Friday, January 12, 2018

One Man's Maple Moon: Ancestral House Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

shell of a gecko
in father’s prayer room
all these months
I thought no one visited
the ancestral house

Chrysanthemum, 19, Spring 2016

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

壁虎的皮
在父親的祈禱室內
這些月以來
我以為沒有人
去過祖屋

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

壁虎的皮
在父亲的祈祷室内
这些月以来
我以为没有人
去过祖屋 


Bio Sketch

Born and raised in the kingdom of Bhutan. Sonam Chhoki is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education. Her Japanese short form poetry has been published in journals and anthologies in several countries. She is the current haibun and haiku editor of the UHTS journal, cattails.

1 comment:

  1. This middle-of-the-story tanka infused with religio-symbolic depth is tightly structured with an emotional undercurrent.

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