Tanka forces the poet to be brief and to say what he intends, which creates clarity.

I’m not fond of free verse because a writer can simply start writing and meander on. Haiku holds little interest for me it lacks tanka’s power to address absolutely anything. Haiku, for example, is just one of many offshoots of tanka. This gives tanka an enduring appeal while still being able to morph into new and interesting forms. The five poetic phrases that make it up are uniquely strong yet flexible. Tanka contains infinite possibilities, such as ‘akarui’, the aesthetic of brightness and noise. It was a way to experience the disappointments and perishability of the world without becoming maudlin and depressed. The Japanese principle of ‘aware’ or beautiful sadness appealed to me when I was young and still does. What is it about the tanka form that attracts so much of your effort-both in your own writing and your promotion of others’ work through your journal and anthologies? What do you feel is special about the tanka form that allows it to accomplish something unique compared to other short forms, such as haiku or free form micropoetry? Do you ever have poetic inspiration to express your ideas in a longer form, or do tanka sequences provide the flexibility you need in that area? It was much later in life (21st century) that I returned to it. I tried to write it at the time, but failed. In college I took a Japanese humanities course and encountered tanka. Then I was exposed to manga (Japanese comic books) and became interested in all things Japanese. I was forced to read Western literature in high school and didn’t care for it. How did you first get exposed to poetry and when did you realize that it was a major passion in your life? Were you interested in poetry in general at first or was it exposure to the tanka form that ignited your interest? He can be followed on Twitter or his website,.

Kei has written several sea adventure novels, drawing on his experience working on ships and love of the sea. He is also a prolific editor, publishing the Atlas Poetica journal and numerous anthologies.

M.Kei is one of the most prominent tanka poets in modern English, having work appear in dozens of journals and collections.

The Sallee Rovers by M. Kei