senqua (bluesman)
beyond this night i am a bluesman this world a big floating contraption
Posts
senqua (smell of new ink)
smell of new ink pupils dilated after dog smells her perfume ('senqua' senryu quatrain after Stephen "Tito" Gill's #haiqua)
senryu (mémèr and pépèr)
mémèr chewin' black tobacco pépèr calls the dog 'bitch' * mémèr/pépèr: grandmother/grandfather in Kouri-Vini
tanka (houseparty)
over this tired city a Spring time's sugar moon making my way home from a lovely houseparty
tanka (unfinished poem)
feeding my friend's daughter— an unwritten email and unfinished poem on the sleeping computer
tanka (morning of conflict)
a morning of conflict - behind closed curtains brewing coffee - the eggs not that tasty
tanka (grilling salmon)
quiet neighborhood - someone's grilling salmon my kid hasn't finished college
senryu group
having a not-at-all shallow lovetalk--individual joggin' a memento left in Berlin---his too-bright laughter unable to think, the child spinning a red top God gave birth to Orion, resolve to divorce him stronger greeting a prostitute, Spring arriving more and more leaving the hotel, lust and fatigue battle it out vernal thunder what is haiku what is senryu what it... thatched-roof chalet, the gardener of Japanese origin
tanka (renewing wedding vows)
renewing their wedding vows in Hawaii now home - ordering things off of Amazon
tanka (detesting where I live)
some days detesting where i live i am a man without a resting place much like Jesus
tanka (yellowing grain fields)
parishioners at the slum market - across the town - yellowing grain fields
tanka (crooked paintings)
in a house of crooked paintings everything appears upside down and the people strange
tanka (eating sweet things)
to stop eating sweet things stuffing myself full of sweet coffee staring into the mouth of night
tanka (abandoned church)
abandoned church and a group of crows hushed talkin' - deft fingers fix a hole in socks
tanka (black cowboys)
down to the rodeo...black cowboys in style my friend purchases me a turkey leg
tanka (listenin' to Beyonce)
another Shabat Eve night listenin' to Beyonce... mixin' cocoa into this evenin' dark coffee
tanka (whiskey fumes)
lost in whiskey fumes - somewhere a crying baby - and the wife's stringent bitchin'
senryu - [calculus of a moment] a yotsumono
shootin' a pigeon something lost in translation robbery downtown: on the I-85 in a blur craving popcorn a construction worker flirts with me afternoon ennui—the calculus of the lonely moment
senryu (many of Marlene's ku)
casual thinking: many of *Marlene's ku were senryu ... *Marlene Mountain
group of senryu
kaleidoscope of broken feelings: sap moon's mockery under a death moon thumbing passin' cars for a ride overturned wagon: quickly shaving your head in silence paused for minutes—runaway words run run ruuuuuunnnnn "excuse me, Ares would like his shit back please" sugar moon: *mémèr chewin' tobacco on the porch *grandmother walkin' through loudness of yellow snapdragons walkin' through dead-leaf storm: more koush koush on and on he talks i type: Monday evening sweeping bluegrass: folding unfolding his red t-shirt passin' dogs-they avoid me avoiding them *Pak lasmènn half written apology letter *Easter Week fresh darkness barefoot in the front yard on the bus: meditation disruption meditation disrup... inner cul-de-sac: despising my neighbors new fence new personality still acid rain falls and falls stumblin' around sleepily everything hazy Moscato—Venus looks a bit slimmer in car for hours the many i follow or unfollow on social media st
tanka (tanka on food)
reading tanka on food another evening arrives without much hoopla and i luxuriate in it
tanka (poisoned watersource)
juicyness of a mandarin orange on the city's edge the people's watersource becomes poisoned
tanka (boldness of winter moon)
boldness of winter moon there's something mystical in the peeling of a baby orange
tanka (whiteness)
white whiteness of calla lilies an old woman's laughter as she reads me verse by Sappho
tanka (rainpour)
against rainpour watching "The Blacklist" reading tanka tomorrow another shift im not looking forward too
tanka (walking the parameter)
on a hilltop cold Spring moonlight and I walking the parameter of this country hotel
