I look away
from his intense gaze …
this homeless man
speaks English
with an accent like mine
Honorable Mention, Tanka Section, 2017 British Haiku Society Awards
Chen-ou Liu
Judge's commentary: The tanka I chose for honorable mention represent a mix of themes from the traditional to the contemporary. ... “I look away” is a contemporary poem that speaks to what is happening worldwide as streets and cities are flooded with the homeless. This intimate moment between two countrymen who had quite different outcomes in their lives suggests a survivor’s guilt that many of us feel when coming across the homeless.
from his intense gaze …
this homeless man
speaks English
with an accent like mine
Honorable Mention, Tanka Section, 2017 British Haiku Society Awards
Chen-ou Liu
Judge's commentary: The tanka I chose for honorable mention represent a mix of themes from the traditional to the contemporary. ... “I look away” is a contemporary poem that speaks to what is happening worldwide as streets and cities are flooded with the homeless. This intimate moment between two countrymen who had quite different outcomes in their lives suggests a survivor’s guilt that many of us feel when coming across the homeless.
Following are my three other accent tanka, which were written in the context of immigration, identity, and nostalgia:
ReplyDelete"Home, Sweet Home"
fading off the radio ...
that rainy day
I sang "O Canada"
with a heavy accent
Haiku Canada Review, 12:2, October 2018
my young friend
now speaks English
without an accent ...
the wulong tea I drink
tasting so bitter
Ribbons, 12:3, Fall 2016
everyone I meet
speaks with a funny accent...
in dreams
I return to my hometown
an ocean away
Lynx, 27:1, February, 2012