Tuesday, September 20, 2016

One Man's Maple Moon: War Tanka by Keitha Keyes

English Original

this war ...
what colour
are the shadows
of guns
or the tears of a widow?
 
Moonbathing, 11, Fall/Winter 2014

Keitha Keyes

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

此場戰爭 ...
槍桿
的影子
或是寡婦的眼淚
是什麼顏色?

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

此场战争 ...
枪桿
的影子
或是寡妇的眼泪
是什麽颜色?


Bio Sketch

Keitha Keyes lives in Sydney but her heart is still in the Australian bush where she grew up. She mostly writes tanka and related genres, revelling in the inspiration, friendship and generosity of these writing communities. Her work appears in many print and online journals and anthologies.

1 comment:

  1. Keitha effectively employs "..." not only to structure the poem into two parts but also to give the reader a longer pause to reflect on this rhetorical question ("what colour are ...?) with the devastating impact, psychological (the "shadows" of guns) and emotional and physical (the "tears" of a "window") on human beings.

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