years on my own
I still stare after
a white-haired couple
the way his body
shields her from the wind
Thelma Mariano
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
多年來獨自生活
我仍然會凝視
一對白髮夫婦
他用身體幫她
擋風的樣子
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
多年来独自生活
我仍然会凝视
一对白发夫妇
他用身体帮她
挡风的样子
Bio Sketch
Thelma Mariano is the author of Night Sky: a Selection of Tanka Poetry. She lives in Montreal and has published her tanka in literary journals as well as in various anthologies including Fire Pearls and Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka.
The contrasts (aloneness vs living together; on one's own vs helping each other; ...) between the two parts of the tanka is emotionally effective, and on second reading, the closing image (of his body/shielding her from the wind) takes on metaphoric significance.
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