Winter locks the door on Spring
Frigid in the sack.
There’s snow and trees without their leaves.
Clean white suggests a lack
Unless it’s looking back.
Text: I am trying a variation of Japanese tanka that William N. Porter used to translate the The Hyakunin-isshu in 1909. He used five iambic lines of 8-6-8-6-6 syllables with an end-rhyme on the shorter lines. There should be a pivot of the meaning at the third line separating and then reconnecting the top and bottom two lines.
Photos: “Snow Capped”, above, “Love of Winter”, below, linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme “the look of love”.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 
Great poem Frank,
Pictures are amazing
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Thank you, Ben!
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Great photos and some interesting words, Frank. You also caused me to go looking for that old Dusty Springfield song.
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I just listened to it as well after seeing K’lee’s post. The Issac Hayes version is pretty good also. Susanna Hoffs covered it as well. It’s a pretty good song.
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A nice take on the prompt and a wonderful poem as usual, thanks Frank.
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Thank you, Dale!
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Excellence as always, Frank!
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Thanks, K’lee!
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Whee! a new form!~ I will look into this more. Around 1890’s there was a change in tanka, also……I can’t remember what exactly, but it went against the historical tide. The photo is stark, lovely, Frank and the poem very interesting.
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So the Japanese modified tanka as well? The first photo is stark with all the white snow providing no contrast. Thank you, Jane!
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Yes, the Japanese modified tanka a couple of times, it seems starting in the 1890’s. Something either making it more ‘personal’ or not doing so. I remember reading about it and the trend…I’ll try to find it and send it to you, Frank. That photo is marvelous. Says much.
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Thank you! With a link I can explore it more. I imagine the subject matter of the tanka would change over the years with social mood and political change.
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I think it was pretty stagnant for centuries. Probably because of isolation, and that court and priests were the major writers and spreaders of tanka and later haiku. But there are so many factors in this issue. Certainly political change would be a factor, and perhaps social mood.
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Interesting idea to write an English tanka. Most of all I enjoyed the sequence of winter pics from the forlorn icicles of the first pic to the snow free vegetation of the last.
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It is an English tanka with meter and rhyme. I liked the sound of Porter’s translations in this form. I’m glad you liked the photos. Thank you, Danik!
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Nice
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Thank you!
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Winter
Back and
Forward
almost
Summer
Break of Spring
in Winter NoW and 84
Degrees F with February
AC Dreams Coming Next..:)
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It must be very warm down there. We had snow this afternoon which was beautiful. Thanks, Fred!
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A real miracle
To get snow and ice here twice.. Spring’s
Early return
Is welcome
As Daffodils
SMiLes on Time..:)
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