Tanka Kukai 03 Favorites
Tanka Writing Roundtable • Millikin University • Spring 2024
1 silver truck McKenna Beals (3) |
2 the old lumberyard McKenna Beals (5) I like the imagery in this tanka a lot. I love having scenes grounded in specific times and seasons, which this one does. It’s got an interesting nostalgic feel to it with the old lumberyard and a promise of forever, both things that seem simple and perhaps come from a time of naivety. I like the way that readers are placed in the scene sort of as outside observers, as we witness the scene alongside the cat. This tanka makes me wonder about what the nature of the relationship in question is, and I like that it gives readers the ability to fill in the gaps. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024 |
3 dad angrily McKenna Beals (5) |
4 dark crosswalk Sophie Nicholson (4) |
5 sidewalk chalk Sophie Nicholson (4) I love this tanka. It takes me back to when I would spend hours upon hours outside, decorating the sidewalk at the end of my driveway with doodles and words and trying desperately to get the chalk to fit into all of the grooves of the cement without blowing away. I would blow at the dust and get angry that some of the drawing would blow away, too, but I would keep drawing and putting chalk into the sidewalk and drawing over layers of other colours. My skin and clothes would be covered in chalk dust, and the tops of my arms and my cheeks would be lightly sunburnt, but I would be really proud of all my work and excited to show off what I had made. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024 This tanka is very nostalgic to me because my siblings and I used to do sidewalk chalk on our driveway in the summers. We used an empty baby wipe box to store all of the chunky pastel pieces, and I remember what the container looked like, and what it was like to flip open the lid. I love the lines “the pastel colors of an evening well-spent” because it conveys that the pictures drawn resemble the fun of the evening. I miss those days! Leah Flint, Spring 2024 |
6 a little talk. Randy Brooks (3) |
7 fever flushed cheeks Sophie Nicholson (7) When I read this tanka the first time, I took it way to literally. Then when we discussed it in class, I realized how sweet it is. The 'medicine' that only a mother can give is such a wonderful way to describe the love that mothers' exude for their children. Even if you're sick, you know your mother will be there for you in a way that no other person ever could. A mother's love is irreplicable. My mother passed away in 2019 and I've had 'motherly' figures in my life since. They just cannot replace the innate love that my own mother had for my siblings and me. She was also a nurse, so this holds very true. She may have known the remedies to aid in illness, but the love is definitely what makes a difference. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024 I’m a sucker for any poem about moms, especially if they’re sweet ones like these, but the alliteration of “f” and “b” in the first two lines make it flow. Like I mentioned in class, it feels as if this tanka is taking me into the house like a camera in a family movie. Eden Niebrugge, Spring 2024 |
8 a pair of geese Randy Brooks (4) I love how playful and inquisitive this tanka is – to me, this one reads as a parent who lovingly calls their kids “geese,” like when you call someone a “silly goose,” and they are looking at their kids popping up out of where they were playing. I imagine it’s very backwater, little farm or ranch with not much to do but lots of land to play on, and there are some little kids playing around the lake (catching frogs or something else equally outdoorsy), and the parent is looking for them to call in for dinner, and they finally find them on the edge of the lake. This feels like such a scenic picture to capture, like just a little moment, but very important nonetheless. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024 |
9 lightning flashes Sophie Nicholson (3) |
10 sipping on Skylyr Choe (5) I’m glad someone else found comfort in hospital apple juice like I did. For a second, when I first read it, I thought it was a poem I wrote because I didn’t think anyone else had that specific experience like me. Tanka truly connects people through moments we don’t expect. Eden Niebrugge, Spring 2024 |
11 can we Eden Niebrugge (7) I really liked this tanka as soon as I read it. I love that the middle line separates the question from the answer. It makes it so that the there's this pause in between the question and the answer. Also, I like that it's from the singular perspective, no response from the other person. It makes it seem like the didn't even want to wait for the response, they were prepared with that they had to say. They wanted to share those feelings with that person as quickly as possible, maybe due to the nervousness or excitement of the situation. I think the 'we' is important as well. It's not just can 'I' share secrets. Maybe they don't want to feel alone in revealing how they feel about that person. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024 |
12 doctors are Eden Niebrugge (5) I like the wit and brevity of this tanka. It’s got kind of a dry humor to it with the very plain and sort of extreme statement that doctors are horrible, and then the abrupt turn to talking about IVs. I love how straightforward and straight to the point it is. And I can also relate to this tanka talks about. It captures an experience I don’t often see talked about much, especially in poetry. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024 |
13 rosemary bread Eden Niebrugge (5) I’m really drawn to this tanka because of how descriptive and savory it is. I’m a foodie and love the imagery of the avocado toast. It sends an almost calming wave over me to read the lines about the toast, because I can picture it in front of me. I feel the rush of good chemicals you get when you eat something really delicious just by reading those first lines. The love of the toast melts into the love for the person you’re sharing your time with when reading the last two lines of the poem. I think it could even be read that the poet cherishes every second with their toast since the “you” is non-specific. I quite like that interpretation as someone who loves food! Leah Flint, Spring 2024 |
14 wishes made of dandelion fluff. Skylyr Choe (6) This tanka has a lot going for it. To get the obvious out of the way first, the formatting is eye catching to say the least. Not only does it grab your attention but it also adds to the tanka itself, the visual of the dandelion puffing with the turn of the spiders is incredible. The phrasing of this tanka also plays to its strengths. The first line adds a level of whimsy and a storybook quality. “instead of seeds” allows for a bit of foreshadowing for the turn. But then the lines that follow have you playfully jump around the page and forget all about it. Until you eventually get the horrifying visual of thousands of tiny spiders going everywhere. Not to mention the fact that the use of dandelion implies a closeness to your mouth, which is even more horrifying. I like this tanka so much because it grabs you and then delivers. Josh Lowe, Spring 2024 |
15 plastic red wagon Leah Flint (4) |
16 swimming under sunny skies Skylyr Choe (3) |
17 crying into dad’s shoulder Leah Flint (4) This one is by far my favorite, largely because I can't help but love when a tanka hits on something I’ve experienced . The first two lines immediately made me think back to a time in my life when I was dealing with heartbreak. Despite not being on speaking terms with my father I called him crying because it was the only thing I could think to do. Obviously this tanka was from a woman’s perspective but I’m here to say that men do it too. But wordplay wise, with the use of “little girl” and then wrapping it back around by the end to the teacup. It's very subtle to bring it back around. Josh Lowe, Spring 2024 |
18 green waves crash Leah Flint (3) |
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© 2024, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.