1

we drive home
through the first
green of spring
on the radio
crimson & clover

Sophie Nicholson (4)

I just love the imagery this tanka conjures for me – it makes me think of driving through the mountains in Colorado, windows rolled down and breathing in the crisp mountain air as the dawn of spring begins. It’s very nostalgic, although I have never quite felt or experienced anything like it before. It’s so clear an image, and yet I don’t know quite how it makes me feel since it’s a memory that isn’t mine. I also don’t know the reference to what’s on the radio, but I really appreciate the alliteration and the harshness of that “c” sound helps tie together the mountain crispness’ image. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024

2

walking the green river
after a holiday
the two of us
our own
parade

Sophie Nicholson (5)

3

a tornado in my
heart,
lightning rips me
apart
breaking into spring

Eden Niebrugge

4

plastic easter egg
cracking beneath
my shoe
resentful at the
garden of eden

Eden Niebrugge (4)

5

puzzle pieces
and book pages
this house
finally feels
like home

Eden Niebrugge (4)

I like the idea presented in this poem that when the things you love surround you, it can make you feel like you’ve built a home for yourself somewhere. This tanka reminds me of settling in, maybe on a vacation, where you have all your hobbies to do and you really feel at home in a a place that isn’t your home at all. Leah Flint, Spring 2024

I like this tanka for its simplicity and sincerity. Since leaving for college and living in three different places at Millikin, the idea of “home” can start to feel muddled—it’s not just one place anymore. This tanka captures that feeling of finally settling into a new space, while also emphasizing the necessity of claiming that space. You have to bring your own puzzles and books, fill your space with the familiar to regain that feeling of home. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024

6

Irish pub
I finish your Guinness
always willing
to take bitter things
off your hands

Sophie Nicholson (5)

I didn’t read this tanka correct the first time, unsure what Guinness had to do with the rest of it, but I get it now. It feels sweet in a bittersweet way, like you keep putting yourself out there for someone, and they have yet to return those favors to you. I love the first line starting with an Irish pub and leaving the scenery with that. Eden Niebrugge, Spring 2024

7

of all the fish
in the sea,
it’s my hand she holds
walking through
the aquarium

Skylyr Choe (6)

I really like this tanka. I love the comparison of the fish to the partner. My husband actually calls me 'his fish', which reminds me of this. I also really enjoy looking at fish in the aquariums. As said in class, it's cheesy but it does it well. I can also picture walking through the aquarium and the dim light while walking through mesmerized by the creatures that swim under the water. It's very cute and expresses being your partner's person. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024

I love this tanka and think it’s so clever and sweet. The play on words is interesting and fun. I also like that aquarium is at the end of the poem so the context of the first couple lines is wrapped up by the end. The implication that this person is a fish in the aquarium, but that the person they’re with chooses them over all the other actual (and metaphorical, as in people) fish is very cute. Leah Flint, Spring 2024

8

frozen yogurt
with little sis
my five flavors
to her favorite
plain tarte

Leah Flint

I didn’t get to talk about this one in class, but I really love this tanka as a snapshot of a moment of sibling bonding that still underscores the differences between the two. I think that’s a fundamental part of having a sibling—both getting along and fighting, wondering how you can be both so similar and so different at the same time. This tanka captures that tension of siblinghood bonds in the juxtaposition of the sister’s flavor preferences, which I think is really clever and cute. Sophie Nicholson, Spring 2024

9

pretend not to mind
her Taylor Swift playlist
she talks more now
that she has
all our lives

Leah Flint

10

little sister drives
me
I glance over
to figure out
where the time has gone

Leah Flint

11

sleeping in
until noon
the depression
in my bed
holds me close

Skylyr Choe (5)

12

digging my toes
in the sand
I dream of being
anywhere
else

Skylyr Choe (4)

13

spring break week
has gone 
in a flash
every moment
spent with you

McKenna Beals

14

spontaneous road-trip
Monday morning
unforgettable 
memories
made with you

McKenna Beals (3)

This tanka just makes me feel happy. Some of the fondest memories in my life currently come from the spontaneous moments with friends or loved ones where, when we’re just sitting around bored, someone asks, “do you want to go ___?” and we all just pile into the car and go. We crank up the music and crack jokes for the 15 minutes or up to 3 hour drive we make, and we have a good time goofing around doing simultaneously everything and nothing. Sometimes it's just to get a little bubble tea drink because there aren’t any locations around where we live, and other times it’s to see a really fun show/movie in a special theatre. Skylyr Choe, Spring 2024

15

resting on break—
i spoke too soon—
head over 
the toilet
at noon

Eden Niebrugge (3)

I enjoyed this tanka when I read it for the first time because the voice behind the tanka is actually very comical. I like that the 'i spoke too soon' phrase broke up the first line from the rest of the tanka. It also could be relatable to some people, which I enjoy relatable tanka. Also, the rhyming that is going on with soon and noon. I think that makes it even more enjoyable to read. McKenna Beals, Spring 2024

16

laughing in
her Pontiac
strawberry milkshakes
never tasted
so good

Skylyr Choe (4)

17

picking up right
where we left off
the trusted hand
helping me
over a fence

Sophie Nicholson (3)

18

a visit to my middle school
reminds me that
I will never be
thirteen again,
and thank God for that.

Skylyr Choe (6)

This type of tanka needs it to be a voice tanka, nothing descriptive or intense. While I’ve written about the experiences with youth, I think this tanka has to be one of the best summaries of youth. The specific age brings back so many memories, the punctuation is perfect to highlight the voice, and the capitalization of “God” also draws the eye. Great tanka! Eden Niebrugge, Spring 2024