PREPARING TO WRITE
a tanka on writing
.
Railroad Crossings Are
Places To Become Aware—
STOP! LOOK! And LISTEN!
.
If you hear a train of thought
You’ll know you’re on the write track!
.
© Ken Chawkin
.
Also see Haiku On The Nature of Haiku.
a writing tanka on writing tanka by ken chawkin
Tags: ars poetica, awareness, inspiration, places, Poetry, Writing, writing on writing
The Uncarved Blog 
September 25, 2009 at 3:21 pm |
RSS? Twitter?
Thx a lot anyway for your ongoing informations! Very helpful.
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November 5, 2012 at 1:32 am |
Well written to include the train reference. Cleverly written. Thanks for sharing.
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September 8, 2013 at 5:20 pm |
Thanks for the comment. I originally wrote it as a haiku. Only much later did I turn it into a tanka. The train reference, and old expression and pun popped into my head and surprised me too. Glad you liked it.
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September 8, 2013 at 5:26 pm |
[…] WRITING TANKA—Preparing to Write […]
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December 10, 2020 at 7:03 pm |
Reblogged this on The Uncarved Blog and commented:
Here’s a little backgrounder on this poem, which I wrote around 20 years ago while on a course at Heavenly Mountain in Boone, North Carolina. The first part was originally just a haiku. It was a fun way to point out the need to increase awareness as a preparation to write. Years later, an idea presented itself extending the metaphor to its logical conclusion. The phrase, taken literally, was an unexpected surprise, along with the irresistible pun. I added them as a hoku, completing the poem, transforming it into a tanka on writing. Enjoy reading “Preparing to Write.”
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