One Man's Maple Moon: Sedation Tanka by Michael McClintock

English Original

peppering

the morning egg

I work through

yesterday’s sedation

and my gift of bad news

Second Place, San Francisco International Haiku, Senryu, and Tanka Contest, 2012

Michael McClintock

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

撒胡椒粉

在早晨的雞蛋

我努力克服

昨天鎮靜劑的藥效

以及我收到的壞消息

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

撒胡椒粉

在早晨的鸡蛋

我努力克服

昨天镇静剂的药效

以及我收到的坏消息

Bio Sketch

Michael McClintock's lifework in haiku, tanka, and related literature spanned over four decades. His many contributions to the field included six years as president of the Tanka Society of America (2004-2010) and contributing editor, essayist, and poet for dozens of journals, anthologies, landmark collections and critical studies. McClintock lived in Clovis, California, where he worked as an independent scholar, consultant for public libraries, and poet. Meals at Midnight [tanka], Sketches from the San Joaquin [haiku] and Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in Modern English Tanka, were some of his recent titles.

One Man's Maple Moon: Maze of Life Tanka by Katherine E. Winnick

English Original

spelling

her way through the maze

of life

she trips up

at the curve of the moon

Laurels, 6, 2026

Katherine E. Winnick

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

透過拼寫文字

她穿過迷宮般

的人生

卻在月亮的彎道處

跌倒了

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

透过拼写文字

她穿过迷宫般

的人生

却在月亮的弯道处

跌倒了

Bio Sketch

 

Katherine E Winnick is an internationally published award winning Japanese short form poet,  an editor and curator at the Wee Sparrow Poetry Press  and founding editor of the Shadow Pond Journal with three poetry collections all at Alien Buddha Press: My Hennaed Hand, 2023, Baobab Roots, 2026 & Red String, 2026.

One Man's Maple Moon: Lingerie Drawer Tanka by Margaret Chula

English Original

cleaning out

Mother’s lingerie drawer

the tears in her stockings

sewn up so tightly --

all my unanswered questions

Winter Deepens, 2018

Margaret Chula 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

清理

母親的內衣抽屜

她絲襪上的破洞

縫得如此緊密 --

我所有未解的疑問

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

清理

母亲的内衣抽屉

她丝袜上的破洞

缝得如此紧密 --

我所有未解的疑问

Bio Sketch

 

Margaret Chula has published two collections of tanka: Always Filling, Always Full and Just This. She has promoted tanka through her one-woman dramatization, “Three Women Who Loved Love”, which traveled to Krakow, New York, Boston, Portland, Ottawa, and Ogaki, Japan. And from 2011 to 2015, Maggie served as president of the Tanka Society of America.

One Man's Maple Moon: Note Tanka by George Swede

English Original

in a note to myself

i list the deck’s split board

the rake’s missing tine

the gate’s broken latch ...

and then there’s me

Arithmetic, 2020

George Swede

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在給自己的便條裡

我列出甲板的木板裂開了

耙子少了一根耙齒

大門的門閂壞了 ...

然後, 還有我自己

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在给自己的便条里

我列出甲板的木板裂开了

耙子少了一根耙齿

大门的门闩坏了 ...

然后, 还有我自己

Bio Sketch

George Swede's most recent collections of haiku are Almost Unseen (Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2000), Joy In Me Still (Edmonton: Inkling Press, 2010) and micro haiku: three to nine syllables (Inspress, 2014). He is a former editor of Frogpond: Journal of the Haiku Society of America (2008-2012) and a former Honorary Curator of the American Haiku Archives (2008-2009).

One Man's Maple Moon: Flies and Carabao Tanka by Robert D. Wilson

English Original

they talk

behind my back

like flies

who think they are 

a carabao

Jack Fruit Moon, 2009

Robert D. Wilson

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在我背後

他們議論紛紛

就像蒼蠅一樣

卻自以為是

一頭水牛

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在我背后

他们议论纷纷

就像苍蝇一样

却自以为是

一头水牛

Bio Sketch

Robert D. Wilson is Co-Owner of Simply Haiku. 

One Man's Maple Moon: Dreams and Words Tanka by M. Kei

English Original

dreams

stuck to the pavement

like melted ice cream

       your words 

       a gathering of flies

M. Kei

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

夢想

黏在人行道上

像融化的冰淇淋

    你的話語

    招引一群蒼蠅

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

梦想

黏在人行道上

像融化的冰淇淋

    你的话语

    招引一群苍蝇

Bio Sketch

M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He is the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka. His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He is also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.

One Man's Maple Moon: Childhood Tanka by Marion Alice Poirier

English Original

home again

I walk childhood streets

in morning fog. . .

where cobblestones end

a river flows to the sea

Marion Alice Poirier

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

再次回家

在瀰漫的晨霧中

我漫步在兒時的街道

鵝卵石路的盡頭

一條河流奔向大海

    

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

再次回家

在弥漫的晨雾中

我漫步在儿时的街道

鹅卵石路的尽头

一条河流奔向大海

Bio Sketch

Marion Alice Poirier is a lifetime resident of Boston, MA. She began writing haiku in 2001 and eventually began to teach haiku in workshops on Poetry Circle and Emerging Poets. She also write short poetry and have been published in on-line haiku and short poetry journals like Tinywords, Hedgerow and The Heron's Nest.

