Chen-ou Liu's Translation Project: First English-Chinese Haiku and Tanka Blog

Thursday, January 15, 2015

"Slanted Eyes" Tanka

behind my back
they whisper slanted eyes ...
in a dream
I unzip my skin,
put on another


Highly Commended, 5th Kokako Tanka Competition (2014)


Note: In "behind my back," the effect of verbal abuse is communicated in striking fashion, through a dream, which somehow connects us all. -- commentary by the judge, Owen Bullock, Kokako, 22, 2015