Tanka for the Beloved

Eloquence of Love

I hesitated

To say my true feelings

Soon after our tryst

The memory of your lips

Told me to be eloquent

Stay

Can you stay longer?

At least until the rain stops

My bed is still warm

With your smoldering kiss

And your scorching embrace

Memories of You

My memory talks

In loud words and images

Of your poise and endless grace

A picture of elegance

A heavenly hymn of praise

Your Name

I mentioned your name

And songbirds sang it like a tune

They gathered around

The rosebush and the green ferns

Humming the wondrous refrain

The Dawn

The dawn we failed to see

Neath blankets huddling in the cold

But no big regrets

We’ll wait for it tomorrow

And maybe miss it again

Rejected Roses

Rose petals wilted

The breeze blew the crimson flecks

On trellis floor laid

Attempts to restore, in vain

I will send again

Rebuked
You chided me then
When I asked for your sweetness
Slapping my hands
And I, tremulous in fear
Withdrew in the raging rain

Night Sounds
I whiled through the sounds
Frog's grunts, cicada's buzz saw
But not finding yours
Only the memory heard
A soothing wind borne whisper

The Lovers

Lovers cowering
In the long shadows of dawn
Fearful to be seen

Anxious of the consequence
Of last night’s wanton delights

Indiscretion

Do you think in dread

That your indiscretion leads

To disaffection?
Fear not, a plucked rose remains

As sweet as those in the bower

The Quest

I sought in earnest

In secret paths untrodden

Neither man nor beast

Dare go the perilous quest

But only you can give me rest

At First Glimmer

I might chance to see

Your loveliness and your grace

In the first glimmer

Are you prettiest in sunlight

Or in the glow of full moon?

Divine Moment

I watched from the ridge

Careful not to disturb birds

Singing praise to you

The blooms blushed at your bare feet

In fealty to a deity

Moping
The morning found me
Moping beneath the duvet
Denied a good night
Left clinging on unsteady vines
Sent home without a fond kiss

Through Wild Flowers
Come let us gambol
Trampling down wild flowers
Jumping low bushes
Scraping your knees on sharp thorns
Let me kiss away the sore

Inner Joy

Leafing through the frayed

Pages of an old album

I stopped to rest my

Eyes on your insouciant face

Oblivious of my delight

Bouquet

Garden flowers wait

For the beautiful lady

With gentle hands pluck

Roses, Azaleas in bloom

To grace a potter’s fine urn