Five Tanka

Five lines written in the syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. Here I have five of them to be read, each, as a standalone. Prompt: If you like simplicity, you should try your hand at the form. Tanka are an excellent warm-up for any writing you wish.

Lost in and out of
Times relativity and
Space’s imposition.
Where can I wander without
Myself, who finds me yonder?

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You dance me around
Margins following the lines
Imagining we
Return to those moments when
We were one, reality.

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We thought we could learn
To live without each other,
But storms battered us
Until we came back calling
For the people we once were.

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Touch is mystery
Boldly original with
No filters, constructs;
It is always what is, no
Denying precedence, no.

//////////

Love is like ice cream,
A tasty high calorie
Treat, providing energy,
Delighting all our senses,
Yet trickles away with ease.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Interruption

Welcome to my workout…

Rebel Yell by Billy Idol
It’s Only Rock and Roll by The Rolling Stones
I Write the Songs by Barry Manilow
The Grand Illusion by Styx
Get Down, Make Love by Queen
Some Like It Hot by Power Station
Closer by The Firm

I have moved to this list of songs in the last little while after doing an hour and a half working on some grooming for the Tribble.

Earlier today, I finally made it to town for medication, groceries, and sodas. I was dying without soda.

Before all of this transpired, I wrote in my journal, but the music and my movement had my heart rate up to 139, and I think I will do this tonight.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Eschew/Renew

We sketch our lives in
Invisible ink on these walls
Of air, earth, fire, flesh;
We pass like roses, beauty,
Only present a short while.
Our hands busy, selves,
Creating foundations for
Futures never ours,
Generations we offer
Our best gifts, accomplishments.
Now, we sing against
Doubt, fear, insecurity –
Fighting shadow blight
Where the fruit will flourish, brave,
In gardens of delight, saved
From degradations,
We erase with consistent
Labor over years
Paying in earnest, never
Letting faith, hope, slip away.
Love, our guiding light
Though we fade in brightest glare,
Almost completely
Unknown, contributing hearts
To lives, we wish to see free.
Words cannot bring
Every dream into being,
But speaking, a tool,
Purpose-built to encourage
Change within lives reached, inspired.
Plentiful, we, examples
Scattered over time, what minds
Mend, creating more sublime,
Love, part an art, taught hands-on
Driving history toward grace
Still, counting every life, face,
A precious gift to embrace,
With confidence, each person
Has meaning, purpose, reason,
Position in time and space.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Relentlessly Engage

To undertake what you
Were meant for every day
Takes belief, courage, strength –
Somehow you conquer shadows,
Trust yourself to make meaning.
Nothing about success comes easy
It is a fight that often gains no
Gratitude and has no surety.
Each day matters because
Changing the world is individual,
Also joint, an endeavor like
Forests growing trees which
Requires energy, patience, time,
Though progress may be slow
And usually go unnoted, benefits
Become evident for all living things.
What you do assists many people
You may never know or see directly;
Keep being, doing, going for the best
Because love has significance,
Living is a grace beautifully shared
Encouraging many of whom
Need constant examples to aid
In avoiding personal defeat.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan