Sunday, February 13, 2022

One Man's Maple Moon: Faltering Light Tanka by Thelma Mariano

English Original

shadows
in the faltering light
press closer
filling the spaces
you left behind

Thelma Mariano

 
Chinese Translation (Traditional)

陰影
在搖晃的燈光下
擠壓貼近
並填滿你所留下
的空隙

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

阴影
在摇晃的灯光下
挤压贴近
并填满你所留下
的空隙


Bio Sketch

Thelma Mariano is the author of Night Sky: a Selection of Tanka Poetry. She lives in Montreal and has published her tanka in literary journals as well as in various anthologies including Fire Pearls and Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka.

2 comments:

  1. Thelma's tanka effectively builds, poetic phrase (ku)/line by poetic phrase (ku)/line to a visually and emotionally poignant ending that reveals the theme of the psychological effects (Ls 1&4) of breaking up (L5) with one's loved one/significant other. The visually evocative and symbolically rich words/phrases, "shadows," "faltering light," and the (emptied) "spaces," add emotional weight and psychological depth to the tanka.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The following tanka could be read as a prequel:

      after you're gone
      these traces of your scent
      on my pillow
      while outside the wind
      howls a little louder

      Fire Pearls, 2006

      Thelma Mariano

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