Japanese tanka

Several years ago as I was remembering my childhood in Japan, I conceived of a plan for a book of poems about that childhood, and as I worked out the book in my mind, I realized that I could tell the childhood stories and impressions with tanka, a traditional Japanese form of poetry, and simple illustrations.  I planned to have 35 poems, and as of now I have 26 completed.  I have titled the book Tanka Time.

Beginning with the next blog, I will present the poems in order.  The first nine tankas concern the crossing of the Pacific Ocean on the USS Sullivan, a passenger ship operated by the Navy.  I was five years old when Mother, my sister Debra, and I set out from San Diego, California, for Japan.  My father, a master sergeant in the USAF, was already in Japan stationed at the airbase near Nagoya because of the Korean War.

Below are items related to this blog.

The Seasons of Time Tanka Poetry of Ancient Japan

Tomoshibi; Lucille M. Nixon's Japanese Poem, Tanka Collection and Biography With Her Study of Japanese Tanka Poetry

On This Same Star - Selections From the Tanka Poetry Collection WILL