Winter
on the path
up from the windswept beach
are no bikinis anymore
only loneliness carried in one bag
a threadbare scarf, and falling snow
Snow is a blessing near the Arctic Circle, where daylight shortens to almost nothing during the winter months. Without the layer of snow it is a dark, gloomy winter, but everything changes after snowfall. it does not have to snow much; indeed, it is often too cold to snow, but a couple of day's worth will give pristine snow for the whole winter.
A tanka demands sincerity, and given my warm feelings about snowfall, I am not sure if I am giving the right message. I suppose the tanka is not about my feelings, but about the woman's as she makes her way up the winter path. In that sense I feel there was the sincerity.
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