Issue 1 - June 2025 - Tanka page 5

does grief hover
in the black and grey
I feel it in the pink
of a night sky
beyond the hills

Anne Curran, New Zealand

if only this disease
lodged in my lungs
were a lover
sharing my breath
in her tight embrace

Curt Pawlisch, USA

the jangle of keys
around the necks
of passersby. . .
who's here to unlock
these invisible bars

Jackie Chou, USA

she recounts
mystic relationship
umbilical cord
bridging oneness
of clouds and rain

Pravat Kumar Padhy, India

my dark secret
the sum
of all colors
having whispered
from raven to crow

Elisa Theriana, Indonesia

growing up
in his shadow. . .
at twilight
she steps out to carve out
her own presence

Mohua Maulik, India