top of page
Tanka
Michelle Brock
Michelle Brock: Text
translucent fish
slip through crystal water –
where are they now
those dreams that flickered
through our barefoot days?
unpacking her bag
he tucks her nightdress
under the pillow –   Â
after sixty years side by side
where to put his grief?
on the dressing table
so many precious things
untouched—Â
will she ever be worthy
of her mother’s love?
he rubs his knee
along the young girl's thigh
under the table . . .
another violation
masquerades as a smile
everlasting daisies
shed petals on the windowsill –
this longing
to hold on to things
I cannot grasp
Michelle Brock: Food Articles
Michelle Brock is an Australian short story writer and poet. In 2012 she became addicted to tanka when she joined the Limestone Tanka Poets facilitated by Kathy Kituai. Her tanka, haiga and tanka prose have appeared regularly in Eucalypt, Ribbons, Moonbathing, Skylark, Haibun Today and numerous anthologies. In 2019 she was selected to co-judge the Tanka Society of America’s annual tanka competition. Recently her work has also been included in mainstream poetry collections including Grieve Volume 9 (Hunter Writers Centre, 2021), Poetry for the Planet (Litora Press, 2021) and Not Very Quiet (Recent Works Press, 2021).  She finds her inspiration along rivers and beaches, in everyday moments and in the company of other writers. She loves the fact that such an ancient form of poetry still has a strong grass roots following across the world.
Michelle Brock: List
bottom of page