酷我-北美枫

[ericcoliu]

(The following tanka sequence has been published in The Spring 2009 issue of Modern English Tanka, a literary print journal with digital editions. Modern English Tanka (the official journal of Modern English Tanka Press which is the biggest and most influential publishing company dedicated to publishing and promoting fine English tanka), Ribbons (the official journal of Tanka Society of America), Gusts (the official journal of Tanka Canada), and American Tanka are called The Big Four tanka journals.

The most exciting things about this publication is that all of my submitted tanka (16 in total) have been accepted, and that I’m the only non-English speaking poet (65 poets in total) and one of the few poets whose tanka have been all accepted. The following tanka sequence is those related to winter thoughts; I will post the rest of my published tanka later)


Reading and Writing: Life on the Page


If On A Winter’s Night, A Sojourner


I

distressed
in the wake of a dream
I hear
time passing
in the sound of snow


II

not seeing
we pass by each other
then disappear --
snow traces the weight
of each burden


III

winter night
a remnant moon --
raising my cup
shadow and I
drink to each other


IV

blasts of snow
slap my face
for pent-up lust
shivering
I return to myself


V

pounding snow squall
as the mailbox is opened
inside
anxious hands hold
an unopened letter


VI

peel away
one shovel width of snow
at a time --
one, two, three...
eyeglasses fog up
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

(The following tanka sequence has been published in The Spring 2009 issue of Modern English Tanka, a literary print journal with digital editions. Modern English Tanka (the official journal of Modern English Tanka Press which is the biggest and most influential publishing company dedicated to publishing and promoting fine English tanka), Ribbons (the official journal of Tanka Society of America), Gusts (the official journal of Tanka Canada), and American Tanka are called The Big Four tanka journals.

The most exciting things about this publication is that all of my submitted tanka (16 in total) have been accepted, and that I’m the only non-English speaking poet (65 poets in total) and one of the few poets whose tanka have been all accepted. The following tanka sequence is those related to winter thoughts; I will post the rest of my published tanka later)


Reading and Writing: Life on the Page


If On A Winter’s Night, A Sojourner


I

distressed
in the wake of a dream
I hear
time passing
in the sound of snow


II

not seeing
we pass by each other
then disappear --
snow traces the weight
of each burden


III

winter night
a remnant moon --
raising my cup
shadow and I
drink to each other


IV

blasts of snow
slap my face
for pent-up lust
shivering
I return to myself


V

pounding snow squall
as the mailbox is opened
inside
anxious hands hold
an unopened letter


VI

peel away
one shovel width of snow
at a time --
one, two, three...
eyeglasses fog up
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[christine]

[[christine]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[ericcoliu]

Below are the tanka related to my journey of immigration:


VII


my heart
is chained to my homeland
an ocean away --
memories are eroded
by time’s passing tides


VIII

I dream
in Chinese, my father's dream --
I awake
Chen-ou becomes Eric
son of Canada
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Below are the tanka related to my journey of immigration:


VII


my heart
is chained to my homeland
an ocean away --
memories are eroded
by time’s passing tides


VIII

I dream
in Chinese, my father's dream --
I awake
Chen-ou becomes Eric
son of Canada
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[ericcoliu]

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail from my poet friend Sergio, whose tanka appear on the same issue of MET as mine, and with whom I've exchanged my view of writing Japanese short verse forms, such as haiku, haibun, tanka, and tanka prose:


"We both appear on Modern English Tanka. Congratulations, my dear friend. This is so rewarding. Your efforts get noticed. By a journal as important as this one. It is fascinating.

Your friend always,
Sergio"

Yes.

“This is so rewarding. [My] efforts get noticed.” This month alone, my tanka have been published in two of the Big Four – MET and Ribbons – and I’m still waiting for the good news from Tanka Canada and American Tanka.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail from my poet friend Sergio, whose tanka appear on the same issue of MET as mine, and with whom I've exchanged my view of writing Japanese short verse forms, such as haiku, haibun, tanka, and tanka prose:


"We both appear on Modern English Tanka. Congratulations, my dear friend. This is so rewarding. Your efforts get noticed. By a journal as important as this one. It is fascinating.

Your friend always,
Sergio"

Yes.

“This is so rewarding. [My] efforts get noticed.” This month alone, my tanka have been published in two of the Big Four – MET and Ribbons – and I’m still waiting for the good news from Tanka Canada and American Tanka.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[ericcoliu]

Below are another three tanka regarding "love"


IX

I listen
to my muted heart --
every cell
pulses, cries aloud
yet you hear nothing


X

during the day
I can't catch you
in the night
you evade my dream
day and night, I ponder you


XI

all ears
attuned to your words —
like ripples
chase the caress
of spring breeze
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Below are another three tanka regarding "love"


IX

I listen
to my muted heart --
every cell
pulses, cries aloud
yet you hear nothing


X

during the day
I can't catch you
in the night
you evade my dream
day and night, I ponder you


XI

all ears
attuned to your words —
like ripples
chase the caress
of spring breeze
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[christine]

[[christine]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[ericcoliu]

The following is the reply from my friend:

Hi Eric,
I just read your poems in the Spring edition of Modern English Tanka. It was exciting to see you in print. I am very impressed with this work. Congratulations. It is very evident that you have found a form that works marvelously for you at this stage of your development as an English writer.

-- Mary MacDonnell
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

The following is the reply from my friend:

Hi Eric,
I just read your poems in the Spring edition of Modern English Tanka. It was exciting to see you in print. I am very impressed with this work. Congratulations. It is very evident that you have found a form that works marvelously for you at this stage of your development as an English writer.

-- Mary MacDonnell
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[东西]

[[东西]]

[ericcoliu]

Thanks for telling me what you like the most.

Adopting the principles of shasei (“sketches from life”), makoto (“truthfulness”), and everyday language that Masaoka Shiki had advocated, I try to capture one emotionally charged element situated in the physical locale through evocative images.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Thanks for telling me what you like the most.

Adopting the principles of shasei (“sketches from life”), makoto (“truthfulness”), and everyday language that Masaoka Shiki had advocated, I try to capture one emotionally charged element situated in the physical locale through evocative images.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[robarts]

[[robarts]]

[ericcoliu]

Good.

Below is my another published tanka:


XII

moths and street lights
long for each other --
people awake
work, eat, and sleep
as always
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Good.

Below is my another published tanka:


XII

moths and street lights
long for each other --
people awake
work, eat, and sleep
as always
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul