Note: The somonka is a Japanese form – basically two tankas written as two love letters to each other (one tanka per love letter). This form usually demands two authors, but it is possible to have a poet take on two personas.
A Somonka
The sun is too bright
too close to my skin and hair
it’s hard to endure
unless I am near the sea
sitting at the lapping wave
The summer sun shines
warms my sad heart, and my soul
I’m glad you are here
where the ocean meets the shore
at the same ocean, same shore
