Haven’t written in a bit, but I’m back with another #tankstuesday
This one is an actual tanka, 5-7-5-7-7 syllabic form.
I am wandering Even though I know this trail. The green buds are new. Dressing the familiar in Bright and renewing beauty.
Hope you like it! Join in here.
#Tankatuesday is quite a challenge this week. To celebrate Colleen M. Chesebro’s birthday, we are asked to write a poem with 65 syllables. We also get to name our poem type, and I’m calling mine a “Jinx” because it has 13 lines. Each line has five syllables, totaling 65. Believe me, that math was not easy for me.
Jinx Falling up the stairs. Step on the stair that Is not there. Find your Balance or fall down. Feel the flailing fear. Black cats, cracked mirrors. Walk under ladders. No thirteenth floor, no Button for thirteen in elevators We walk away from Our superstitions And we gain true strength.
Here is the link to the challenge!
There were so many stunning, ancient and wonderful sights that we saw on our recent trip to Malta. One that really stuck with me wasn’t an ancient building or beautiful nature scene: it was a shepherd.
His face was as old and worn as the stone he walked on. He grazed the sheep on the Dingle Cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Ocean. The sheep chewed on the scraggly bushes amid the desert yellow of the pitted cliff.
The only disappointment was his shepherd’s crook. I hoped for an ancient staff, a Wizard level stave. Instead, it was made of PVC tubing. The contrast with his ancient face was nearly hilarious.
What really amazed me was not just the man. It’s the tradition. How many years does his family go back, or the traditions that were handed down to him? On an island that boasts one of the oldest Neolithic sites in the world, it’s possible we are talking about millenniums of shepherding.
At one point, he spoke to the sheep and threw a stone near them. The sheep moved without hesitation. Perhaps this little trick is as old as the stone columns that made up the ancient temples.
This famous purple Bougainvillea from the ancient city of Mdina fulfills the “pastorals and pastels” quality of this weeks challenge.
Join the challenge here
So many amazing sights in Malta. The entire place is a ancient, but I was amazed by the Neolithic temple.
Petals curl backwards
Or forwards. Does it matter
As flowers unfurl?
Very proud of a year of staying fit!
Each church has their own band. Here you can see an actual tradition where the bearers of the Jesus statue briefly run.
It was really interesting, and I felt a little strange filming it. But I did put 5 euro in the collection box so I think they were ok with it.
Mark Bozeman 