TANKA Phaethon, Icarus, both fly too high, fall and drown in the sea, but *we* women who fall, surface, swim — *we* just suffer sunburned skin. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #mythology #Icarus #Ovid #hubris

TANKA I once wrote your name in indelible letters on my heart, tattooed grafitti inside my skin with one four letter word: love. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #haikupoem #senryu #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #love

TANKA The DANGER sign lacked the letter D, worn away by weather, yet still warning: Beware! Unbridled anger can do you great harm. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets

TANKA In dark November, even darker days ahead, sun setting at four, our country in deep decline. Can we really count on spring? #tankapoem #tanka #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #November #autumn

TANKA where to find a seat? cafes here are too crowded. my life, too crowded. nowhere, no time, to destress. I seek an inner refuge. #tanka #micropoetry #haiku #senryu #senryusunday #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets

NIGHT OWL TANKA nocturnal, the owl has exceptional vision, hears the slightest sound. I, night owl, listen within, relying on inner sight. #tanka #tankapoem #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #haiku #senryu #poetrycommunity #nature #birds #owls #meditation #inspiration #mindfulness

LATE NOVEMBER HAIKU Empty trees, bare bones My soul mourns the falling leaves The bleeding colors #haiku #3lines #poetry #poem #haikupoem #inkmine #micropoetry #skypoets #poetrycommunity #November #autumn #trees #grief

HAIKU Darkness increasing. The candles we keep lighting Flicker in our hearts. #haiku #haikupoem #3lines #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #November #grief

TANKA Birch tree, spindly limbs, thin bark, how do you survive winter’s freeze, blizzard’s gusts? Teach me to find the strength I need in relentless storms. #tanka #tankapoem #poetry #micropoetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #haiku #trees #nature #winter #self-help #inspiration

AGING TANKA Daily I check in with each body part. Each one has a screaming voice, making sure that I hear it. Today — stomach, colon, hips. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #senryu #inkmine #poetry #micropoetry #poetrycommunity #blueskypoets #skypoets #aging #seniors #health

TO READERS OF MY POETRY: I post my political poems (mostly tankas) in my other BlueSky account -- *You can follow me there too!* bsky.app/profile/trac... #poetry #poetrycommunity #tanka #writing #skypoets #blueskypoets #nokings #wethepeople #indivisible #saveourdemocracy #democracy #moveon

DUAL TANKA revised Narrowing my mind, focused on mudpits, they grow much larger, become quicksand, drag me deep into the muck. I’d rather open to joy, widening my consciousness, transcending my stuck self — look there! by the playground, a small pit over which I can now leap. #tanka #haiku #poetry

TANKA when you reach the end of that dark tunnel and there is only a wall, no light, no door — cry, call out pray, wait. Be open to grace. #tanka #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #poem

TANKA learning to make space — unexpected happenings unforeseen crises the gift of new connections— in unplanned moments, I wake #tanka #micropoetry #haiku #senryu #poetry #poem #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets

UNDERSTANDING YOUR DREAMS Learn Jungian & Senoi techniques to help you deepen your understanding of your dreams, exploring their personal meaning. 2-sessions, zoom, Thurs 11/20 & 12/4 lexingtoncommunityed.org/class/unders... #dreams #dreamwork #self-help #transformation #Jung #psycholology #Jung

DUAL HAIKU So sweet and tangy, I used to be a pop tart— just a hint of crunch. But life inflamed me, sizzling skin till I became barbecued chicken. #haiku #haikupoem #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #poetrycommunity #inkmine #blueskypoets #humor

ROBERT FROST POETRY COURSE on zoom 2 Tuesdays, Nov 18 & 25 6:45-8:45pm EST newtoncommunityed.org/course/rober... Explore Frost's world & 12-15 of his poems. In-depth focus on Stopping by Woods and The Road Less Traveled. #robertfrost #poetry #poetrycommunity #literature #authors #edusky #authors

TANKA I am not a fan of pingpong conversations. Individual sports allow us to take turns, take our time, fully present. #tanka #tankathursday #haiku #micropoetry #poetry #poetrycommunity #skypoets #inkmine #conversation

DUAL TANKA Narrowing my mind, focused on mudpits, they grow much larger, become quicksand, drag me deep into the muck. I’d rather be open to joy, transcend my stuck self, widen consciousness — look there! by the playground, a small pit over which I can now leap. #tanka #tankathursday #haiku #poetry

NOVEMBER TANKA Outside my window – the bare bones of the maple. I know what it’s like to shed my clothes, be exposed, live as if I had no skin. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #nature #trees #autumn

TANKA November: drab skies, distant trees with orange fuzz, last gasp of color then fading, fall unleafing till April springing. #tanka #tankapoem #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #haiku #haikupoem #nature #autumn

TANKA Trees bleeding color — I feed on hints of crimson and scarlet, trying to gorge myself on brilliance before winter’s grey and slush #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #nature #autumn

HAIKU intoxication: fall's flamboyant revelry, winter's hangover #haiku #3lines #poetry #micropoetry #inkmine #skypoets #poetrycommunity #autumn #nature

One, two, three alarms — Still resist waking from warm blanketed cocoon. #haiku #senryu #3lines #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #bskypoets #skypoets #poem

HAIKU My sunglasses lost I look everywere for them except on my head #haiku #3lines #senryu #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #poetrycommunity #skiypoets #bskypoets #humor

TANKA As the years ahead of us grow fewer than years behind, our past calls to us – genealogy, photos, childhood memories. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #poetrycommunity #childhood #aging

TANKA Ahead, the time change of November, dark creeping early over land. We dread the dim dreary days ahead – but oh! falling snow! #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #poetry #micropoetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #autumn #november #nature #winter

