Tanka Peace
“The ancient Irish had a saying: ‘You don’t give a man a weapon until you’ve taught him how to dance…”
Tanka #1
Each new day I will
Listen for morning birdsong
Move my stiff old legs
To hear my dreams from night past
To know my imperfections
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Tanka #2
Prayer, a practice
Of my body where God stands
Perfect emptiness
Disarm myself, opening
To you, a balm for old wounds
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Tanka #3
Hospitality
Of poetry, a canvas
Blank, a dance of risk
Tempering my soul with words
Painting peace in color and form
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Tanka #4
I don’t see beyond
The barrier of my soul
I stay within now
I clear my clutter of wrongs
I open to possibility
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Tanka #5
Grandfather’s clock ticks
Snow dances in its own song
This winter peace, peace
In peace of silent twirling
I hear you, Holy Presence.
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Tanka #6
Steam rising into form
She at her laundry duty
Her benediction
There is peace in winter’s breath.
In all we do, our soul sings.
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Tanka #7
He doesn’t know how
He has no room for wonder
He has never danced
Take me by my hand in peace
Feel what love offers all
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Tanka #8
I must make the room
Dancing requires much spaceThere is peace to know
I move the furniture back
Roll up the rug, clear the way
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Tanka #9
I’ll listen later
To the closers of the day
Sun down and moon up
I walk opening my heart
Dancing in the peace of night
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Tanka #10
No, they didn’t, know
They didn’t know how easy
To see what was gone
Deep within a silent pool
To draw into life’s sound
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Tanka #11
They’re in my pocket
Small and insignificant
Unless you know them
I reach in and find their rough,
Their smooth, their being, their peace
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Tanka #12
Always good to see
You, pal. Your light. Your space. You
draw me into soft.
That place of peace requiring
room, attention, ya, ya, ya.
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Tanka #13
She said she would call
You, who knows all the answers
You, Wisdom Keeper
She hears you, gives into You
The sacred space of your peace
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Tanka #14
Swam some laps last night
Under moon showing a way
Silkflow over me
Moon guiding me in the peace
of you, Moon’s eternal grace
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Tanka #15
Did she forgot how
to dance, or was it that she
was playing old games
Lines and strokes, pauses and loss,
Compassion calls for patience
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Tanka #16
It’s not a fault when
Steps are no longer there to
Be remembered
With light hand offering
A lead, one can dance once more.
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Tanka #17
Compassion requests
Ego to sit this one out,
To learn a new step
Open once more, yes, again
And welcome them into dance
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Tanka #18
In broken heart I
See you now, clearly, absorbed
In old remembering
Break open, release your pride
Acquiesce all to the dance
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Tanka #19
Maybe we forgot
how to dance without judgement,
without fear, without ego
wanting us to be the best
we forget to make room
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Tanka #20
I asked my muse to
open my heart, free my soul,
a surrendering
A sacred place to waltz
In the whisper of her breath
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Tanka #21
Snowflakes keep falling
Winters breath spins dancing sprites
Through her cold frost day
Play in her joy in the peace
Of February’s tango
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Tanka #22
Dance as if you’re mad
Dance in rain, in snow, fall leaves
Dance until you can’t
Then dance even more till dawn
Completely surrendered
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Tanka #23
Come with me, tango
In step counting our heartbeats
As one with the moon
And we will breath in and out
Inviting all to the dance
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Tanka #24
Teach me how to dance
One peaceful step at a time
Gentle me to you
Let me gloam in your welcome
Let me measure you deeply
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Tanka #25
Let me bring you to
the dance, fill your heart with
Song. no room for fear.
We will step as One in breath
One in joy, no room for hate.
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Tanka #26
Let me bring you to
the dance, to empty your heart
Make room for deep peace
Night will turn to dawn and we
Will find each other in Grace
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Tanka #27
Let me bring you to
The dance, let go of your hurt
I am with you
We are One in this place of
Joy, Make room, make room, make room
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Tanka #28
Come with me in dance
And we will spin new ways of
Being making room
Hands held tight we twirl shaking
Off all that no longer serves.
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Tanka #29
And if we dance till
Sun up and down we will have
Little time for fear
And peace will fill our days with
Joy, dance will be our province
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Tanka #30
No time to fear in
Quickstep. No room for hate in
Tango. Let us dance.
Empty our hearts leave room for
Peace, just dance and dance and dance
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Tanka #31
Don’t even pick up
The sword, don’t touch the cannon
A marvel awaits
See if you can find it, just
Take off your shoes and dance.
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Tanka #32
Take off your shoes to
Feel her under your feet
Root down deep to her
And dance as One in her peace
Her arms are open, take hold