Tanka by Bill

by William C. Hyland

Overview

Tanka is intended to evoke a moment, meaning a feeling, an emotion, a scene, etc., to allow the reader to experience the moment with precision. Tanka in the English language has taken on a character of its own, with most English language composers keeping the original five line form, but opting to for a freer and flowing form that pays no heed to syllable count. I have found the strict syllable count to be both a challenge and a blessing. A challenge in that I am forced to exercise considerable discipline to convey my message, describe my moment, or communicate the feeling I want the reader to feel. A blessing because I tend to be entirely too wordy. When I am writing free verse, my most common editing task involves wholesale deletions to keep to the point without belaboring it.
This collection is a simple chronological presentation of tanka I have written, starting with January 1, 2014, and going through September 15, 2014…mostly because that is the date I decided to get off my rear and make this book happen.
Fair warning, some these are nature related, some about fanciful subjects, and a few are unabashedly religious. If any of them offend you, please just pass them by and if you feel strongly enough about it, fire off an e-mail. I promise that I will read and consider what you say. Which is the only promise I will make. I strive to keep my tone uplifting, and never use profane or crude language. I compose and post my tanka on Facebook, where my daughter can and does read them. When I hear my words coming out of her mouth, I do not want to be regretting what I said!

Product Details

BN ID:	2940046371406
Publisher:	William C. Hyland
Publication date:	11/01/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Bill Hyland currently lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, daughter, dog, and cat. He is a US Navy veteran (submarine service), considers himself a patriot and has spent most of his life working as a Controls Engineer. His poetry began as a way to exercise his creativity, but soon became a passion. Recently, he has become facinated with the tanka form, combining rigid structure and the need to chose exactly the right words.