Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday and Sunday Stills #poetry #brown

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Colleen’s challenge this week was as follows:

Your writing invitation is: Compose a series of three tanka:

Below you will find the three kigo phrases (five syllables each). You can use them as the “turn lines” or “pivots” (third lines) for each of your three tanka, or as the first line of your tanka.

You must use one kigo phrase in each tanka as either the first line or the pivot line in each of your three tanka poems.

I used:

The first month of hail, Advanced spring garden, Gather around braais.

I love this idea, Colleen. I also added to Robbie Kigo poems.

You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2023/11/14/24-seasons-syllabic-poetry-challenge-no-8-11-13-23-part-ii-the-beginning-of-winter-november-7-21-ritto-%e7%ab%8b%e5%86%ac/

Fickle Spring

The first month of hail

After days of loud rumbling

As black cloud gathers

Icy bullets pelt tin roof

Cats hide behind thick curtains

***

Crunchy chips collect

In drains and flowerbed troughs

Advanced spring garden

escapes excessive damage

Unlike previous onslaughts

***

Dismal grey gives way

To sun – families seize chance

Gather around braais

Smoke curling up into sky

Unmarred by treacherous clouds

Unexpected

Seeded pin cushion

Squat, unattractive green ball

Flower creator

Produces mass of petals

Revolving around bright sun

This amazing flower only bloomed for a single day. I was so lucky to see it.

Moulting

Everywhere

On chairs, couches, and

In the beds

There is hair

Vacuum buzzes all day long

I hide evidence

Queen Push-Push

Sunday Stills

Terri’s challenge is brown. Brown, brown everywhere … You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/11/12/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-all-the-leaves-are-brown-and-much-more/

I ain’t an elk; I’m a Hyena
Another hyena

There is a joke in my captions. If you watch this you should get it:

I’m also not an elk … I’m a buffalo – a very old one.
I’m a frog

The frog did the most amazing stretch for me:

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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79 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday and Sunday Stills #poetry #brown”

  5. Evocative poems and amazing photos, Robbie.
    When I was a child, we lived in Dallas, TX, and I remember hail that broke a window.

    I can’t imagine seeing a hyena–and that frog stretch!
    Queen Push Push looks like she knows she’s a queen. 😂

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  6. I always love your poetry, Robbie! Fickel spring is described so well in your kigo. I loved the unexpected flower–so cool! Your array of brown beasts is just gorgeous. You are lucky to see these with your own eyes–hyenas are quite amazing looking. Love the cute frog stretch. Great to see your post!

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  12. The Flanders and Swann song has a vaudeville vibe to it. I remember the punchline of an old joke that was ” “Go paddle your own gnu,” but I can’t remember the rest of the joke! Of your tanka, I particularly like “Fickle Spring” because it’s all sound imagery.

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    1. Hi Liz, thank you, Flanders and Swann always give me a giggle. I really enjoy their tongue in cheek humorous songs, especially the animal ones. They have one about a warthog which is hilarious. I’m pleased you like that poem. I enjoyed the challenge of that one.

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  16. Robbie, I love your tanka poems and the other poems you included! This was fun! I’ll give the kigo phrases for the second week of the season. It has produced some of the best poetry from everyone. I’ll make sure and have a southern hemisphere selection too. Excellent and well done!! 🥳

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      1. You’re so welcome, Robbie. I’m hunting for some desert-like words. Don’t forget to mention your cactus. They must be blooming now, or have bloomed. Your plants are a great place to start for Kigo words. In the hottest part of summer, you can use heat, sand storms, etc. I’ll get a list to you soon. xx

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        1. I wrote about a cactus this past week. It had a delightful flower. I like Smitha’s idea of a garland cinquain. I am going to attempt one. I already have poems about our magnolias, the yesterday, today and tomorrow and the light shining through red leaves. I also have a warthog poem which isn’t a kigo one but it just a great poem.

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          1. Yes!! That’s the idea. Your kigo words will be different because of your location. Remember if the plant blooms into the next season, you should add the season word. I thought about warthogs rut… Does mating season comes once a year? That would be a great kigo!

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          2. Warthogs have litters all year around, but there are mating seasons for other animals. When we go to the bush in December there will be babies. I can’t wait. I’m hoping to do the turtle run next year too.

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  18. Fantastic poetry, Robbie, and photos, too. It’s amazing to think that flower only lasted a single day. So glad you were able to capture it in all its glory before it faded.

    I especially loved the frog and frog stretch. I’m a huge fan of frogs and toads. 🐸 😆

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  23. Robbie your photography is to die for. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a hyena before – not even at a zoo…

    And your poetry too!

    I love these lines in particular:

    Icy bullets pelt tin roof
    Cats hide behind thick curtains

    So true to life… 🙂

    ❤
    David

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    1. Hi Jacquie, that frog video was such a great capture. The flower is a type of cactus. I don’t know its name but it grows very tall and I have seen them in American pictures of the desert regions. They have long thorns that grow all along their long green pole line trunks.

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  29. Great post, Robbie. I enjoyed your poems and your wonderful photos. I did have to look up what a braais was. I think you might have posted that song before, because I had heard it, but it still made me smile again.

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