Contemporary Tanka Prose
Poetry Contest
(G-rated only. No pictures.) CONTEMPORARY TANKA PROSE usually has 1 to 4 paragraphs with tanka verses between them (individual tanka do not have to be placed between every paragraph). A tanka verse should follow the last paragraph. While a connection should be made to the prose, the tanka cannot merely repeat what is being said in the prose portion.
The prose is written in first person and includes poetic elements, such as similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc. The contemporary tanka verses are usually 18 to 31 total syllables (which differs from traditional English-language tanka and more closely follows the Japanese-length syllable, called an "on" which is much shorter than English-Western syllables). A short-long-short-long-long pattern is considered ideal but not required.
Note: Tanka does not usually use capital letters except for proper nouns, and it has no punctuation unless it is needed for clarification, such as with an em dash or ellipsis. (This helps to separate it from simply being a 5-line poem.)
The following example of mine was published in 2017:
Trying Times
The grass has been chewed down to stubs by two horses standing head-to-tail swatting each other's flies. The drought has lasted over a month.
"Don't fret, Bandana," I say, patting my mare's neck as we pass by. "We're going to get through this. I really believe it.?"
shrunken streams
feed the trickling waterfall
my eyes turn upward
like a bloom in a crevice
practicing patience
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool of 28.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 2 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Saturday, August 31, 2019.
Full Contest Listing
The prose is written in first person and includes poetic elements, such as similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc. The contemporary tanka verses are usually 18 to 31 total syllables (which differs from traditional English-language tanka and more closely follows the Japanese-length syllable, called an "on" which is much shorter than English-Western syllables). A short-long-short-long-long pattern is considered ideal but not required.
Note: Tanka does not usually use capital letters except for proper nouns, and it has no punctuation unless it is needed for clarification, such as with an em dash or ellipsis. (This helps to separate it from simply being a 5-line poem.)
The following example of mine was published in 2017:
Trying Times
The grass has been chewed down to stubs by two horses standing head-to-tail swatting each other's flies. The drought has lasted over a month.
"Don't fret, Bandana," I say, patting my mare's neck as we pass by. "We're going to get through this. I really believe it.?"
shrunken streams
feed the trickling waterfall
my eyes turn upward
like a bloom in a crevice
practicing patience
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool of 28.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 2 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Saturday, August 31, 2019.
