Today’s challenge is to write a tanka. This, like the “American” cinquain, is a poem based on syllables, with the pattern being 5-7-5-7-7. They work best when those final two 7-syllable lines contain a sort of turn or surprise that the first three lines might not wholly anticipate. You can string a bunch of them together to make a multi-stanza poem, or just write one!
Gazing in your eyes,
memories softly playing,
gently I whisper,
you have the key to my heart,
alas… I have changed the locks.
Tanka 15.04.2013
by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Worldly Winds 
This is a lovely tanka!
Aw thank you – it is my first conscious attempt!
Love it 🙂 🙂
Thank you 🙂
“Lol” Hahaha!
🙂
This is like an ‘un-love’ poem too! rofl 😀
I thought so too – must have been in ‘that’ frame of mind when I wrote them!! 🙂
Reblogged this on Sunshine Factor and commented:
Before NaPoWriMo 2013 came up this month, I often posted “Poetry Saturday”, which studied different types of poems. I’m especially thankful to Alexa for proving another interesting poetry style. Maybe I can try a Tanka some day. 🙂