autumn rain
the coat I haven’t
worn in
over a year
still smells of her
Twenty Years Tanka Splendor, 2009
Dick Whyte
Commentary: Dick Whyte’s tanka speaks of smells from the past, from memory. Yet there are smells of the present-day in this – the autumn rain, and a coat that is likely infused with its own slightly musty smell from not being used. The suggestion of these scents adds a deeper level of meaning to this tanka.
-- excerpted from "To the Lighthouse: Sensing Tanka: Perceiving Life Beyond the Ordinary" by David Terelinck
FYI: The following tanka could be read as a sequel to Dick's:
thick coat
hanging like fur ...
is it
the autumn wind
or the future that chills you
Moments from Red Hill, 2013
Paul Williamson
