a Bhutan glory
rises in the dusk light
I hold my breath
the stillness of prayer flags
on the darkening slope
Skylark, 4:1, Summer 2016
Sonam Chhoki
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
一隻不丹蝴蝶
在黃昏中飛揚上升
我屏住呼吸
插在天色變暗山坡上
的祈禱旗靜止不動
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
一只不丹蝴蝶
在黄昏中飞扬上升
我屏住呼吸
插在天色变暗山坡上
的祈祷旗静止不动
Bio Sketch
Born
and raised in the kingdom of Bhutan. Sonam Chhoki is inspired by her
father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern
education. Her Japanese short form poetry has been published in journals
and anthologies in several countries. She is the current haibun and
haiku editor of the UHTS journal, cattails.
Combined with the contrasting non/movements between the two parts of the poem, the visually evocative and symbolically rich juxtaposition of a "Bhutan glory" (a species of swallowtail butterfly much sought after by collectors) and "prayer flags" makes this religiously imagistic tanka emotionally effective.
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