tanka (country carnival)
lights from a country carnival --- he and I meet at this all night IHop for a touch
tanka (growing figs)
growing figs... in the silence of night sharing a cigarette with a man with too much on his mind
tanka (undressing)
undressing— interesting ritual we do... now beneath cool sheets a waiting sleep comes
tanka (single dad's club)
member of 'single dad's club...' the kid helps me to bed through drunkenhaze
tanka (blood work)
arm poked and prodded during bloodwork— *Sandy i know how you felt for your examination Sanford Goldstein, tanka master
tanka (falling rain)
thin falling rain... moman what do your eyes see from your place in the afterlife
tanka (therapy session)
my therapy session done— everything i feel converges into a light calorie rainpour
tanbun//tanka
set up on a blind date. he was remarkably attractive. well-educated and financially stable. dinner seemed promising until he began denigrating racial equity and the like. the soup quite delicious everything appeared charming until his bigotry showed
senryu group
basement painting—somewhere a crying turtle pedestrian sign: wanna be as happy as that yellow color boiling mangliér leaves-headcold has everything muted soaking in morning both 'tepid' quite a word with a weak laugh another day of toiling toiling topsyturvy world: phone call to you keeps dropping cooked cabbage—somewhere a crying turtle nestled in jonquils *mémèr's pungent regrets * grandmother in Kouri-Vini trash can liquor...then there's tomorrow
Little Senryu Theory//History
Senryu comes in many flavors. some like to make jokes, puns, satire etc. some like to make fun of things and people. some use #senryu to report what's happening in the news and offer critiques on various subjects and people....then there are others, like myself; who use #senryu as an exact report, an honest diary of the changes in a man's life/the various flavors and evolutions of a human's emotional/mental/spiritual terrain' (to borrow Takuboku's definition of #tanka). In fact i see #senryu as a partial #tanka...to be used when the strength isn't there to make a full #tanka. in my case, there are two versions of #senryu. 1. Traditional - a portrait of others, of character types/stereotypes in all of their humaness. 2. Modern - a self-portrait. ...my #senryu mostly lean on the self-portrait side. im writing to tell my stories, my fears, my imaginings, the gamut of humanness. this is why I agree with #senryu master, Tokizane Shinko; who taught her students tha
tanka (lougarou-yé)
when we kids were misbehavin' *mémèr would tell us she'd leave us to the *lougarou-yé at night *grandmother in Kouri-Vini *(werewolves) rougarou/lougarou = werewolf or any other human-to-animal shapeshifter in Louisiana Creole folklore/folktales
sedoka (morning stretches)
finishing morning stretches — cup of coffee and time to read before entering the world of people
tanka (grilling salmon)
grilling salmon a night of eating and tellin' stories somewhere a light rain falls with no concern
tanka (young skin untouched)
this young skin still untouched— being forty-two age has not caught up with me yet
tanka (under creole moon)
under a cold Creole moon the lit end of a cigarette is all i see of this stormy man
senryu (koubiyon)
*koubiyon cooked in Lafayette: Creole people under Creole moon * short broth over fish and rice, a Creole delicacy
tanka (reading Takuboku)
over dinner reading and re-reading *Takuboku— my own life's music sadly dissonant and minor * Ishikawa Takuboku, famous Modern Japanese tanka poet
senryu group
bayou-evening, can't escape the ghosts of our past * andouille sausage boiled quietly, end of workday * badly folded paper flowers all over room: another Tuesday *
tanka (primary care physician)
replaying through my mind everything my primary care physician told me... i wanna be a kid again
senryu group (2some)
humorless today—doctor's visit was in itself a revelation * tossing bread to ducks, yes i use commas in my senryu
American Branch of Senryu Tradition
In 1910 the tradition of Senryu was transplanted to America by Shinjiro 'Kaho' Honda, in Yakima, Washington. The Japanese/American branch of Senryu Tradition is 114 yrs old.
