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Four Tanka Verses
by Patrick T. Randolph


Celebration in the Mist

Up on Flat Bone Ridge,
Indian Cemetery—
Silhouettes appear;

Old mist-like whispering ghosts—
Warriors celebrate the dawn!



Abandoned Shack

They echo again:
These loquacious northern winds
In this empty shack.

The shutters clap like old men—
Applauding a young girl’s dance!


A Simple Meditation

Apartment walls sing
A song of simple silence—
Then a fly begins

A solo buzz in sunlight;
Music unfolds the moment.


Dr. Taxi Driver

She asked for a ride
To the other side of town,
He knew she was ill—

Diagnosing everything—
Inside his rearview mirror.

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