During the Pause: A Collection of Tanka Poems

This is Tanka poetry--a unique Japanese poetry form similar to haiku. Tanka poems embrace the ideas of nature, politics, racism, love, death and more in this charming collection. Tanka poetry, or “short song” poetry, began in seventh-century Japan. The poems follow a simple 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern with no rhyming or punctuation. This unique structure lends itself to an economy of words and is an eloquent vehicle for emotional expression.The author was born a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp in the USA during World War II. His memoir is also available on Amazon, titled Gaman: The Story of a Japanese American Prisoner in a War That Never Ended. Sample poems from During the Pause:From “On Love”:They say love is blindAnd cannot see the futureBut when our hearts metLike the day that we were bornIt was once and foreverFrom “On Death & Loss”:Now that you are goneA part of you was takenAnd a gift returnedIn the precious memoriesNever to be forgottenFrom “On Science”:One thing I do knowAnd that is I know nothingI am satisfiedFeeling the mysteriousIn a drop of pond waterAccompanied by beautiful photographs by the author, this book of Tanka poetry makes an ideal gift and pleasure-filled reading for poetry fans. Read more