Monday, December 11, 2017

One Man's Maple Moon: Weight Lifter Tanka by Joyce S. Greene

English Original

a weight lifter
grown old
father kneels
to pray for help
and shoulders mother’s care

Ribbons,  Fall 2015

Joyce S. Greene


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

以前是舉重選手
現在年邁了
父親雙腿跪下
祈求上蒼的幫助
並肩負照顧母親的責任

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

以前是举重选手
现在年迈了
父亲双腿跪下
祈求上苍的帮助
并肩负照顾母亲的责任


Bio Sketch

Joyce S. Greene lives with her husband in Poughkeepsie, New York.  A number of her poems have been published in various tanka journals and anthologies, and several have been awarded honors including a first prize win in the "Skylark's Nest" section of Skylark. During the day, she works as a Senior Accountant for an insurance company

1 comment:

  1. Thematically and structurally speaking, a "weight" lifter (L1) & and shoulders [the "weight" of ] mother’s care (L5), effectively frame the tanka, and the implied contrasts between the different types of weight and a thematically significant and emotionally poignant verb choice, "shoulders," successfully lifts the poem up a notch.

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