Thanksgiving moon
sparks on the rippling water
of Lake Ontario ...
from his cupped, calloused hands
a migrant's taste of home
Honorable Mention, Tanka, 2024 San Francisco International Competition
Chen-ou Liu
Commentary: This timely tanka brings out all our feelings of the questions of the heart of our times. Drinking the waters of home with gratitude and the work to reach this point of reunion are all held in the beautifully formed visually satisfying tanka for us to taste... excerpted from the judge's comments
FYI: I also won the following tanka awards in the contest:
years in exile ...
moonlight rippling
the Pacific,
this narrow path
to the (M)otherland
First Place, Tanka, 2024 San Francisco International Competition
a flock of geese
through the shelter window
a deaf veteran
touches again and again
the sound of home
Honorable Mention
Here is my response poem written on Canadian Thanksgiving Day:
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving trip home
patches of twilight fog
on the horizon
FYI: The primary differences are the date, with Canadian Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, because the earlier fall harvest and colder climate require celebrating the bounty of the land before winter sets in, and American Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, and the length of the holiday weekend (three days in Canada versus four-plus days in the U.S.).