April Showers of Poetry

Tanka: Haiku:

You'll never regret Write it down every

helping somebody, saying time you notice something deep

a kind word, having you need to keep held.

a chat with someone who's hurt

or who seeks you--the true you.

This type of poem is called a tanka. What makes it special is that it is something of an extended haiku, a Japanese poetry form with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5. Instead of three lines, as in a haiku, a tanka has five lines with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. The syllabic pattern is how many syllables there are in each line.

I love writing poetry, and I want you to enjoy it too. So, during National Poetry Month, try writing a tanka. You don't even have to share it with anyone. Just write it for you. You are free to try again and again and again, until you feel ready to take that step. Write good things that God would like.

And keep on dreaming.