I didn’t want to give up chocolate or alcohol; so instead I decided to write a tanka a day for Lent. Here is a brief selection so far:
crosses of stone
shadow the evening road
as music plays
pilgrims break uneasy ground
going against the flow
high tides threaten
to overcome pale coasts
and sweep inland
while your undefended eyes
see nothing untoward
crocuses burst
on to the hill, claiming
it for spring:
by the cold sun I see you
sheltering in the stones
frost-coated grass
stands like spears until the sky
burns out its blood:
you ask about autumn love,
I reply too quickly