SHADORMA October: the sun sets at six, brilliant gold, crimson leaves celebrate with color — no dread of winter. #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #bskypoets #blueskypoets #poetrycommunity #nature #seasons #autumn #trees SHADORMA: Spanish form, 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllables

ZOOM TANKA "You're muted," she said. My first click on *unmute* failed to unfreeze my voice - flashbacks: choking back my words, speaking but not being heard. #tanka #haiku #senryu #senryusunday #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #bskypoets #zoom #communication

DUAL TANKA Six month wait to see a doctor, an hour on hold attempting to make each appointment. Or trying to dispute a faulty charge, there's a recording which transfers me to the wrong party which tries to transfer me but disconnects my call. Please! Can ANYBODY help? #tanka #senryu #haiku #poetry

TANKA I am streamlining my life, letting go. Only the essentials now, most meaningful wants, knowing what I most need, most value. #tanka #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #bskypoets #mindfulness #inspiration

DUAL TANKA The rain didn’t come in time, bedraggled trees lost their leaves, unable to display autumn brilliance, to celebrate October. As for me, sudden setbacks, the limitations of too-soon aging, living without all my leaves. Sap returns me to my roots. #tanka #haiku #poetry #nature #trees

TANKA Elms thirst for water. Interminable rainless days, maples fade, sage green, rust red, crumbly brown, leafless too soon in autumn. #tanka #tankathursday #poetry #micropoetry #inkmine #haiku #bskypoets #trees #nature #autumn

DUAL TANKA Sometimes intention to change, deep and persistent, launches tsunamis of resistance, a backlash drowning our initial aims. I struggle amid towering waves, see no land ahead, no harbor behind. Weakening, tired, still I swim against the tide. #tanka #haiku #poetry #micropoetry #inkmine

HAIKU Egrets fly at dawn the first rays of sun frame gold their luminous wings. #haiku #haikupoem #3lines #senryu #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #poetrycommunity #skypoets #nature #birds Photo taken by the poet at Mrazek Pond, Florida Everglades

THE POETRY OF MARY OLIVER Online course, two Monday eves, starts Oct 27 EDT Together we'll read and reflect on 20 of Mary Oliver's poems, expressing the wonders & inspiration of nature. tinyurl.com/57nsk32j #poetry #maryoliver #poetrycommunity #skypoets #edusky #nature #inspiration #literature

TANKA Your voice: a whisper beneath my skin, all your words, your tone, a feather touch softly massaging me, your voice alone soothing me. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #voice

OCTOBER TANKA Another season - In the autumn of my life, coloring my days with golden brilliance before my leaves brown, crumble and fall. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #haikupoem #5lines #poetry #poetrycommunity #micropoetry #inkmine #autumn #trees

THE POETRY OF E.E. CUMMINGS Online class, 2 evenings, starts Wednesday Oct. 15, EDT. Learn about cummings. Read/discuss 20+ of his delightful poems. Info & registration: lexingtoncommunityed.org/class/the-po... #poetry #poetrycommunity #bskypoets #skypoets #eecummings #literature #edusky #litthings

CINQUAIN Falling apart, falling down in front of dear friends It’s ok to be not ok today. #micropoetry #poetry #cinquain #inkmine #skypoets #poetrycommunity #blueskypoets #5lines cinquain: five lines of 2,3,6,8,2 syllables

TANKA Clothes in my closet I rarely put on, feelings they hold I’d rather not don, the longing, the grief of wearing... a memory. #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #haikusaturday #senryu #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #poetrycommunity #grief

TANKA Japanese paintings: view right to left. Fishing boats in Hokusai, not fleeing from the Great Wave but approaching it (My life!) #tanka #tankapoem #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #skypoets #art #Hokusai #GreatWave

equinox birthday: bittersweet season, falling into fall, I search for first signs of color - look! that tree, golden in the light! #tanka #haiku #haikupoem #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #skypoets #autumn #nature #trees

TANKA This year: a jungle. We’re bushwacking through chaos — Tangled undergrowth ensnares us, thick dark tendrils of fear, grief, anger, despair. #poetry #micropoetry #tanka #5lines #haiku #senryu #poetrycommunity #skypoets #inkmine TANKAS: 5 lines, 5-7-5-7-7 syllables

KATAUTA Inwardly mobile, this butterfly with one wing soars across internal skies. #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #poetrycommunity #skypoets #3lines #blueskypoets #inspiration katauta: Japanese form, 3 lines, 5-7-5 syllables

KATAUTA Urgent care. Long wait Surrounded by sick people. Is it better to stay home? #micropoetry #3lines #poetry #poetrycommunity #skypoets #inkmine #blueskypoets #health katauta: 3 lines, 5-7-7 syllablles

Arthur Sze - new U.S. poet laureate. I teach his poetry in my online poetry courses. From The Shape of Leaves: I feel what others are thinking and do not speak, I know pleasure in the veins of a sugar maple, I am living at the edge of a new leaf. #poetry #poetrycommunity #skypoets #nature #trees

GRIEF: A tanka The loss of icons we never met but cherished — Mourning: Maggie Smith Pope Francis, Jimmy Carter, Robert Redford, Bill Moyers #tanka #tankapoem #tankathurday #haiku #senryu #micropoetry #poetry #inkmine #skypoets #grief

HAIKU Outside my window Night animals creep. Rabbits Dance the bunny hop. #haiku #haikupoem #3lines #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #poetrycommunity #skypoets #animals

TRACKS: a haiku poem Viewed from a distance, rails of railway tracks appear to meet. Like you, far from me, feel closer than you are when you are close but with closed heart. #haiku #haikupoem #3lines #micropoetry #inkmine #poetry #skypoets #poetrycommunity #relationship