Two Tankas

Tanka (i) Pipe’s leaked on the mat. Out in the garden Lark wings shake off dew. Guttering rusts in the sun The old cat’s walking stiffly, Birds fly from a meow Over the hush-a-by loch That fills the valley. How kind the greeting of waves Folding their black shawls round me. Tanka (ii) Ice, like weak green tea Is putting the lid on the reeds The fish’s scales are leaden Earth is a nest of frost eggs A slow melting, a late spring. Lamb time in the field Rough-tongued and tender mothers, Ewes nudge birth-bags off The farmer’s bride is washing, The day steals warmth from the sheets.