Saturday, May 24, 2014

Tanka Moments III























 Come let us gambol

Trampling down wild flowers
Jumping low bushes
Scraping your knees on sharp thorns
Let me kiss away the sore

I might chance to see
Your loveliness and your grace
In the first glimmer
Are you prettiest in sunlight
Or in the glow of full moon?

Do you think in dread
That your indiscretion leads
To disaffection?
Fear not, a plucked rose remains
As sweet as those in the bower

The morning found me
Moping beneath the duvet
Denied a good night
Left clinging on unsteady vines
Sent home without a fond kiss

I whiled through the sounds
Frog's grunts, cicada's buzz saw
But not finding yours
Only the memory heard
A soothing wind-borne whisper

You chided me then
When I asked for affection
Slapping my hands
And I, tremulous with fear
Withdrew in the raging rain

Rose petals wilted
The breeze blew the crimson flecks
On trellis floor laid
Attempts to restore, in vain
I will send bouquets again

Can you stay longer?
At least until the rain stops
My bed is still warm
With your smoldering kiss
And your scorching embrace

The dawn we failed to see
Neath blankets huddling in the cold
But no big regrets
Wait till tomorrow, my love
And maybe miss it again

Lovers cowering
In the long shadows of dawn
Fearful to be seen
Anxious of the consequence
Of last night’s wanton delights

I mentioned your name
And songbirds sang it like a tune
They gathered around
The rosebush and the green ferns
Humming the wondrous refrain

I hesitated
To say my true feelings
Soon after our tryst
The memory of your lips
Told me to be eloquent

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