vote – Tina Stewart Brakebill

Tanka Tuesday – Synonyms Only

November 5, 2024 Tina Stewart Brakebill

time crawls and I vow

rye to sooth my looming dread

‘til the day dawns blue

Welcome to Tanka Tuesday. This week is Synonyms Only. That means you will be using synonyms for the given prompt words.

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge: Synonyms Only – 11/5/2024

Today, I wrote a senryu that sums up the state of my current “human condition.”

What is a senrue?

A form with 3 or more lines following the short-long-short, 3-5-3, 2-3-2, (5-7-5 traditional) approximately twelve syllables. Senryu do not rhyme, nor do they contain metaphors and similes.

A senryu is written about love, human foibles relating to a personal event, and should have an element of irony present somewhere in the form. Humor and sarcasm are two of the most favorable elements in a senryu. But not always… think in tone. What is the tone of your senryu?

Senryu focus on the awkward moments in life making the human, not the world around them, the subject of their creative endeavor. Senryu poetry deals with the human condition. The most important distinction between haiku and senryu is the tone of your poem.

Think of it this way: Haiku wants to create a feeling, while senryu wants to make a point.
Focus on sexual matters, family relations, religion, politics, and anything that touches on the pain we experience through sorrow, prejudice, oppression, anger, and frustration. Humor and sarcasm are two of the most favorable elements in a senryu. No title.

Haiku & Other Poetry, Random Rants, tutto e niente

Ballad of an Early Voter

November 4, 2024 Tina Stewart Brakebill

nervous, feeling fear

touch the screen, colour the box

still the noise bangs on

“I don’t care, do you”? “Trust me!”

comfort your fear, use your spark

photography of barrel wave — Photo by Emiliano Arano on Pexels.com

For this week’s Wordle Challenge, I managed to create a clumsy tanka that touched on my fear and use all the words: fear, noise, bang, colour, spark, use, touch, care, comfort, trust, feeling, nervous.

MLMM Monday Wordle #397

Random Rants, tutto e niente

Crashing My Morning Mediation

March 14, 2024 Tina Stewart Brakebill

What activities do you lose yourself in?

In the days of yore, my two favorite morning activities (after coffee of course) were bike riding and writing. Each offered a safe space where the passing of time seemed to disappear. The rhythmic pace of the peddling and the quiet tap of the keyboard were all I needed to reach a zen-like state. For many years, they were the flip sides of my morning meditation routine.

I can still lose hours writing (although “lose” seems like the wrong word because it’s wonderful to be in that zone), but my biking experience has changed.

Two years ago, I crashed. And now, among other things, I’m full of titanium.

I still bike, but I’ve lost that ability to get lost in the moment. Instead, I’m a bit obsessed with scrutinizing every bump. And holding my breath. And bracing for possible impact. I feel trapped in that last second before the world comes crashing down.

(It’s remarkably similar to how I feel about the world in general. We’ve clearly gotten stuck in the worst timeline. Reagan’s repulsive Morning in America campaign escalated the Doomsday clock and we’re hurtling towards the end. The courts won’t save us. VOTE BLUE.)

But, I digress …

I feel trapped but I’m not. I keep moving. I remind myself to feel the rhythm when I peddle. Avoid the obstacles, but also notice all the beauty around me. And to breathe.

I’m hopeful that someday soon, I’ll once again be able to lose myself in the moment.