Tanka Kukai 05 Favorites
Tanka Writing Roundtable • Millikin University • Spring 2024
1 i left Eden Niebrugge (3) |
2 unwashed sheets Sophie Nicholson (4) |
3 polish flakes Sophie Nicholson (5) I love the imagery this tanka conjures. There is such a strong sensory attachment to this one – I was always peeling at the nail polish on my fingers when I was a kid and would do them with my friends or mom at home. I would never be fully aware of what I was doing when I would chew or pick at my fingers until after I was spitting out a wad of gel polish, and as gross as that imagery is, it’s very strong for me. My parents also liked to paint our walls a lot, so this tanka just brings back a lot of old memories for me, and I appreciate the ties to something so kinesthetic. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024 |
4 the gift McKenna Beals (3) This one is so real. My biggest love language for people is that I often want to get them little things that make me think of them, or very specially craft and put together an assortment of things that I know they like or will appreciate, and it is incredibly discouraging when my efforts are in vain and unappreciated. I work really hard to think of clever or thoughtful gifts, and when I am met with anything less than joy or gratitude, I immediately withdraw and apologize for not doing better. It feels like a personal affront or attack when a gift I give isn’t well received, and I can just feel the bitterness and quietly burning upset within this tanka. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024 |
5 i dance Eden Niebrugge (4) I like this tanka because of the clever phrasing and ambiguity. It could be read several different ways, like “i dance/ around you” as in we are dancing near each other or I’m avoiding you. The following line falls into place in either context. And then I like the last two lines because they could also hold a more literal or metaphorical meaning—we fall down physically, or we both fall in love. It’s nice. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024 |
6 red velvet Eden Niebrugge (5) I love Eden’s food poems! The juxtaposition of the sweetness of what these people are eating and the bitterness of the actual situation is intriguing. It makes me wonder why they are having dessert while talking about breaking things off. Maybe this has been a long time coming, a casual, and somewhat amicable parting. Enjoying coffee and red velvet cake while wishing each other well, knowing that they are both better off alone, but still enjoying the final moments in company with the other person. Leah Flint, Spring 2024 |
7 skipping away Eden Niebrugge (3) |
8 the high heeled shoes McKenna Beals (2) |
9 a path through Randy Brooks (4) |
10 sunken eyes Leah Flint (3) I love how this tanka values the worth of someone. We get a clear visual from the first line, and it turns into internal dialogue from then on, which I like a lot! We discussed two meanings with this one, which are some of my favorite tanka. One being with the person you’re losing sleep over and one being you’re losing sleep thinking about this person. It also reminds me of sleeping in a sorority house where musical theater majors tap dance above my bedroom. Eden Niebrugge, Spring 2024 |
11 silently staring Skylyr Choe (5) |
12 keep it simple Skylyr Choe (7) I love that the first two lines in this tanka replicate what it’s saying: short and sweet, no more than three words each. The tone quickly shifts in the third line, and I’m waiting to hear what this person has to say. We quickly reach the end to feel just as annoyed and disappointed as the speaker. This reminds me of all those videos of married men who just absolutely don’t know how to do anything, particularly grocery shopping. Eden Niebrugge, Spring 2024 |
13 the soft beard Randy Brooks (4) I really love the rhymes within the tanka. I think it makes it very fun to read. Also, the voice seems to be very playful, asking 'don't you want to touch it too?'. I like that you can picture the flower even if you don't quite know exactly what it's referring to. The softness is described very well. It also is as if it's calling out to you to touch it. You want to touch it even if it's kind of silly to pet a flower. Then I love that the voice is asking a question. You see the flower, and don't you want to touch it just as much as I do. I can imagine children. When I was younger, there were lamb ears in one of our flower beds and it was like that as well. They looked so soft, and you know you just wanted to touch them because of that simple fact. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024 |
14 a cold bench Josh Lowe (4) I really like the wording in this tanka. It gives a very good description to be able to visualize exactly what kind of bench is being talked about. As we discussed in class, the idea that 'perfect' is used to describe this place kind of goes against the positive sentiment behind the word 'perfect'. Perfect typically entails something that is done very well, but the reality of this tanka shows that the scenario was anything but perfection. Being told it's over would be the complete opposite in my eyes. I love that it is kind of conflicting the idea of this cold bench. It may be the perfect place to say "it's over" simply because of how terrible the actual scenario is. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024 |
15 no holy book Josh Lowe (3) I was also very drawn to the opposition in this poem. Looking at this poem again, it seems like it could be about leaving religion behind or giving it up in some way. In my mind, religious people often refer to dead people as “guardian angels,” and turn to the bible or bible verses in times of trial. This person reflects on being in the graveyard and only having the gravestones as comfort, because they don’t believe in, or don’t believe that, the bible or an angel can comfort them. Leah Flint, Spring 2024 |
16 too ill to party, Sophie Nicholson (6) |
17 heart shape Leah Flint (5) |
18 presenting myself McKenna Beals (3) |
19 sitting around Josh Lowe (4) |
20 your smile, my smile Sophie Nicholson (5) |
21 chalk smears across paper Skylyr Choe (5) I like this tanka because of its tactile nature and the interesting things it’s doing with diction. The first line conjures images of charcoal or pastel drawings, which makes me think the speaker is a serious artist, perhaps sketching some kind of human figure which they trace. I love “tracing” as its own line, since it really makes readers contemplate the action of tracing the paper. And then I love the sorrow of the last two lines. There’s also a bit of mystery and desperation. I think the choice to refer to the fingers (using “they” instead of “I”) wishing they could touch is really strong because it brings out that desperation—like you want to touch this person so much, your fingers are reaching out of their own accord. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024 |
© 2024, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.