a tanka sequence
by Chen-ou Liu
hometown
once a place of human warmth
and safety
now a pile of stones and dust
where memories crumble
family
once a source of love and help
now whispered names
on trembling lips
with a question, "still alive?"
ruins and ruins ...
under Gaza's smeared sun
childhood memories
scatter like splintered shards
that can’t be fit together
ceasefire deal
once a sunbird singing nonstop
now a mute swan
battling the chilly winds
of hunger and despair
Author’s note: The Palestine sunbird pictured above (Cinnyris osea) is a small passerine bird of the sunbird family, Nectariniidae, and in 2015, the Palestinian Authority adopted the species as a national bird. Native to Eurasia but migrating south for the winter, the mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a rare winter visitor to Palestine.
Chen-ou Liu is the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation (Honorable Mention, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition). His tanka and haiku have been honored with many awards.
