long drought
our prayers for rain
go unanswered
the one cloud on the horizon
mushroom-shaped and growing

 

 

 

(Tanka Society of America Contest, Honorable Mention, 2014)

4 Responses

  1. Ronald K. Craig Says:

    Boom!

  2. Pravat Says:

    The visual description (miru tei) of the tanka is beautifully crafted. The last two lines ( shimo-no-ku) depict a sense of beauty and hope.

    monsoon clouds
    a lot of hope float
    on the ground

    Pravat Kumar Padhy
    Publication Credit: Chrysanthemum 12, October 2012

    in dense majority
    clouds hang over the ocean
    in my dream
    I feel mingling with the sea
    and the softness of the rain

    Pravat Kumar Padhy
    Publication Credit: Sketchbook, Vol 5, No 3, May-June, 2010

  3. MaryJo Says:

    The mushroom cloud that kept growing was the test pattern on our TV in Sioux Falls, S.D. Hard to believe that actually happened.

  4. seaviewwarrenpoint Says:

    Well done, Tracy. I found this very ominous because of the shape of that cloud!

    marion

Leave a Reply