Shared with Tanka Tuesday following the poem “Appellate Jurisdiction,” where Marianne Moore uses a pattern of 9-syllable lines and a 4-syllable refrain.
Stories did their work for the future
The world, still deciding what to keep
Before was long
Lounging, ankles crossed, watching the clouds
Translating sunlight into stillness
The days are long
Adrenaline of whiskey shortcuts
Dawn is held off by sheer momentum
The nights are long
The future shrinks, the past multiplies
The scenes replayed all out of order
Life is so long
Whether it is silence or in song
Meaning will redistribute itself
After is long
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
1994ever 