A Land of Tragedy
The 11/03 earthquake and subsequent tsunami was the second nation killer tragedy to hit the Japanese in the last hundred years, the potency showing in the failure of the two nuclear power stations that will have reprocussions for many decades to come.
Japan though has cone through it before, recovering from Hiroshima and Nagasaki they have learned to adapt and cope with radiation by falling back on traditional values that help their nation in times of trial.
The UN Poetry Prize entry was based on testimonies of those who lived through it, taking extracts, or scenes from the tragedy to make the poems. It was posted on the UN website.
Definitions:
Haiku - three line poem, of alternating 5-7-5 syllable lines. Japananese format
Tanka - as with haiku, but with two seven syllable lines at the end
Haiku Sequence - poem made up of many verses, each of which are haiku. |
Haiku
UN Poetry Prize Entry
Haiku Sequence
|
Tanka
Rhyming Poems
|