Bundled Up: Tanka Poems
By Mike Garofalo
25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works
Bundled Up: Tanka Poetry
By Mike Garofalo
1. Drifting to My Mind's Edge
The drifting driftwood
slid on the sandy shore
up to me;
my thoughts drifted
outside my mind.
Boy's flying stunt kites
in flying dives and figure 8's
wind at their backs;
our sand castle
remodeled by in-coming waves.
Hot sun and sand burnt
bare fee walking
away from the sea;
grabbing my shoes
touching my toes tenderly.
Black mussles cling to stones
eating in high tide zones
hundreds huddling;
I stumbled hungry
in surf up to my knees.
Only beach grasses
uncontrollable
can live on the dunes;
my thoughts zoomed
mania loomed.
2. Old Age
Being 79 is fine
but still running out of time;
so I cope lest
I read less and slower
or think past nowhere.
Reaching 80 soon
four good seasons slowly loom
passing quietly too;
"Don't waste one minute now"
Diamonds can't buy any time.
3.
At dusk the winds picked up
shaking the tent,
snow fell from dark cold skies;
we bundled up warm inside
and played chess passing time.
4.
We pulled up a crab cage
from the old Toke dock
filled with five small crabs;
no keepers in this fifth pull,
a stingy bay here today.
5.
The desire to smoke cannabis
in my deep blood brain
soaked from habits
unrestrained;
the urges slowly leave in weeks
but guilt still leaves a scar.
6.
reading e.e.'s poems
in the campus shade
students walking silently
somewhere in a library
another painting by e.e.
(e.e.cummings (1894-1962),
American painter, author, poet.)
7.
Wet pier boards
clomped under our boots
docked boats shined
we forgot what we left behind
fishing consumed our minds.
8.
Asking myself "Why?"
Which software to master?
What poems to write?
Why Not! Is a good answer.
As long as there's time.
7.
Laugh at the dying of the Light
Embrace the Uncertain Night
Useless to Rage and Rage
Boozing your mind away
Rather Face the Fucking Day.
(Dylan Thomas (1914-1953),
Irish poet and author.)
8.
25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works
Poetry Research by Mike Garofalo
At the Edges of the West, Volume 2
Highway 99 and Interstate 5
At the Edges of the West, Volume 1
Highway 101 and Hwy 1
Tanka Poetry Research
By Mike Garofalo
Research, Studies, Notes
Bibliography, Links, Docs
31 syllables, 5 lines for modern Tanka, Syllables: 5-7-5-7-7
The Tanka Anthology. Edited by Michael McClintock, Pamela Miller, and Jim Kacian. 2023, 240 pages. 800 of the best tanka in English by 69 of its finest practitioners. Second revised edition. VSCL.
Tanka Poetry: A Home for Traditional Tanka
Michael Peter Garofalo (1946-) grew up in East Los Angeles, was educated in Catholic Schools, lived with two other brothers, graduated (B.A., M.S.) from local universities, married Blanche Karen Eubanks, served in the US Air Force, worked in and managed many City and Los Angeles County Public Libraries, raised two children, socialized, traveled, and learned. Retired as the Regional Administrator, East Region, Los Angeles County Public Library in 1998. We moved to a rural 5 acre property in Red Bluff, in the North Sacramento Valley, CA. Webmaster since 1999. Worked part-time for the Corning School District (Technology and Media Services Manager); and as a yoga, Taijiquan, and fitness club instructor until 2016. Traveled extensively in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. We both retired, and we moved to Vancouver, WA, in 2017. Currently in 2025: reading, writing, gardening, harmonica playing, string figures playing, playing electronic keyboard, home chores, yurt camping, activities with grand children, exercise, traveling in the Northwest, web publishing, family events, poetry research, photography, Northwest research, Nature mysticism, walking, sports events, and other projects.
25 Steps and Beyond; Collected Works
This document was last edited, revised,
reformatted, added to, relinked,
changed, improved, or modified
by Mike Garofalo
on February 20, 2025.