Tanka

Tanka is a Japanese poetry style similar to haiku, but a bit longer.  Its syllabic formula is 5-7-5-7-7, and like haiku, tends toward themes of nature and the seasons.  I find it to be exactly the wrong length, and therefore irresistible.  Here’s one.
I dream of islands
Tomb-spattered and draped with vines
Overpowering
The sweltering summer stench
Along paths of memory

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