#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #tanka @ColleenChesebro @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's been a while since I posted. I've missed my online community, so I'm happy to rejoin for a bit with this week's poetry challenge. This year, Colleen Chesebro is leading us on a journey to explore kigo words, so the poetry challenge is now called the 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge and is housed on a beautiful new site, #TankaTuesday.

Last Tuesday, Colleen shared that we are currently in the Autumn Equinox (September 22 - October 7). So, the challenge was to use kigo (seasonal) words that represent the time of year where I live. Well, living in South Florida doesn't really bring much change for the Autumn season. Summer continues along with occasional rainstorms. So, I decided to use a phrase from the generic kigo list for this season since it fit my circumstances at the moment.

My kigo phrase is darkening days because the days tend to lose light earlier, though that is not why I chose that phrase. On September 13th, my son suffered from a concussion while playing football. We aren't sure exactly when it occurred, but he left the game after being tackled and having someone fall directly on his head. They were playing on turf, which made the impact even worse. He left the game nauseous and dizzy and became sensitive to light and sound before the game had ended. The athletic trainer diagnosed him with a concussion that night, and we have been on a rough journey since then.

It's been almost three weeks, and there has been some improvement. He has good days and bad days. He still has a headache every day, but it comes and goes. He is still sensitive to light and sound, but he says it's gotten better. The hardest part is that he's having difficulty with his short term memory. Sometimes, he doesn't remember what he ate the night before; other times, he can't remember what he learned a few hours earlier. 

As a mom, I'm struggling with watching my child, my heart and soul, struggle. The doctors assure me that the symptoms will subside. They just can't tell me how long they will last. My son is a scholar athlete in his senior year and is taking eight college level classes with straight As, so I'm now in the process of getting him accommodations to provide him extra time and help with notes when he can't concentrate so his grades don't suffer. Luckily, he is at a school where the teachers are completely supportive, and I'm so grateful for them.

To be clear, I know the dangers of sport. My son has been playing sports since he was three years old. He played baseball, soccer, flag football, and tackle football, and has run track as well. Some years, he was playing multiple sports at the same time. And never in all those years has he ever had a serious injury, for which I am grateful. It saddens me that this has happened at all but especially in his senior year. And now, all I want is for him to be whole again.

So, my poem is more about my circumstance than the season, but I'm still using the kigo. I chose to write a tanka poem, which consists of five lines with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. The third line is the pivot line, and the meaning should apply to the first two lines as well as the last two lines. 

(courtesy of @Skitterphoto on Pixabay)

rough, darkening days

threaten to steal all my joy

hope and gratitude

strengthen my inner resolve

eager for sunrise again

I'm hoping to be around more often, but I can't make any promises right now. I continue to support my fellow authors and poets by sharing their blogs, though I don't have much time to interact. Please visit those authors/poets because they are incredible writers and amazing human beings.

If you pray, please pray for my son's healing. If you believe in the energies of the world, please send healing energy to my son. Keep his well-being in your positive thoughts, please. I truly believe he is on the road to recovery because I see more of his personality coming back. I'm just hoping the journey quickens so I have my son whole again.

Today is the last day of this poetry challenge, but if you have been inspired and want to write a poem, please click here. Thank you for visiting and reading my long post. :-)