A Room of My Own: Into the Dark Tanka

tail-lights
of the plane taking her
to our homeland
disappear into the dark ...
my world split in two

Note: The poem above could be read as a concluding verse to the following  tanka sequence:

Without the Middle

dewdrops
on a blade of grass
at twilight
this lingering fear,
I want a divorce

surge of the wind ...
her voice hardens
into its rigid strength,
I love you, Eric,
but I can't stand you anymore

all those nights
her moist smile nuzzled
the nape of my neck ...
now in the dim light
one wedding pillow left

a white trail
left in the winter sky
by her plane --
I still wait for the turn
and wave of her hand

Third Prize, Haiku Canada Tanka Story Contest, 2016

Chen-ou Liu