Hopeful Snowdrops

bare trees and grey sky

long winter nights stretch ahead

stars and icicles

hopeful snowdrops awaken

early tender shoots of spring

© Kim M. Russell, 2016

My response to Carpe Diem Special #218 Dolores’ 2nd “dreaming of spring”

For this second CD-Special of September, Chèvrefeuille has chosen another tanka by Dolores, “dreaming of spring” that captures the circle of life in five lines:

autumn
flowers drop their petals
summer gone
they sleep in cold earth
dreaming of spring

© Dolores

As Chèvrefeuille says, all the seasons are present. In a tanka, that’s not a problem, but in haiku it is ‘not done’. In every haiku there is only one season (mostly). Three lines (as in haiku) give you less space to write down your thoughts and feelings, but those extra two lines in tanka give you that opportunity and make all the difference.