spinning
a carousel
of postcards
I see my town
as a tourist
(originally appeared in bottle rockets, #32, Feb 2015)
Published by
Sally Biggar
Sally Biggar lives in the mid-coast region of Maine. Little did she know 30 years ago, when she moved to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, that she would eventually find herself inexorably drawn, like a salmon, back to her birthplace, to fields ringed with stone walls, a granite coastline, fresh-water lakes and flaming fall foliage. She draws inspiration for her poetry from daily walks with her husband and eavesdropping anywhere, all the time. She began writing haiku in 2010, but now primarily writes tanka, which have appeared most recently in red lights, Eucalypt, Ribbons, GUSTS and Moonbathing. View all posts by Sally Biggar
Excellent!!
I like the imagery contained in the verse and the fresh perspective one can gain by looking at your everyday environment from a new perspective.
Well done!
Seeing with "beginners mind" or fresh eyes…how a wonderful idea and image in this lovely poem.
What fun this haiku is. Imagine spinning to find a postcard and there's your town. Thanks, Mary.
I like it.
Well done! I readily identify with the feeling. I like the inclusion of the carousel image as well, as it reflects in a sidewise way our town's festival experience (the Dentzel carousel put up each year at the Wooden Boat Festival).
Lovely tanka!
Thank you for your comments, everyone!
Wonderful poetry Sally. And I really love how the form of the verse actually embodies the content and the experience being conveyed – each of the five lines can be read almost as a rack of the carousel, with their own pictures and partial portrayal of the town. Brilliant stuff!
Strider
Your tanka really spoke to me, Sally. I live in a coastal town in Northern Ireland and whenever anyone sees a photo or painting from here they often gasp at the scenery. I took it for granted until I moved back after living elsewhere for almost two decades and only saw it through the eyes of others on my return.
An effective poem.
marion
What a true thought. Oftentimes we have to "see ourself as others see us", to re-accquaint ourselves with that which has become familiar–
"I see my town
as a tourist"