haiku/senryu group
amaryllis—unfinished letter to my dead mother * calla lilies seems ill miss the opera next week * instead of work id rather be a bookworm tiger moss * green apples the approaching elections leaves me fearful * unopened beer: news report of another law being repealed * summer opera—again i become a know-it-all
haiku group
Doll's festival— grownups enjoying liquor from the corner store * the Spring begins: a new vacuum cleaner bought outside of town * my Christmas lights and tree are still up— Lincoln's Birthday * Annunciation: smoothing the wrinkles from this brand-new white gown * almond-blossoms— these days unable to escape myself * painted Easter eggs: the child i never had eighteen years old * perusing kites my childhood fears return in strong strong waves * April Fool's Day: at store buying moon-man cookies * rape flowers a new notebook full of lovely senryu
tanka (all that i think i know)
shoes in the corner of this room... all that i think i know has come at a price
tanka (baby becomes sweet...senryu)
tossing the baby up in the air she becomes a sweet laughing senryu
tanka (biting my tongue)
biting my tongue against making a smartass retort coolness of this late afternoon stacked up at the backdoor
tanka (Tant Blé)
the old folks talkin' of the tent revival in the kitchen with *Tant Blé baking another sweet potato cobbler * Aunt Blue in Kouri-Vini
tanka (mémèr a bit frazzled)
sweet potatoes in a very thick syrup simmering... that last phone call from billcollector left *mémèr a bit frazzled * grandmother in Kouri-Vini
tanka (ain't a senryu day)
today ain't a 'senryu' day... whatever i see hear or experience i throw into the skin of a tanka
tanka (for M. Kei)
staggering lines in my tanka diary how long since i've heard from the man who mentored me in poetry
tanka (child's coloring book)
whimsical— buying myself a child's coloring book all afternoon ignoring everything trying to color within the lines
tanka (wild sea bottled up in his guts)
staring at his side profile my man... there's a dark and wild sea bottled up in his gut of guts
tanka (my line of reasoning)
no structure to any of my thoughts... my line of reasoning as to why i continue to deny our reconciliation
tanka (things inside folded up)
we don't speak of all the things inside of me that are folded and stored on shelves collecting thick dust...
tanka string
unpainted window shutters and inside my moman's dresses all dulled by the darkness another afternoon shift today taking all my time just to remain sane cute man dressed in a blue hoodie— this is my life consisting of lust and a sense of discontentment what is it about a man... pondering that line of questioning a child's red lollipop a couple seated in the lobby— passing trucks here and there this Monday i wish i could be on vacation and for a moment writing of whatever will come a tanka takes shape staggering lines in my tanka diary how long since i've heard from the man who mentored me in poetry meeting another conceited man... over a cheap beer listening to him talk of nothing but himself today ain't a 'senryu' day... whatever i see hear or experience i thrown into the skin of a tanka watching someone's child biting a doughnut... all the things i wish i were able to do regardless of what anyone'd think blackness of mold in
tanka (waking up)
waking up prayers said quietly before stretching— i think ill go get my feet done before work
tanka (visiting Germany)
visiting Germany— stopping for sweets a woman with bright blue hair smiles when passing
tanka (shogun's helmet)
in glass case Shogun's helmet i feel the sting of a rain of arrows sailing under-earth
tanka (make-believe rocking chair)
make-believe rocking chair by me— ol' man sorrow a constant companion day-in and day-out
tanka (rainy sidewalks)
on rainy sidewalks wet leaf-confetti after surfing the Internet i finally slide beneath cool sheets
tanka (in obscurity)
in obscurity... a morning rainpour just as i slide beneath cool sheets into the mouth of a dream
tanka (Sunday morning)
Sunday morning counting down time for shift's end... my mind's already stepped into the wet darkness
tanka (from my bag of tricks)
from my bag of tricks the slow fall of all my dignity... i want revenge on him
tanka (in the back office)
in the back office reclining in the darkness too many parked cars in a drenched lot this early rainy Sunday
sedoka (sip after sip)
sip after sip of cold water a night shift ending... smell of mint through the lobby
