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Tanka Poems

Welcome to our collection of Tanka poems! This traditional Japanese form of poetry consists of five lines and has been practiced for over a thousand years. Tanka poetry is renowned for its brevity and its ability to evoke powerful emotions and imagery in just a few short lines. In our collection, you will find a diverse range of Tanka poems from contemporary and classic poets alike. Each one is a celebration of the beauty and power of this ancient art form. So take a moment to explore this rich tradition of poetry and immerse yourself in the timeless beauty of Tanka.

Displaying 214 poems from the Tanka poetic form.

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Grimm’s Dear Mili Tale: A Feminist Perspective — Karl Constantine FOLKES	I called her hero. A fairytale little girl. And not heroine. In a Wilhelm Grimm’s story. A dissertation problem. “What makes her hero?” Question...	2,605 views Rate it
The Maternal Bond of Nature — Karl Constantine FOLKES	The maternal bond is unlike any other; ‘tween mother and child. So umbilically tied; and can never be severed. Nature upholds, with numerous...	107 views Rate it
Man in Search of Self — Karl Constantine FOLKES	This is a preface. Man’s appeal for salvation. A psalm of David. “Search me, O Lord,” the psalm’s plea. “For you have scrutinized me.” Omnipotent...	1,133 views Rate it
How Children and Adults View Time and Space — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Irony of Time. The ways we humans see it. How it is measured. In so many different ways. During the human lifespan. When we are children. Just...	766 views Rate it
Life in the Balance — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Life in the balance: Here I am at Double Tree. Hilton Residence. Reflecting on life’s values… After devastating loss. A raging fire, taking hold...	364 views Rate it
Schroedinger’s Cat and Quantum Indeterminacy — Karl Constantine FOLKES	‘Schroedinger’s Cat’ and Quantum Relativity. Thought experiment. Both in superposition. An imaginary state. The mind’s behavior. On the nature of...	649 views Rate it
Pandemic of Newspeak — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Modern pandemic: Culture-war narrative memes. Like ‘Transgender Rights.’ ‘Critical Race Theory.’ Spawned by Social...	637 views Rate it
On The Supreme Court — Karl Constantine FOLKES	On the Supreme Court Nine black robes of justice Seated as Council By Congressional ruling. By their just proclamation. On the Supreme Court ...	496 views Rate it
Our Redeeming God of Grace — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Our Redeeming God is director of our lives, giving us choices at every single moment, serving as Sanctifier. Our Redeeming God, for special use...	358 views Rate it
Vova, A Ukrainian Refugee Child Poet — Karl Constantine FOLKES	As a refugee Ukrainian child poet A boy named Vova Of Slavonic ancestry You are born to serve others. A soulful servant Who will serve with...	351 views Rate it
Perfection Needs No Mending — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Wholeness is our goal, not striving for perfection; which is the divine. Wholeness for our fulfillment; for our earthly completion. As Saint Paul...	331 views Rate it
The Tao of Wholeness — Karl Constantine FOLKES	There can be no way but The Way of the Tao. He who knows Tao, no longer has need to search; for he has found completion. Completion unites the...	32 views Rate it
The Two Travelers’ Musings — Karl Constantine FOLKES	The two travelers. In dialectical chat. Ego and Psyche. Ego as the extravert. With animated speeches. The two travelers. Forever tied together. ...	986 views Rate it
Tarzan’s ‘Umgawa’ Burden — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Edgar Rice Burroughs Creator of The Ape Man Lord of the Jungle Tarzan — the name means ‘White Skin’ Overseer of Africa. This American Burrowed...	927 views Rate it
The Mission of Psyche — Karl Constantine FOLKES	A totality: Human soul, mind, and spirit. We call the psyche. The totality of Self. The Conscious and the Unconscious. Yet showing tension. ...	733 views Rate it
The Tragedy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Our tragic hero, he, made of much sterner stuff, by pride now fallen, yet loved by many as hero, and by God as his own child. A Prince of Denmark, ...	711 views Rate it
We Are Intrepid Travelers of Space — Karl Constantine FOLKES	A global journey Traversing the Milky Way Our seatbelts fastened By Earth’s magnetic impulse We — intrepid...	625 views Rate it
We Live By Our Myths — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Folk and fairytales. “Innocent” nursery rhymes. Biblical tales. Literature — in general. All have hidden messages. All convey some truths. ...	603 views Rate it
The Hubris of I-ness — Karl Constantine FOLKES	At war with ourselves Ego as the Mastermind Battling our psyche The soul now wounded by a Self-inflicted malady. Selah: Pause of Contemplation ...	590 views Rate it
The All is the Singular — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Nature is Oneness. That governs plurality. Singularity. Is how it is referred to. With respect to all matter. All space and all time. Make up all...	577 views Rate it
Mysterious Mushrooms — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Breathing oxygen, Much more like an animal; And yet so plant-like. Having a fleshy body; That searches for its own food. It is nutritious. For...	551 views Rate it
DAO is Everywhere — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Away from Center we move to periphery within the circle. We cannot escape DAO, since DAO is...	531 views Rate it
How Words Change Meaning — Karl Constantine FOLKES	How words change meaning: Semantic shifts and changes Alter our senses With their directions — mended Bearing new...	524 views Rate it
ESOTERICA — Karl Constantine FOLKES	Esoterica. My inherited dream space. My creative haunt. Artifice of archetypes. Of wondrous signs and symbols. Esoterica. I am a native to this...	520 views Rate it
The Script of Our Lives — Karl Constantine FOLKES	The script of our lives. Bears some things that lay hidden. Ever unfolding. Borne from the womb to the tomb. Imprinted in our psyche. The psyche —...	519 views Rate it