclusion in the American Literature Collection of the Beinecke Library at Yale University.
View all posts by Sylvia Forges-Ryan
10 thoughts on “”
Dear Sylvia, What a beautiful tanka. On my blog earlier today, I was inspired to write about the hosta leaves resting on the ground – still green and will turn gold.
Your last two lines add wisdom from the heart as well.
Masterful tanka, Sylvia. A precise observation, then a personal reflection. I hope many more of our Tinywords readers are inspired by such an example to explore and experiment with the waka form.
Dear Sylvia, What a beautiful tanka. On my blog earlier today, I was inspired to write about the hosta leaves resting on the ground – still green and will turn gold.
Your last two lines add wisdom from the heart as well.
Blessings and thank you, Ellen
precarious, the yellow leaflets
on the stone butterfly flitter
(ahhh, your poem is so very nice)
.
First day of autumn
a sunflower turns
back toward earth
have I used it well
this life . . .
—SYLVIA FORGES-RYAN
Wonderful poem with a fine turn.
Thank you,
Alan
Beautiful, Sylvia :-)
Masterful tanka, Sylvia. A precise observation, then a personal reflection. I hope many more of our Tinywords readers are inspired by such an example to explore and experiment with the waka form.
Thank you for sharing it
Strider
professionally used the Scent technique of Basho in linking the two parts of the Tanka
Oh, how beautiful – and sad…
marion
Sylvia feels the pathos of the flower. Surely there is much meaning in such perceptions. A sign of someone who is in tune with this life.
great article
cool writing