tanka (in the back office)
in the back office reclining in the darkness too many parked cars in a drenched lot this early rainy Sunday
tanka (moman's wisdom)
hidden among my moman's wisdom doors that opened into a wildness i found quite attractive and addictive
sedoka (broken mirrors)
broken mirror— with this current man ive grown tired of accepting life and all of his imperfections
sedoka (Tosca tonight)
listening to an old recording of Tosca tonight— green tea with some creamer my sense of safety
tanka (book banning)
book banning... just before bed thinking is it possible to ban dumbass people calling for every ban
tanka (brand new penny)
shinier than a brand new penny... his laughter when he's ashamed and nervous about something
tanka (grating harsh laughter)
grating harsh laughter from a woman wounded by too much life and too many people
tanka string
unfastening button and zipper another faceless john in the alley's darkness on the ground a brand of cigarette my moman smoked— cabbage simmers quietly on the stove the daughter ive never had grown now... arranging the sash on her prom gown finality— in this sage-burned apartment boxes filled with things ive completely outgrown im told to arrange all of my stories in 5-7-5-7-7— my daughter's dark hair pressed straight for church another midnight confronting my pain... always this soft dance between blame and taking accountability drinking... the amber color of fresh whiskey strangely enough i think of Takuboku and chuckle to myself shifting sea: tonight i meet a man wearing a pomegranate colored suit at the local jukejoint juxtapositions... Amelia Fielden says tanka are quite fragmentary... burning old love letters the answers to most of Life's questions have no easy answers... picking at imaginary loose threads on my shirt
sedoka (certain desperation)
smoking— and for a long time after that carrying that scent and a certain desperation
tanka (linoleum floors)
remembering white scrubbed linoleum floors moman wasn't the nicest and dad was barely there
2 tanka (laced shoes and Dostoyevsky)
tired— making a quick cup of black coffee these tennis shoes laced up quite tightly . reading Dostoyevsky this small space where young camelias grow in obscurity
tanka (plastic knives)
plastic knives purchased last week domesticated life foreign to me just like being his 'wife'
tanka (slicing fruit)
slicing fruit for my new lover — late afternoon trip to the beach the blue of the sea
tanka (abused kids)
abused kids plastic smiles on withered souls— the lasting effects of these behavior modification groups
tanka (a seance)
after midnight confronted with memories that don't belong to me— attending a seance to bring up what exactly
tanka (abused kids)
abused kids being brainwashed repeatedly — my father really knows i deeply despise him
tanka (bag of dead leaves)
bags of dead leaves near the door... so much of my life is sterile and boring
tanka (5-7-5-7-7 format)
bit of a breeze through standing puddles trying hard to put my thoughts in 5-7-5-7-7 format
tanka group
heavy rain falling when i wake up wondering if I should get my toes done— car wheels thru puddles . watching "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" this year of the Dragon i search for my own fire . no pedicure for some man... ironing an old work shirt for an old job . instead of sleeping rereading "The Great Gatsby"— your copy of "The Grapes of Wrath" barely even touched . [ deputy commissioner hank abrams on SVU] eating peanut M&Ms after dinner the deputy commissioner is an unrepentant pedophile
monotanka (red ribbon)
old barrel full of rainwater tying and untying a frayed red ribbon around a tree
monotanka (bitter memories)
faintly bitter memories ive grown familiar with using field notes notebooks...mini zuihitsu
monotanka (swaying doors)
those swaying doors ... places ive been carry stale energy of my being there miso soup
monotanka ditych
reading René Descartes a bumpy ride in an old bus—last nights' fight unresolved * plenty of cotton candy this random lover telling me of dreams i don't care about
monotanka (another workshift)
doesn't take much for my temper and frustration to rise: another evening workshift
monotanka (Rodin's Gates of Hell)
on a Friday receiving your handwritten letter—Rodin's 'Gates of Hell' holds special appeal
monotanka (can you surry)
a time i had askin' that man "*can you surry? can you picnic?' windy afternoon * lyrics from Laura Nyro's 'Stoned Soul Picnic'
monotanka (rotting peaches)
