Burke

On the lake’s waters,

Beneath the arching branches,

My heart held by a sparrow.

Now I’m alone on the bow,

Dreaming of her lovely song.

---

This poem is written as a Tanka. A traditional Japanese style of poetry with a 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 syllabic structure wherein the first 3 lines describe an image, and the last two express a feeling about that image. Tankas were written to lovers after a date as secret messages conveying deep emotion within the subtext. Often the object of desire was described as something beautiful in nature to thwart suspicious parents in more conservative times.