APRIL 29
Ritsu Kandachi
Three Tanka
Muddy river bed,
Receding tide.
Clustered, teeming creatures.
Spring’s sunlight scatters
Across their backs.
Pacing aimlessly
After a quarrel,
My husband and I,
Sad and empty—
We slice the morning air.
My departed husband—
Not long before:
Shoulders kneaded
Final tender touch,
Aching sadness.
Ritsu Kandachi never came to the Eastern Townships, but her granddaughter, Yuko Kandachi, has lived here for over 20 years. Yuko and her husband, Christian Collins, translated these three tanka from Ritsu’s 1995 collection Soshunfu (Early Spring Songs). A tanka is a Japanese poetic form that captures a moment or feeling, often turning gently from an image toward a reflection or emotion.
All through the month of April, we’re sharing a poem a day, celebrating the vibrant voices of our local poets writing in English. This initiative is coordinated by Angela Leuck, publisher of Shoreline Press.
Join us as we explore the creativity and stories of our community, one poem at a time.