“How can the mountain be for me alone? Still it is I think, for me alone.” – Tanka by Shingawa Tetsuzan

The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and intended to evoke vivid imagery and reflection for the reader. They are free verse, so they do not have to rhyme, but must follow specific syllable patterns.