Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
Today we have a new episode of our Tokubetsudesu feature, not a Japanese poetry form today as promised in our last Tokubetsudesu episode, but an episode about our "runner-up" of our 2nd kukai. Maybe you remember that our "runner-up" was Jen of Blog It Or Lose It (a.k.a. Paloma) this was the haiku which she submitted for that 2nd kukai:
warming in
my palm –
a summer plum
plucked by the storm
© Jen
(a.k.a. Paloma)
Jen writes wonderful haiku and lately she has found the love for tanka. Therefore I think that I have to choose for her tanka. Jen is a wonderful poetess, and as you maybe know, she is also a co-host of MindLoveMisery's Menagerie and Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.
On her Blog It Or Lose It weblog at WP she writes the following about her self:
[...] I write
about the mysteries of life and enjoy a good, obnoxious joke from time to time.
When you visit me you’ll read haiku, tanka, and haibun (primarily) – but you
may also see the odd villanelle, tanka, ghazal, and free verse.
←◊→
Jen is:
a fan of British comedy
a crummy but enthusiastic photographer
a survivor
and a lover of chocolate
←◊→
I hope you
will enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it Your comments are always welcome, but be
warned: I eat bread crumbs (gratuitous links) because they amount to business
cards. [...]
Jen has already hosted several of the episodes here at our Kai and I am grateful that she steps in as I have a weekend off. Thank you again Jen for being a co-host at CDHK.
As I told you above Jen recently has "falling in love" with tanka and she writes gorgeous tanka. As you know tanka has five lines following a syllables count of approximately 5-7-5-7-7. In ancient Japan tanka was used between lovers and that idea is still here. Jen writes wonder tanka full of sensuality and erotics, but she does that as Huilota at Dove in the dungeon, because of the love-poem idea of tanka I have chosen a few tanka from her Dove in the dungeon weblog to inspire you:
This is one of her most recent tanka:
my thoughts
fly
carried by starlight
into dawn
to hold him, firm in my hand
and taste the pleasure he offers
© Huilota
The following tanka she wrote in response of "Rosetta's Stone":
you cannot
hide
the want in your eyes –
easily deciphered –
released touch by touch
my mystery is much deeper
© Huilota
And a last one which she wrote in response on peony, the above image was published next to this tanka:
your desire
cupped in my hand
given with pleasure –
in this moment I become
the peony, in bloom
© Huilota
All wonderful and very sensual/erotic tanka and I love it. What a joy to follow in the footsteps of the ancient Japanese tanka poets and to have the gift to write such beautiful tanka as they were meant to be ... love poems.
To step in her footprints with a sensual/erotic tanka will not be easy, but of course I had to give it a try .... I couldn't come up with a good one so I re-produce one from my personal WP blog "Chèvrefeuille's Haiku":
dancing
naked
in the light of the blue moon
she cleanses me
her warmth cherishes my body
the sweet scent of Honeysuckle
©
Chèvrefeuille
Well .... I hope you all did like this episode. I love to challenge you all to step in the footprints of Jen's "alter ego" Huilota and try to write an erotic/sensual tanka. Have fun!
This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until August 7th at noon (CET). I will try to post our new episode, Pyramid of Cheops, Gizeh, later on.