we don't get along much: the scent of rotting peaches reminds me of moman
monotanka (brand new wagon)
afternoon strolling quietness of my daughter startling red of her brand new wagon
tanka (red sound dense silence)
preoccupied man on a late afternoon train moving into a red sound a dense silence
3 lined tanka group
sitting in a Starbucks waiting for his arrival wondering how many years will I live . whiskey bottles on reserve too long--- America still dealing with racism is beyond ridiculous . a cloudy Tuesday afternoon wrapped up in a caffeine revolution and thoughts . when we meet to hang out quickly turning off my phone without being told to . lunch on a grassy knoll deviled eggs and cold cuts a young woman and her kid . watching baby play with a plump stuffed kangaroo... something bad's about to come i feel . daydreaming listening to Laura Nyro's "Lu" — clouds in the shape of elephants . "*go live as long as an elephant..." sound of eggs being whisked for a late breakfast *lyrics from Laura Nyro's "Woman's Blues" . "*my baby don't love me? hitchike and damn be done!" on the porch shellin' peas *lyrics from Laura Nyro's "Woman's Blues"
tanka (hallway of mirrors)
a hallway of mirrors empty eyes staring at me intently I often feel like the mad hatter
tanka (Hydra constellation)
in wild green dreams of tossing my enemies to the Hydra constellation - a light rainpour of dense darkness
tanka (as a wild beast)
sometimes as a wild beast full of blood i stare in disbelief at the thoughts that fill my head toward enemies
tanka (in a kaftan)
blazing yellow of sunflowers in a kaftan walking barefoot and drinking mocha... in and out of birdsong
tanka (Hudson River)
underbelly of black black crows... a young man meeting his girlfriend near the Hudson River
tanka (mass of blackbirds)
short form poetries are great for discussing anything ... a mass of blackbirds congregate in the backyard
tanka (he and i)
he and i over a good dinner looking at Switzerland or even Norway to leave American for
tanka (for ol' man Trump)
blood-red spider lilies ... watching a PBS special on January 6... ambivalent in my emotions for ol' man Trump
tanka (silly old white men)
disgraceful Giuliani... the country in the hands of silly old white men --- soaking pinto beans for dinner
tanka (american politics...)
American politics... a mass bayou of acidic mud... acrid stench wafts in from the refuse field outside of town
tanka (hate mail of Liz Cheney)
restless tonight in and out of the house thinking of the hate mail Liz Cheney's received
tanka (in this tanka-skin)
tanka not just the poetry of love affairs and wet sleeves --- piling all of my emotions in this tanka-skin
tanka (jan 6th insurrection)
reliving images in collected video of the Jan 6th insurrection... suddenly humanity looks very animalistic
tanka (two men)
gazing at the veins in a dying leaf this partially cold day remembering how im in love with two men
tanka (we streetcars)
old morning all we streetwalkers huddled together the trashcan fire burns burns burns
tanka (LoLo's chicken and waffles)
Sunday brunch... chicken and waffles at LoLo's the pastor's wife in her ill-fitting pantsuit
dodoitsu (slice of strawberry cake)
when i should be sleep in the kitchen cutting another slice of strawberry cake
[Red Thirst] a senbun/ryubun
red of a MAGA hat often leaves me repulsed and fearful. so many rights and liberties infringed upon by them and their bloodthirsty 'god.' writing... psychopath running for President 2024
senryu (paper emperors)
paper emperor— great-grandma misses the *chrysanthemum * the royal throne of the Emperors of Japan has often been referred to as the 'Chrysanthemum throne'
senryu duo (broccoli & weather)
steamed broccoli each crispy bite another thought . topsy-turvy weather first cold then hot
tanka (moman's grave)
coolness of aged tombstones... i have not been to moman's grave since her departing
tanka (coffee grounds)
heading to bed ive left a mini-strainer filled with coffee grounds i'll pour hot water over once awake
sedoka (i see God as feminine)
random memory of Lincoln logs spilled on the floor my friend's upset that I see God as feminine
sedoka (other than senryu)
a cool morning rain falling... its been a while since I've written anything other than senryu
dodoitsu (Momotaro)
this morning's coffee has a burned taste— thinking of *Momotaro the Japanese folkhero * Momotaro is the title character in a Japanese folktale. Found as a baby floating in a peach on a river.
