A Tanka Journey

John {Jack} Byrne

Welcome to tanka poetry which originated inJapan more than 13 centuries ago, a poemwritten of love or self reflection, they do notrhyme and are written in 5 short lines of 31syllables {5/7/5/7/7}or less, and is bestwritten with a pivot which changes the toneof the poem, join me on this poetic journey John{Jack}Byrne

All poems within are the work of John{Jack}Byrne and should not used without the authors permission 2015

from the harbourgreat ships carry people away…when will I see onebring you back to me

sadnessin the curlew’s crythis grey day…his lonelinessthe same as mine

the starshow wonderful and bright they shine…this night you have promised to love me

this Christmasthe snow fallsmore silent than before…it knowshow I pine for you

unkind wordsexchanged over breakfastleaving me withmore of a mess to tidy this morning

almost a year nowsince she leftsearching for the young manwhom I was

I awake to birdsongyour gentle breathrising and fallingyour face contentfrom last night’s love

molly my catsquints in my directionwith affection…blackbirdsplay into Spring

heavy snowfallin the nighthas secretlystolen Springand all she offered

under the bridgethe river flows fastaided by the rain…a broken heartaids my tears

third visitwalkingthrough the ward doorshe asks againwho am I

at breakfasta sparkle in your eyesa promissory noteof what lies ahead

year of the snakecould have a morepleasant start…is there an antidotefor mankind’s venom ?

Irelandwhere moonbeamsand lover’s kissesare often stored within the hedgerows

summer cloudskiss the mountain topspilling dreams…pleasing my heartin the valley below

happiness is a roseborn on a stemof love…how pleasingthis scent of you

whiskeyalready belowthe mark…how to tell herit’s over

once I travelledthe carefree path of a young boy…but tread carefulon this adult road

brent geesegather in the fieldto graze and chatter…what do they knowof loneliness

watching the sunsetpull this dayto a close…are there morewords to say?

during my strolla soft mist cools my facelike a velvet glove…my thoughts of youthis Irish morning

relaxing musicfill my earswhile songs of the violinswisk me alofton the wings of angels

I have little fearof fallingon this uneven groundprovidedI fall to your heart

silent as the owlshe brings her love to methis Irish colleenon soft wingsshe flies to my heart

autumnthe swallows have leftto journey south…again you leave menothing but loneliness

I’m afraid we’ve reached the end of our firststep in this great tanka journey, but I’mjust mooring for the night in the harbourof dreams, here I will dream my dreams oflove, and awake refreshed ready to embarkon the ocean of poems and our tanka journey.

John{Jack}Byrne