Tanka poem
Similar to the Haiku,
but with an additional line of seven syllables. Part of the ancient Japanese
courting ritual, a man would send a haiku to the woman he loved and if she
liked the poem she would respond with a tanka.
5 syllalbes
7 syllalbes
5 syllalbes
7 syllalbes
7 syllalbes
You may use metaphor, simile, and many of the other devices generally
not used in haiku or senryu. You may show a more personal and emotional viewpoint.
A
cool wind blows in
With
a blanket of silence.
Straining
to listen
For
those first few drops of rain,
The
storm begins in earnest.
