the dandelion
trapped beneath a rock …
a swell of tears
from the child not picked
at the adoption fair
Undertow Tanka Review, 2, 2014
Mary Davila
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
蒲公英
被困住在岩石下 ...
收養展示會中
未被挑中的孩子
淚水瞬間滿眶
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
蒲公英
被困住在岩石下 ...
收养展示会中
未被挑中的孩子
泪水瞬间满眶
Bio Sketch
Mary
Davila and her husband, Frank, live in Buffalo, NY. She relies on her
faith for everything, including writing. Mary began to explore haiku
and haiga in 2006. Her work has been published in numerous online
journals and in print. In 2014, tanka became her main focus. Her
website is www.petalsinthelight.com.
Modeled on traditional Japanese tanka, this heartbreaking poem is made up of five poetic phrases (equivalent to five ku of 5-7-5-7-7) and structured into two parts. Mary’s tanka effectively builds, phrase/line (ku) by phrase/line (ku), to an emotionally powerful ending that has the most weight and conveys a sense of disappointment, loss, ..and even abandonment.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is a simile-like relationship subtly established between the dandelion and the child; on a second reading, the rock in L2 carries symbolic significance.