Menu Tanka

this from Column A
some of that from Column B
a balanced diet

and a balanced life is found
on both sides of the menu

Stephen Brooke ©2026

pretty much in the shape of a tanka 

The Deep Grass

what might I seek
if I am seen to wander
across the hills?

it is no great matter ~
I have lost only my way

I may find it hidden
somewhere in the deep grass
of yesterday

Stephen Brooke ©2025

Sort of in the tradition of Japanese linked poems. Some of those go on for quite a few more lines than this, sometimes with multiple authors!

Tarried Tanka

we should have parted
in those last happy days
of our summer love

the winds of autumn carry
away we who tarried

Stephen Brooke ©2025

milky way tanka

a river of stars
flowed across my summer nights
above dark water

the milky way leads only
to such memories now

Stephen Brooke ©2024

more or less in the form of a tanka

Sparks and More

 Three short poems:

 

I watch sparks fly
from the relentless wheels
of the universe

sometimes I stand too close
and pretend they are aimed at me

Stephen Brooke ©2024

 

the moon and the sea
reach ever toward each other
yet may not embrace

Stephen Brooke ©2024

lesser of evils~
life is a succession
of such choices

Stephen Brooke ©2024

Helmet Tanka

choosing a helmet
before I ride the bike ~
my fashion statement

I’m partial to the blue fade
but all-black does look classy

Stephen Brooke ©2024

a piece in the form of a tanka

Vacancy Tanka

above empty rooms
a vacancy sign flickers
and goes dark

cars’ headlights loom and fade
each bound further into night

Stephen Brooke ©2023

A piece more or less in the form of a tanka