Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Poetic Musings: Procession Tanka by James Tipton

at the head 
of the procession 
an old man 
balances on one hand 
the tiny white coffin 

Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, III, 2011

James Tipton 

Commentary: James's tanka effectively builds, line by line, to an unexpected yet visually, emotionally, and thematically poignant ending that reveals the theme of death of a child ("the tiny white coffin"). The surprise is doubled: the procession is a funeral, and most unsettling, it is the funeral of a smaill child whose "tiny white coffin" can be "balanc[ed] on one hand." The matter-of-fact tone, and the contrast between the old and young, the living and dead, add emotional weight and psychological depth to this heart-wrenching tanka. 

1 comment:

  1. The following tanka could be read as a sequel to James's:

    in smoky twilight
    i remember how light
    his casket was
    yet i can’t pick up his toys
    still scattered in the yard

    tinywords, 9:1, January 25 2010

    John Stone

    And these two heart-wrenching tanka reminds me of the following remark:

    A flower bloomed already wilting. Beginning its life with an early ending.

    -- R.J. Gonzales

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