our new neighbours
insist on an unrestrained
public display --
dingo moon and I
remain silent
Moonbathing, 10, Spring/Summer 2014
Marilyn Humbert
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
我們新鄰居
堅持一個毫無限制
的公開展示 --
野狗月亮和我
保持沉默
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
我们新邻居
坚持一个毫无限制
的公开展示 --
野狗月亮和我
保持沉默
Bio Sketch
Marilyn
Humbert lives in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney NSW surrounded by bush.
Her pastimes include writing free verse poetry, tanka, tanka prose and
related genre. She is the leader of Bottlebrush Tanka Group and member
of the Huddle and Bowerbird Tanka Groups. Her tanka appears in
Australian and international journals.
The upper verse sets the thematic context of the poem while the culturally specific yet rich image in the lower verse enhances the tone and mood.
ReplyDeleteThis tanka reminds me of the closing line from one of the most famous poems on neighborly relationships by Robert Frost:
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."
In this case, it's good HIGH fences that make good neighbors
Note: Dingo: "a wild or half-domesticated dog with a sandy-colored coat, found in Australia. It is believed to have been introduced by early Aboriginal immigrants... In animal symbolism, dingo symbolizes adaptability and change."