One Man's Maple Moon: Fog Tanka by Susan Constable

English Original

the forest

the stars, the moon

all lost in fog ...

how will he find his way

from this life to the next

The Eternity of Waves, 2017

Susan Constable

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

森林

星辰, 月亮

都隱沒在大霧中 ...

他將如何找到出路:

從今生到來世

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

森林

星辰, 月亮

都隐没在大雾中 ...

他将如何找到出路:

从今生到来世

Bio Sketch

Susan Constable (1943–2026) was an award-winning Canadian poet whose haiku and tanka appeared widely in global journals. She authored the acclaimed collection The Eternity of Waves and served as tanka editor for A Hundred Gourds (2012–2016). Constable also co-edited multiple anthologies and judged numerous international short-form poetry contests. 

One Man's Maple Moon: Autumn Wind Tanka by Thelma Mariano

English Original

treetops sway                                    

in a sudden autumn wind

too fierce to last

so, too, I bend tonight

to the passion in your eyes

Thelma Mariano

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在突如其來的秋風中

樹梢搖曳太過猛烈

無法持久

所以, 今晚我也屈服於

你眼中的激情

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在突如其来的秋风中

树梢摇曳太过猛烈

无法持久

所以, 今晚我也屈服于

你眼中的激情

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.

One Man's Maple Moon: Womb Tanka by Kala Ramesh

English Original

a sudden spurt

of warm feeling ...

              my blood 

        from a womb 

I knew nothing about

the unseen arc, 2017  

Kala Ramesh 

Chinese Translation (Traditional) 

一股突如其來的暖流

湧上心頭 ...

我的血液

來自我一無所知

的子宮

Chinese Translation (Simplified) 

一股突如其来的暖流

涌上心头 ...

我的血液

来自我一无所知

的子宫

Bio Sketch

Kala Ramesh is the Founder and Director of Triveni Haikai India, the Founder and Managing Editor of haikuKATHA Journal, an anthologist, and an external faculty member of Symbiosis International University Pune, where she taught a 60-hour haikai course from 2012 to 2021 — a first in India. She has organised eight major haiku festivals and to bring haiku into everyday spaces, Kala has initiated several successful projects in India.

One Man's Maple Moon: Cold Light Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

throbbing headache

blinds drawn against the dawn

I picture

in the rise and fall of notes

birds flitting in the cold light

A Hundred Gourds, 1:4,  September 2012 

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

劇烈的頭痛

並把窗簾緊閉以阻擋黎明

我彷彿看到

在聲調的起伏中

鳥兒飛掠冷光

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

剧烈的头痛

并把窗帘紧闭以阻挡黎明

我仿佛看到

在声调的起伏中

鸟儿飞掠冷光

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Golden Ripples Tanka by Brian Zimmer

English Original

casting his line

into the golden ripples

of the setting sun

he catches nothing today

but a basket full of peace

Gusts, 19, Spring/Summer 2014

Brian Zimmer

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

將魚線拋入

一波波金色漣漪

的夕陽中

他今天一無所獲

卻滿載著寧靜

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

将鱼线抛入

一波波金色涟漪

的夕阳中

他今天一无所获

却满载着宁静

Bio Sketch

Brian Zimmer was an American poet who wrote from the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri. Published across a variety of international print and online journals, his work was heavily inspired by classical Japanese forms, particularly the poetic-diary (utanikki) and the free-form poetic essay (zuihitsu).

One Man's Maple Moon: Old Lullaby Tanka by Daniela Misso

English Original

a whole day

listening to the wind

among green leaves ...

at night, an old lullaby

emerges in me

Cattails, October 2021

Daniela Misso

Chinese Translation (Traditional) 

一整天

聆聽綠葉間

的風聲 ...

夜裡, 一首古老的搖籃曲

在我心中浮現

Chinese Translation (Simplified) 

一整天

聆听绿叶间

的风声 ...

夜里, 一首古老的摇篮曲

在我心中浮现

Bio Sketch

Daniela Misso is a retired schoolteacher and  a winner of numerous national and international competitions. She has published extensively in leading magazines dedicated to the genre. She is the author of Connessioni Sottili (FusibiliaLibri, 2021) and Ciliegi in fiore (Edizioni Accademia Barbanera, 2023).

One Man's Maple Moon: Sorrow Tanka by Michael McClintock

English Original

knowing sorrow

won’t go sailing

or for a swim

I take a long walk

to the cliffs and back

      

First Place, 2012 San Francisco International Haiku, Senryu, and Tanka Contest

Michael McClintock

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

深知悲傷

不會出海航行

也不會去游泳

我選擇長途步行

走到懸崖邊再走回來

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

深知悲伤

不会出海航行

也不会去游泳

我选择长途步行

走到悬崖边再走回来

Bio Sketch

Michael McClintock's lifework in haiku, tanka, and related literature spanned over four decades. His many contributions to the field included six years as president of the Tanka Society of America (2004-2010) and contributing editor, essayist, and poet for dozens of journals, anthologies, landmark collections and critical studies. McClintock lived in Clovis, California, where he worked as an independent scholar, consultant for public libraries, and poet. Meals at Midnight [tanka], Sketches from the San Joaquin [haiku] and Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in Modern English Tanka, were some of his recent titles.

