This week’s challenge Colleen Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday Challenge is Synonyms Only. That means we select synonyms for the two words below. Please use the synonyms in your poem. Let’s work with opposites and see what we can create.
💼 Work & Play 💃🏼
I am trying, a new to me style. A Landay, I found this on Kat Mryman’s page Like Mercury Colliding She said this about the style.
“Landay – The Landay is the poetic form of Afghan women. The poem is 22 syllables long and contains 2 lines. 9 syllables in the first and 11 in the second. (While there is no mention of rhyme in the description above, most of the examples I have seen do include rhyme at the end of each line.) Subjects can include, but are not limited to, war, separation, homeland, grief, or love.
Pronunciation/Etymology. In Pashto, “landay (LAND-ee)” means “short, poisonous snake,” likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. Landays (or landai) often criticize traditions and gender roles.”
Female, wife, full time mother and Grandmother. I am not as happy go lucky as I used to be but I am still bubbling along on simmer! I have three handsome sons all grown and flown.The youngest married with a beautiful wife and two sons of his own. Eleven years ago I was working, running a home, driving and socializing then bang in a split second all that was gone. I had an accident at home. I broke my back, not for the first time, I had broken it 10 years previously as well. Unfortunately this time I had broken it really badly and it was truly messed up so I had to have two operations. I was told before each operation that the outcome could mean I spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. Still as some guy once wrote "I am still standing " yes "better than I ever was " not quite but with the help of a walking stick and as long as I do not stand or sit in one position for too long, I am still standing! Update I no longer use the walking stick . I had lots of friends before the accident but when things like this happen, you loose most of them. Their lives move on and mine stood still and so they left me behind ...I know that is just the way life is but it hurt and always will. Then I looked around and saw those who were still there for me, these friends are the roses in my garden they need to be tended well. They are the diamonds in the dust, I will of been married 50yrs plus this year . Pain and boredom are my enemies now, I have to find different ways to approach life, use my pain befriend it almost...yer right , well that is what they tell me at the pain clinic ROFLMAO ...... if only I could! I have found an outlet for my fears, frustrations and night terrors . I have started writing poetry if that name can be applied to my writing. I hope I do not come over as a moaning winger. I hope I am past all that. I also hope that you might see how the poetry is moving from very dark through the grey and
hopefully in to light ??
I need to update this a little here. I have worked very hard over the years since my accident, I go to the gym regularly, I have a Pilates class and a core class once a week . The guys at the gym and my Pilates teacher cajoled, teased, bullied and encouraged me to abandon my walking stick! :) My back is no longer straight it is C shaped because of the injury and I have lost two and a half inches in height but my Pilates and Core teachers have helped me to stand up as straight and as strongly as possible. Pain and depression are still hanging on my arm but I have weapons to use against them and if I say so myself I cope well.
I have made lots of new friends, real diamonds. I am also very grateful for all the support and help I have encountered here on Wordpress. Hugs and welcome to everyone who visits.
View all posts by willowdot21
49 thoughts on “TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 320, 5/15/2023”
Thanks for introducing this form. I read about it, so interesting. You added the rhyme, which to me makes a lot of sense in English (because of the short length). Without the rhyme, this form is so short it might sound like a quote or something. Wonderful job!
This form is super interesting, Willow… I’ve actually read about it before, and I learned that it’s primarily oral in origin because most of the women who compose these are illiterate.
I am with 12 years of experience and ready to achieve any type of works such as, converting any form from JPG, PDF, ...etc into Excel,Word, PowerPoint and other editable forms, In addition to having a deep experience in inserting and managing data
willowdot21 
Love it, Sis x
Thank you Sis 💜💜
An interesting format Willow …
It’s certainly different Ivor 💜
Excellent take my friend
Thank you Sadje 💜
You’re welcome
This is awesome Willow and so true!
Thank you Kat I like this form I shall keep trying, I mentioned you gave me the idea , thanks 💜💜💜
I saw the mention. Thank you! You make writing a Landay so easy!!! Kudos to you!!!!💚
I love the lines Willow and a great new form ❤️
That’s what I thought, l love the disaplinre it makes you concise and also makes you think 💜
Love your poetry and this style! Thank you, Willow!!
Thank you Annette 💜💜
A spot of wisdom to start the day with. Thanks!
My pleasure, we work to live not work to live 💜💜
Oh wow, this is great.
Thank you Robbie 💜💜💜💜
Very cool, Willow! I love your message.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Oh, this is really nice, Willow. Well done!
Thank you Colleen it’s a really great form of poetry 💜
I like it!
I love the sound of it. Well done! Thanks for teaching me a new form, too. 👏
I am grateful to Kat for teaching me too. That’s the beauty of wordpress we all help each other💜
Very clever, Willow. I love it. ❤️
Thank you , I got the style of poem from Kat Myrman 💜
Words to live by! Love this, Willow. 🩶
Thank you, it is the truth as I see it 💜💜
That’s so true! and thanks for introducing me to a new form.
That’s a pleasure. That was the first one I had tried myself 😊
For sure, Willow. All work and no play just doesn’t balance.
That is so true we work to live not live to work 💜💜
Thanks for introducing this form. I read about it, so interesting. You added the rhyme, which to me makes a lot of sense in English (because of the short length). Without the rhyme, this form is so short it might sound like a quote or something. Wonderful job!
Thank you Luanne, I like this form too. I do love a rhyme and I have to say I often add a rhyme even when I shouldn’t 💜
That’s so funny–even when you shouldn’t! The poetry police are coming for you, my dear! I am glad you did!
Oh! No please not the poetry police !
I am glad I did too 💜💜
What a concise and beautiful poem. I think the poetry police are far away. I love the rhymes. 🙂
The you Marsha I like the Landay it is concise and makes you think about what you want to say. I prefer to rhyme it as I feel that has more impact. 💜
I agree 100%. that my first exposure to that form. Can you string several together?
Yes , Marsha I believe you could … They would make a very nice string of Landay 💜
Good to know. I loved yours. 🙂
I am still working on them 💜
That never ends and is what make life enjoyable. 🙂
Yes that’s very true 💜
Thank you for showing me a new form. I love how you contrasted work and play.❤️
Thank you for reading 💜
This form is super interesting, Willow… I’ve actually read about it before, and I learned that it’s primarily oral in origin because most of the women who compose these are illiterate.
Well written!
Much love,
David
Yes I know the women in Afghanistan are very repressed and this is a wonderful way for them to express themselves. Thank you I like this form 💜