Wednesday, April 20, 2022

One Man's Maple Moon: Black Beetle Tanka by Leslie Bamford

English Original

alone 
I find a black beetle 
on the window
I pretend it's you
then I set it free

Leslie Bamford


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

獨自一人
我發現一隻黑色甲蟲
在窗戶上
我假裝是你
然後就把它釋放了

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

独自一人
我发现一只黑色甲虫
在窗户上
我假装是你
然后就把它释放了


Bio Sketch

Leslie Bamford is a published writer of short stories, poems and plays, and teacher of creative writing and memoir. She lives in Ontario, Canada. After retirement, she fell in love with writing tanka, often composing in her head while walking her dog and taking photographs. 

1 comment:

  1. Leslie's tanka effectively builds, poetic phrase (ku)/line by poetic phrase (ku)/line, to an unexpected yet thematically significant and emotionally poignant ending that reveals the theme of the (hardest part/mental aspect of) "letting go" (of a relationship through "psychological projection, Ls 4&5" ).

    And it might be interesting to do a comparative reading of Leslie's another "letting go" (the first stage,easiest part/physical aspect) tanka, which could be read as a prequel

    leaving you
    on this wintry morning
    my car filled
    with bags of clothing
    and boxes of sorrow

    NeverEnding Story, May 27, 2021

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