A Rengay by Mary Kendall & Bill Waters

stillness —
violet fades
to black

the scratch of a match
as I strike it

a flicker
of memory starts
then stops

turn of the tide . . .
how hard it is
to let go

a limb of driftwood
pulled back to sea

fair nights or foul
the lighthouse beam
shining

Published in Skylark Tanka Journal, issue 5:2 (winter 2017), page 104, on 11/3/17.

You can find more of Mary Kendall’s superb writing at her blog, apoetintime.com.

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