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

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Blinking Cursor Tanka

to Thomas Mann who claimed, A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.


coffee gone cold
as the cursor blinks
all night long
I stare out at snowflakes
that never settle



Added:

to Richard Bach who claims, A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit. 

coffee ring on ring ...
I type five lines, five lines
then delete all
start again as robins sing
sing up the morning sun



Every time a poem is written, every time a short story is written, it is written not by cunning, but by belief. The beauty, the something, the little charm of the thing to be, is more felt than known.

-- Robert Frost


Look forward to reading your poetry