eros, logos: five tanka of emotional dysfunction

Friday, January 09, 2009

five tanka of emotional dysfunction

I'm bringing back some things from my old site, which will be new to some and I hope worth rereading to those who have seen them.

What's a tanka? It's like a haiku, but not. You have 5 lines with the syllable count 5-7-5-7-7, but a tanka is "a poem of feelings, often involving metaphor and other figurative language (not generally used in haiku). While tanka praising nature have been written, and seem to resemble "long haiku," most tanka deal with human relationships or the author's situation."

Here are the Five Tanka of Emotional Dysfunction: prefaced by a bonus one on sexual dysfunction: (See Chelsea Girl's brilliant Haiku to Sexual Misfunction as inspiration; for the definition of Tanka, my friend Tree whose blog is defunct.)

Virgil writes, "Dido
burns, fumes, blazes". Did this mean:
"It hurts when I pee?"
I hope not. Syphilitic
Aeneus! His cheeks ablaze.

1.'Love again, wanking
at ten past three', writes Larkin.
Wise man. He knew love.
Loathed it. It's a cunt, like you.
This truth makes no difference.

2. Bright Star! would I were
Steadfast as thou---arrgh, fuck it!
The stars are not fixed.
They shine with reflected light.
In me, you find your mirror.

3. Break, Sappho, break off.
Enough with the emo, please.
Time to cut losses.
You loved once, it's true. So what?
Who hasn't? --A common grief.

4.Write, erase, rewrite.
Oh, do not ask, "What is it"?
In this green bower
mermaids sing, each to each. Death
trellised life. It's where we meet.

5. I quote poetry.
Easier and less naked
For me. It's armor.
Of a sort. These words, not-mine,
Hide me while they reveal me.

Leave me one of your own in the comments, if you like.

Labels: syphilis, tanka, terence this is stupid stuff

posted by O @ 09:00


3 Comments:
At 09 January, 2009, Frequent Traveler said… I used to yearn much Hungered for loving connection, mating of hearts Wasted years on futile dreams Now have found surcease in accepting truth Contentment, joy, appreciation are found in solitude At 09 January, 2009, O said… Annie, I like that! do you write poetry? At 09 January, 2009, O said… BTW, for those who are asking me, this is the Terence of the label. Just another geek joke!
Post a Comment
<< Home