gathered at noontime to serenade the ocean seagulls write short songs, strive* to teach the ducks to sing I'm prompted to write one too *** Β© 2022 selmamartin.com
Tanka, βshort songβ is meant to be filled with personal and emotional expression. The tanka expresses feelings and thoughts regardless of the direction they take. Originally there was also an attempt to connect these thoughts and feelings to nature. The tanka, unlike the haiku, may use figurative expressions such as metaphor or simile. The form is less rigid and more casual than the haiku. It allows the imagination to help the poet express feelings. Read more about Tanka here…
Image by π Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay
Thanks for reading, dear friends.
If you’re reading this weeks later,
that’s because no missiles have landed
in Tokyo.
May despots’ proclivity for taunts, greed, and power cease to be. May peace prevail in every corner of the world. Amen.
Awareness at the moment of writing this tanka: Like the seagulls that try to teach the ducks to sing their song, may we continue to strive* to teach others about peace.
I wish you miracles.
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At sunset last night, when the seagulls were falling silent, I encountered a pair of ducks walking down the burn (small stream) as it crossed the sand to reach the sea. The female pecked cautiously at the fresh water, found it to her liking, and drank, while the drake looked on solicitously.
I wish you safety; may you be well x
Thanks for sharing your sunset moment with me. And you saw ducks too. How very cool.
Thanks for the safety comment. Some people are too set in their taunting pursuits, which is why we keep praying for peace. And miracles. All the best to you to. Blessings.
Hi, Selma! I have enjoyed your tanka that the seagulls helped you write. Tanka means “a thin one” for feminine nouns in Slovenian (but also “two tanks”). I send you love from Piran on the Slovenian coast. It’s full of seagulls and people speaking other languages, not mine. I should speak louder then and listen more closely…
So good to hear youβre in your beloved Slovenia, my sweets. May it be everything you need right now.
Tanka. How interesting to know that in Slovenian language you have feminine and masculine nouns. Like languages with Latin roots π
Glad you liked my Tanka (poem)
Be well. Been thinking of you lately. Stay sweet. π
Yes, It’s been almost two weeks since I’m here. All good except I had a ping in my lower back two days ago and it gave me a scare. With cream and pills it’s under control, the pain. But when next??
Oh girl, watch that… stretch it. often. please. sending you healing vibes… lots.
Excellent tanka, which is one of my favorite forms! I enjoyed reading your About, and love the meaning of your name. It’s so true that “ordinary” is far from “boring”. Blessings to you.
Hey Arel. Yes. I saw you visited. How sweet of you. And so precious that you also believe in Ordinary. Not boring! Thanks for reading and commenting. Youβve made my day. π π
Happy to do so.π
PS: I’m close enough to Puget Sound (Pacific NW, USA) that seagulls are near–one flew over my roof yesterday! Some people dislike them, say they’re “dirty scavengers”–to me, their cry inspires much to write about.
This comment that pinpoints your geographic locationβ wow. Fascinating!β¨Wiki tells me βitβs an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the NW coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins.ββ¨How divinely lovely is that? I love knowing this. Thanks so very much for making me aware of one more lovely place.β¨I bet the seagulls love it there. Oh my, I would too.β¨Not dirty, not scavengers. They are Natureβs helpers. Keeping things orderly. Love it. Thanks for sharing. I bless you and wish you miracles, Arel. π π
You’re welcome–and thank youπ
A charming and playful connection with nature. Delightful poem, Selma. π
So happy you saw that, Michele. Thanks. XoXo
Perhaps a chorus… (k)
Yes, a chorus β¦ clap
This comment that pinpoints your geographic locationβ wow. Fascinating!
Wiki tells me βitβs an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the NW coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins.β
How divinely lovely is that? I love knowing this. Thanks so very much for making me aware of one more lovely place.
I bet the seagulls love it there. Oh my, I would too.
Not dirty, not scavengers. They are Natureβs helpers. Keeping things orderly. Love it. Thanks for sharing. I bless you and wish you miracles, Arel. π π
What better teachers of song than the birds themselves!
So true of birds. May they be here always to remind us. Amen
Gorgeous Selma
Thanks for finding it so, Deb. Xoxo
Lovely, Selma ππ
Aww, thanks Harmony. Xoxo
Delightful tanka, Selma! The photo is lovely! I also am a fan of the tanka form and enjoyed reading your comments on it. <3
Thanks, Cheryl. Itβs a nice form Iβm liking more and more.
All the best to you. Sending you good vibes. XoXo
what a fun and beautiful morning song from you and the birds today Selma! ππ
Happy to be here for you. Blessings.
It was a treasure!! πππ
Ducks have their own songs… but supposedly a ducks quack does not echo. I just read that it can, but it is so soft that it is hard to hear π
You know so much Jules. Thanks for sharing. XoXo
Only bits and pieces and what I look up…
I just like to look up stuff π
Have a great day! π
That was great, Selma! I saw many seagulls at the beach yesterday. They were lovely! π
Oh, they swam that far, then. Sweet! They are lovely birds and we need them around more than we know. Thanks for sharing. Blessings to you
Beautifully composed verses!!
Indira, aww. Thanks for reading.
I love your tanka, Selma. I have to admit that I didn’t know anything about them or their form, so I’ve learned something new today – always a good thing. I love seagulls, too. I get them where I live – when it’s just about to rain or there’s a storm brewing, they circle our houses in the cul-de-sac, squawking their heads off. I love to see them. In my eyes, they are not just scavengers – they’re just another part of wildlife trying to survive and doing what they have to do to feed. I have a beautiful simply-illustrated book called ‘Jonathon Livingstone Seagull’ by Richard Bach. It’s a charming story of the life of a seagull as it swoops and dives from the sky to the Earth. It’s quite short and well worth a read. Take care and have a great day, my friend xx πππ
Oh my, Ellie:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A story by Richard Bach (2015-01-29) https://a.co/d/ep3mudN
How awesome. I cannot view the inside of this book but love what it says on his profile.
Thanks for sharing. Seagulls: wildlife trying to survive. We need them.
Be well. Sweetie. Blessings. Hope youβre all better now. I wish you miracles
Thanks, Selma. It is a beautiful book – I’ve read it many times. It’s what started my love of seagulls.
I am feeling a lot better in myself now, thank you. However, I’m still struggling to keep up with everybody’s blogs. I think I probably follow far more than I can realistically manage. If someone is kind enough to read and follow my blog, I feel it’s only right and polite to reciprocate. I’ve just been so busy this last week. I need another ten hours tagged onto the end of every day, I think π. Xxx π