yellow dahlias
and a propped-up pear tree
beside the mission:
I light a votive candle
for an old friend
Pat Tompkins
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
黃色大麗花
和傳道館旁
被支撐起的梨樹：
為一位老朋友
我點燃一支許願蠟燭
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
黄色大丽花
和传道馆旁
被支撑起的梨树：
为一位老朋友
我点燃一支许愿蜡烛
Bio Sketch
Tanka by Pat Tompkins, an editor in the San Francisco Bay Area, have appeared in bottle rockets, Scifaikuest, red lights, and other publications.
The simile is subtly established between Ls 2&3 and L4&5, and the symbolic meaning of L1 adds emotional weight to the poem.
ReplyDeleteThis is a well-crafted 'middle-of-the-story' tanka.