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

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Opposite Ends tanka

the icy bridge
over our childhood river --
at opposite ends
we look past each other
in this journey to our dreams


Commentary by Marion Clarke: A haunting wistfulness captured here. It’s looking back and forwards at once, hinting that perhaps the two friends ought to have travelled together—if they did, they are obviously no longer part of each other’s life.