LesleyScoble.com

I wrote Moonpath in response to Robbie’s #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 54, where she invites us to write a syllabic imagist poem.

Imagist Poetry
Imagism began in the early 20th century with poets such as H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) 1886-1961, Ezra Pound 1885-1972, and Richard Aldington 1892-1962 who sought clarity, precision, and the clean presentation of a single image. As a reaction against elaborate Victorian and Romantic poetry, the movement favoured direct language and free verse, letting the moment stand without ornament. Imagist poems are usually written in free verse, allowing the image to stand unencumbered by formal constraints. For the Tanka Tuesday prompt, however, we’re invited to explore Imagism within a syllabic form.

I hope you enjoy my first attempt at an imagist tanka.

Moonpath

silver liquid path
floating on the calm dark pool
leading to the moon
a vesper wind comes along
ruffling its gleam into gems

—Lesley Scoble, March 2026

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THANK YOU

Thank you, Robbie Cheadle, for your #Tanka Tuesday inspirational prompt.
And thank you, dear reader, for spending time with my poem.