Nations and the world as a whole are about to slip into a long period of mourning.

We will mourn for all the lives lost in senseless fighting over slight differences in religion, or strips of land that truly belong only to those buried beneath.

We will mourn for those seeking power as the ultimate goal in their short angry lives, and for those who stand at the crossroads in world affairs and are never able to make decisions.

We will mourn for those who stand and watch while their neighbor’s homes burn, and for those innocents caught in the flames.

We will mourn for the loss of what seemed a simpler world where life was more personal and we shared a dream that people could live in peace.

And we will mourn for ourselves and our families, as our children and grandchildren face a scene of growing conflagration.

Heartbreak (In the Cat’s Eye, 2009) is one of the few “tankas” that I have written.  I thought the format fit well for grieving. It seems especially applicable today as our world slips away from us, and the participants “stare sightlessly”.

Glenn K. Currie

 

Heartbreak

(Tanka)

 

The mourning tree blooms

In the season of despair.

Black buds unfolding,

As ashen roots drink teardrops,

Emptied from the soul.

 

The surprise of war,

Is in the eyes of the dead.

Young men, immortal,

Suddenly gone in a flash,

Staring sightlessly.