Gabriel Rosenstock’s Tanka Series – 7
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1.
they stand in judgement
‘j’accuse!’ they say with one voice
it penetrates me
‘you have sung nothing!’ they say
‘She awaits the song of songs’
https://www.wikiart.org/en/huang-yongyu/cranes-1978
2.
see beyond organs
beyond the desert of skin
the mirage of eyes
hear beyond the range of ears
the dust storms of emotions
3.
how can this be true
how could words represent You
if words could see You
they would surely hold their breath
a breath longer than a book
4.
it cannot be known
cannot be understood
or communicated
why then, beloved,
do i look for You in words
About the Author
Gabriel Rosenstock is a bilingual poet (in Irish & English), haikuist, tankaist, playwright, novelist, short story writer, essayist, translator, writer for children and champion of ‘forlorn causes’ – the phrase is Hugh MacDiarmid’s. He is a Lineage Holder of Celtic Buddhism and a member of Aosdána (the Irish academy of arts and letters). Among his awards is the Tamgha-i-Khidmat medal (Pakistan) for services to literature. Gabriel’s most recent volume of poetry is Glengower: Poems for No One in Irish and English (The Onslaught Press). His website: https://www.rosenstockandrosenstock.com
