Tanka and the nature of Longing.

Well - this week's Poetry Stretch at Miss Rumphius Effect is to write a Tanka. This minimalist form is like a Haiku - only longer. But by just a little bit. (Visit Miss RUmphius Effect for a more complete explanation.)

Hmmm - okay... So I started writing something - then Chris Botti's Venice (again, I know... what can I say?!?) began to play and immediately my tanka just sort of fell out. (sounds like a rather personal problem, doesn't it??). I always feel such a sense of longing when I hear that song, so I tried to find a picture for longing and then I realized that longing can be many different things to different people. A child at camp or a soldier stationed overseas might long for home, anyone who has lost someone may long for just five more minutes to say the goodbye they never got to say, Some may long to feel God in their lives, or lovers may long for the time that they can be together again. It is a very non-specific thing - or at least individually specific. All that just to say "No Picture", LOL...

Anyway - here is my tanka (they aren't to have titles I am told. Feels weird. I always do a title - helps me name the post too - not this time! LOL).

One measure.
My heart hears the words
My ears can't.
Velvet soulful notes
Longing, craving ache.