One Man's Maple Moon: Mother's Womb Tanka by Pamela A. Babusci

English Original

floating inside

my mother's womb

for nine months —

how little she

understood me

Honorable Mention, Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Contest, 2026

Pamela A. Babusci

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

漂浮

在我母親的子宮裡

九個月之久—

她對我是多麼地

不了解啊

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

漂浮

在我母亲的子宫里

九个月之久—

她对我是多么地

不了解啊

 

Bio Sketch

Pamela A. Babusci  is an internationally award winning haiku, tanka poet and haiga artist. Some of her awards include: Museum of Haiku Literature Award, International Tanka Splendor Awards, First Place Yellow Moon Competition (Aust) tanka category,  First Place Kokako Tanka Competition,(NZ) First Place Saigyo Tanka Awards (US), Basho Festival Haiku Contests (Japan).  Pamela has illustrated several books, including: Full Moon Tide: The Best of Tanka Splendor Awards, Taboo Haiku, Chasing the Sun, Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, and A Thousand Reasons 2009. Pamela was the founder and now is the solo Editor of Moonbathing: a journal of women’s tanka; the first all women’s tanka journal in the US.

One Man's Maple Moon: Warbled Songs Tanka by Thelma Mariano

English Original

from the river's edge

a blend of warbled songs

highs and lows

the harmony we share

despite different notes

Thelma Mariano

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

來自河邊

婉轉的歌聲交織融合

有高亢與低沉

儘管音符不同

我們卻共享和諧

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

来自河边

婉转的歌声交织融合

有高亢与低沉

尽管音符不同

我们却共享和谐

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.

One Man's Maple Moon: Eerie Summer Tanka by Fumi Saito

English Original

a bullet was fired

in the center of his forehead

yet his face

still moving as it haunts

this eerie summer!

White Letter Poems, 1998

Fumi Saito

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一顆子彈射入

他的額頭正中央

然而他的臉

卻依然在動, 它一直縈繞

這個詭異的夏天!

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一颗子弹射入

他的额头正中央

然而他的脸

却依然在动, 它一直萦绕

这个诡异的夏天!

 

 

Bio Sketch

Daughter of a military officer who was noted for his verse-writing talent, Fumi Saito began writing poetry in the traditional 31-syllable tanka form in her early teens. Her first book of tanka, Fish Songs, published in 1940, immediately established her as a brilliant young poet. She was inducted into the Japan Art Academy in 1993 and invited to serve as meshiudo (a position similar to the Poet Laureate's) at the Imperial Palace in 1997.

One Man's Maple Moon: Skeleton Keys Tanka by Joanna Ashwell

English Original

skeleton keys

in a mirror glinting

at a doorway —

the transparency of rain

reconfigures our view

Joanna Ashwell

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

萬能鑰匙

在門口側邊鏡子中

閃閃發光 —

雨水的通透性

重塑我們的視野

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

万能钥匙

在门口侧边镜子中

闪闪发光 —

雨水的通透性

重塑我们的视野

 

Bio Sketch

Joanna Ashwell a short form poetry writer from the UK.  Published widely in many print and online journals.  She has been shortlisted for the Touchstone Award, has won awards and has served on the selection team for the Canadian tanka journal GUSTS.  Some of her poetry collections are available on Amazon.  River Lanterns, won the honorary Cherita award.  Moonset Song, Love’s Scriptures and Every Star (Tanka), Book Patronus (haiku & tanka) are also available on Amazon. 

One Man's Maple Moon: Geraniums Tanka by Marion Alice Poirier

English Original

on the porch

Dad's geraniums in clay pots

blushing red --

no green trees for our view

just the Mystic River bridge

Marion Alice Poirier

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在門廊上

爸爸種在陶盆裡的天竺葵

花瓣泛紅 --

從我們的視線範圍看不到綠樹

只有神秘河大橋

    

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在门廊上

爸爸种在陶盆里的天竺葵

花瓣泛红 --

从我们的视线范围看不到绿树

只有神秘河大桥

Bio Sketch

Marion Alice Poirier is a lifetime resident of Boston, MA. She began writing haiku in 2001 and eventually began to teach haiku in workshops on Poetry Circle and Emerging Poets. She also write short poetry and have been published in on-line haiku and short poetry journals like Tinywords, Hedgerow and The Heron's Nest.

One Man's Maple Moon: Two Lovers Tanka by M. Kei

English Original

an afternoon

as ordinary

as seagulls

but two lovers

pose forever 

M. Kei

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一個午後

如同海鷗般

平凡

但兩位戀人

卻擺出永恒的姿態

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一个午后

如同海鸥般

平凡

但两位恋人

却摆出永恒的姿态

Bio Sketch

M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He is the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka. His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He is also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.