According to Wikipedia, Tanka (短歌, “short poem”) is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature.
A Tanka consists of 5 lines and 31 syllables. Each line has a set number of syllables see below:
Line 1 – 5 syllables
Line 2 – 7 syllables
Line 3 – 5 syllables
Line 4 – 7 syllables
Line 5 – 7 syllables
This is my 92nd poem of 2017 and I am well on my way to putting together a collection of poems to reflect the struggles of disabled people in 21st century Britain. I would like to publish these poems in a book to be released in 2018, and I am close to finding a team of illustrators to help me add images to my words and create the type of book that I envisage. I am speaking with students from Glyndwr University who are interested in collaborating with me on this exciting project. More details when available.
The following poem was written at 04:30 on my mobile phone as I could not sleep after watching too many political debates on late night television and panicking over the future we face if politics does not take a swing to the left. This is not just about me or the disabled community but society in general…
This is not a game
It’s more important than that
Hashtag Vote Labour
United, we stand proudly
Divided, the Tories win
