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Tanka

Rika Inami

(Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter in Japan)

Rika Inami: Text
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moonlight
shining through clouds 
in layers
plays with the flow
to being full

in between 

the celestial and the terrestrial

yamaboushi 

receives sunlight

particles sparkling

​

[Poet's Note: It is said that Cornus kousa is called Yamaboushi because the round inflorescence in the centre looks

like the head of a monk and four pieces of white involucre around the inflorescence looks like the hood of a monk.]

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through the celestial
does spring festival flow
over and fall?
fascinated with an ecstatic
dance of drooping cherry

a spirit
sinking deep in a jade-green tarn
spins
soul of language only with
sunshine given by …

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twigs of a plum tree 
resign themselves 
to being unable 
to refuse any things …
today, sparkling in rime

Rika Inami: Food Articles
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Rika Inami lives in Akita, Japan, and is a member of 'Tanka Association Mirai,' 'Muro Saisei Learned Society' and 'Akita International Haiku Network. Rika has composed tanka for about twenties years.She writes tanka in both languages, Japanese and English. First, she writes tanka in classical Japanese then carefully translates it into English. This process keeps her works true to her native language and tanka style. She thinks that poetry is the spirit of the language. Her inspiration is from her life on this planet with gravity. She has received several awards, EU-Japan NewSpace 2060 International Illustrated Haiku Competition 2019, Solution Creators Prize, Evan Prize, among others. She has authore TANKA HARAKO I, II, III and TANKA HARAKO COLLECTION 1.

Rika Inami: List
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