dodoitsu (dark curtains)
house down the road white with peeling paint the dark curtains are left un-ironed
dodoitsu (canned goods)
in this Texas city feeling out of place stocking and restocking canned goods
sedoka (Jun Fujita)
when i should be asleep tangled up in the four-lined tanka of the first master of English tanka Jun Fujita-san
tanka (toni morrison)
incredibly tired of this world— losing myself *Morrison's "Sulla" and "Recitatif" * the great Black author/editor, and now ancestor; Toni Morrison
tanka (mention of ceasefire)
mention of 'ceasefire' im at the end of my rope with being pleasant to customers
tanka (uneaten melon)
these days my pen aimlessly moving across the page whiteness of some uneaten melon
sedoka (Palestinian father)
burned out and over this job— anguished face of a Palestinian father who's young daughter has been killed
sedoka (moman's obituary)
a quietness today with active birds moman's obituary on the wall her face and my still-numb emotions
tanka (twisting darkness)
there is no preacher no Catholic priest to exorcise this twisting darkness deep down in my gut
sedoka (looming presidential election)
'tanka' vs 'gogyohka'— every few months going between terms this looming Presidential election leaves a fear twisting in my stomach
tanka (leaving my senryu world)
leaving my senryu world for a moment... jotting down a tanka after 5 am
sedoka group (for Trent-Tlaj)
[for Tlaj] random phone call from him... the young one I find attractive tonight's rain falling falling falling - he's heading home from Houston thinking of me he says he wanted me to keep him awake while driving
sedoka (whirlwind of pleasure)
a whirlwind of pleasure he and I on the balcony drinking a thin but cold rain falling nonchalantly
tanka (Akiko)
"Akiko its the 21st Century there's nothing sensual about *disheveled hair!" * Yosano Akiko, the great modern poet of the Myojo school, called her first collection "Midarigami" (disheveled/tangled hair)
tanka (for sandy goldstein)
[for Sanford Goldstein] my Christmas tree still up still lit— rereading the tanka of Sandy Goldstein
tanka (for sandy goldstein)
[for Prof. Sanford Goldstein] staring at a photo of Sandy... i wonder "do you write tanka in the afterlife?"
tanka group
stained moon... i hoard another reason to find him exceedingly distasteful . bored i try my hand at arranging flowers a moon arranges the tide . tonight all my excuses hidden behind the steam from my coffee . recycled themes and words in his tanka ... i suppose we are kindred .
dodoitsu (fragrant cigarette)
enjoyment of a fragrant cigarette... rewatching "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" .
senryu group
spinnin' carousel horses don't look too happy . sudden rainpour guy i want doesn't want me
cherita (something's always tattered)
something's always tattered... realizing ive never forgiven moman redness of a dying dahlia
senryu group
list of 'things to do' left on counter untouched mowing lawn that doesn't belong to me—decency midnight—silhouette of the church spire stuffing self with chocolate—thats it thats all
senryu (for Brandon Kent - RIP)
(for Brandon Kent) fragrant chocolate cosmos—haiku poet enters * Olam Haba *the world to come in Judaism
[Darkening Time] a one line senryu rengay
darkening time: every now and then passing car vacation to West Virginia cocktails and... visiting a Sheraton - old things fade away fast behind black curtains, wilting flowers getting my nail's done death of Danny Casalaro morning rainstorm slow burning of incense