Insomniac Tankas

I.              Jupiters

Dayside anger splits
hydrogen and oxygen
apart. Sulks and sighs
push the two toward nightside
where tears become tears again.

 

II.              Pink Moon

When the creeping phlox 
covers the moon in crepe flush, 
we pray pestilence 
will pass. Spring will yield enough 
crop to eat and later sow.

 

III.              Do Luna Moths Hurry?

When life is but ten 
days: one turns sage in a week.
Wide eyespots evolve. 
One disdains food—thinks only:
legacy, new moon, lift, glow.

Credit

Copyright © 2025 by Antoinette Brim-Bell. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 7, 2025, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“I chose the tanka form for its brevity; these short songs are complete in and of themselves. However, threaded together, the poems guide the reader on a journey as an insomniac individual’s mind wanders, muses, and questions the natural world, hoping to find answers to life’s anxieties.” 
—Antoinette Brim-Bell