The poem in the last post, which I had written the day my son was born, inspired me to adapt it to a more rigid style. Here is the Tanka Sequence (Japanese poem based on principles of Haiku with 5-7-5-7-7 onji) that it later begat…

COLE’S TANKA

I saw the sun rise
Majestic in navy skies
Burning with passion
Red as the blood-stained bed sheets
A long nights journey ending

Beauty sits upon
That Angels fettered brow
Despite the pain
The ravages of labor
The worry of a mother

Relief comes swiftly
With a soft cry and a tear
Baby enters world
Screaming for the one he leaves
He opens his eyes and yawns

Now it is over
And yet it has just begun
A lifetime of joy
Freedom tempered with sorrow
Doubt is replaced with great pride

11/8/05
AH