it wasn't always so
the words and silences
that came between us
now I bring you irises
cut this morning in the rain
First Place, TSA Contest, 2010
James Chessing
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
過去在我們之間
的爭辯和沈默
情況其實並不總是如此
今天早上我帶給你的鳶尾花
是在雨中採摘
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
过去在我们之间
的争辩和沈默
情况其实并不总是如此
今天早上我带给你的鸢尾花
是在雨中采摘
Bio Sketch
James
Chessing's profession is clinical psychology. He is in his fifth
decade writing haiku, and he published his first tanka in 2006. His
poems have appeared in many of the leading journals and anthologies, and
he had the good fortune to place first in the 2010 Tanka Society of
America Contest.
In this classic tanka, the poet masterfully brings us through past strains and silences in a relationship to a present redemption, beautifully expressed in the vivid images of the last two lines. The “I’ in this verse has just cut a bouquet of irises as a gift for another, perhaps a spouse or a parent. The act of giving the irises is a token of the renewed love between these two people, as fresh and enchanting as “this morning” in the garden. The rain itself becomes a kind of benediction upon the renewed relationship.
ReplyDeleteHaving come to the end of the poem, we recycle through it again to be reminded that “it wasn’t always so,” and we know that the poet is offering testimony that a relationship can survive the rough spells and come out of them with a love still capable of flourishing. This is the kind of poem that stays with you for a long time, perhaps because the simple act of cutting irises in the rain for a loved one brings an image of grace to the poem as to the relationship it describes.
-- excerpted from Judges' commentary, which can be accessed at http://www.tankasocietyofamerica.org/tsa-contest/winners-and-judges-comments/2010-tsa-international-tanka-contest-winners