#TankaTuesday 24 Seasons Syllabic #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic #poem #poetrycommunity #seasonalKigo #Kigo #seasons #Risshu #tanka #endofsummer @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I wanted to start by thanking those of you who have picked up my newest short story, Karma Doesn't Kill. A special hug for those of you who have already read and reviewed it. The story is loosely based on someone I know, so it truly is a work of heart. I am eternally grateful to those of you who have shared your review with others. 💗

For this week's #TankaTuesday 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, we move into a new season, Risshu. Summer is beginning to wind down, and Autumn is around the corner. This week's challenge is to write a poem about how this time is represented in my area.

For those of you who do not know, I am a middle school intensive reading teacher. My summer officially ended this past Sunday. I have spent the past three days in a workshop learning a new program that is aimed at helping our nonreaders learn how to read. Sadly, we still have some children who come to middle school without having the foundational skills needed to read, so I'm excited about being able to help these kids master the foundations of reading this year. The next two days will be spent in my classroom, analyzing the data of my new set of students and preparing my classroom for the new year.

The bane of my existence is the alarm clock. I abhor having to wake up to an alarm. It's unnatural, and my body knows it. Lol! I have found the kindest, most gentle of alarm clocks to awaken me. It mimics the sun rising by slowing lightening my room and playing the sound of birds chirping, so I am a little more accepting of the invasion to my slumber. Still, waking up at 5 am is not easy. Sleep is especially important to me, so I've made a pact with myself to be in bed by 9 pm every night. So far, so good! Hopefully, I can keep it up throughout the school year.

I've chosen to write a tanka which consists of five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllabic pattern where there is a pivot line (usually in the third line). I've bolded and italicized my kigo words.

(courtesy of @Katniss12 on Pixabay)

summer slips away

beach days moved to the weekends

a return to school

alarm clock disturbs my sleep

teacher planning days commence

Would you like to write a poem with us this week? Join us here.