Like haiku poems, tankas are small, form poems, originated in Japan. Each line follows a pattern dictated by its number of syllables.
The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as "short song," and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form. I studied on a one-day a week creative writing course before my degree, I ad the opportunity to learn about tanka and managed to produce four of my own. The four poems ...
