Contemprary Tanka Poet Mariko Kitakubo. Article details.
Ms. Vicki Miko posted a book review on DISTANCE
Ms. Vicki Miko wrote an excellent review for the book "DISTANCE." My sincere gratitude to Ms. Vicki Miko.
Deborah P. Kolodji and Mariko Kitakubo, both accomplished poets, have created a new form they have named, Tan-Ku. For those familiar with the appeal of short-form poems, Debbie and Mariko respond to each other via tanka and haiku, or the other way around, whoever starts the set or sequence first. The haiku is by Debbie and the tanka is by Mariko. Here are two of my favorite:
Footsteps
autumn forest
deepens and deepens
in color
who knows
when I will disappear
chilled by the wind
each step closer
to winter
~
Beyond the Marine Layer
an ocean of traffic
far below the sugar pine
island in the sky
here was
the seabed,
long ago. . .
Himalayan poppy
unforgettable blue
Debbie
“Writing these poems of tanka/haiku response occurred organically, it wasn’t something we set out to create.” and “Mariko and I started having tanka/haiku conversations and found it addicting, the differences between tanka and haiku expressed as two voices, complementing each other.”
Mother Angel
dust
on a Tiffany lamp
estate sale
through
the antique glass
dawn
comes into
the world
Mariko
“The many co-creations we spun together, exchanging daily via smartphone messages were like a stream flowing in the light and shade.” and “A string of words from our souls while gritting our teeth and overcoming hardships.”
The Color red
a fir tree
in the maple forest
forever
green. . .
melancholy
dressing up drab clothes
with Christmas bling
I feel like singing
I love the seven chapter titles that carry the poems through a visible connection of different cultures and experiences—from “we hold virtual hands” to “as the road bends” to “my words drift.”
Through the Clouds
wiping off
and wiping off
the dark. . .
footsteps
in the cloud
foggy morning
searching for a ray of light
within the gray
I can’t see
my fairy shoes
in the weds
trapped by gravity
within the haze
blurry-eyed
a bee dusts
the pollen
loving
your crossed
fingers. . .
a bottle of mead
across the ocean
outstretched wings
the scan beep
of a boarding pass
DISTANCE is an expressive, heartfelt look into kindred hearts. It is a beautiful new form of short poems. The two authors touch something inside everyone.
- Vicki Miko
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