Tanka Final Kukai 12

Tanka Writing Roundtable • Millikin University • Spring 2024

1

fever flushed cheeks
bundled in blankets
calling out to mom
for the medicine
only she can give

2

take my picture
develop me
in glossy black and white
I want to be more solid
than my shadow

3

sometimes
my life is like a movie
an unremarkable movie
that i’m watching
in the dark

4

I brought a flower home
to die
in the last chapter
of a book
we never finished

5

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

6

hanging
my favorite sweater
to dry
I keep putting off
returning it to you

7

moving plants
from house to house
like a child caught
in the middle of a divorce,
their leaves no longer green.

8

the book's hardcover
worn over time
nevertheless
the story endures,
untouched and pure

9

out on the pond
in the little
green boat
i reach out for
your hand

10

fresh green grass
growing above you
showing just
how much time
has passed

11

taco night
soft shell split
down the middle
toppings tumble out
betrayed again

12

a bar of soap
turning smooth
i am 
scrubbed clean 
of you

13

missing the clear blue
of your eyes
I stare at your picture
afraid I’ll forget
if I stop looking

14

oh to be
in two places at once
childhood bedroom
arms still wrapped
around you

15

honey bee
face plants in pollen
the way
I breathe
in love

16

still feel the kiss
you left
on my shoulder
how slow time moves
when you’re away

17

bathed in moonlight
I bid her
one final goodnight
with soft fingers
grazing her headstone

18

I save
every card
she sends me
the love of my life
in one shoebox

19

keep it simple
short and sweet
I even give you a list
and you still go
fuck it up

20

thick oil paint
on museum canvas
I could live my life
among
the brush strokes

21

the beginning
or the end
of a rope
depends on which
way you’re headed

Favorite Tanka

Favorite Love Tanka

Favorite Love Gone Wrong

Favorite Mom Tanka

Favorite Good Grief Tanka

Favorite Book Lover's Tanka


© 2024, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.