Birth of a Tanka: A Tanka Sequence

a plastic bag
whirled by the wind
struggling in mid-air --
a tanka is conceived
at that sight

writing tanka --
four lines sound perfect
yet I struggle
to write a fifth
to perfect my tanka

my anguish
crumbled into a ball
I continue to write
as the wastebasket waits
for one more throw

days slip by
minute by minute
hour after hour --
a tanka is born
yet my life withers

March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook