Door to another world opens

Door to another world opens

A door opens
To another world
Waiting for you
Welcoming you
do you go?

We are afraid
To enter the unknown world
Filled with fears
When we decide
Not to go

Fears driving us
Ignoring the open door
Possibilities
Better world
We don’t go

But if we had done
If we entered the door
Would we find hell
Or heaven?
Inspired by a friend of mine, who was looking for a Japanese-inspired poetry form. Instead of the normal Tanka this one has 21 syllables, divided over five lines. It ends with a question in the fifth stanza.

It is built up this way:

An example:

old green haired man
guarding the area
birds making nests
in your branches
do you care?


The Dutch Tanka can be a "stand alone" poem, or written in a chain. When written in a chain, you have to make sure that the question in the previous stanza is answered in the first line of the next stanza.

An example of a Dutch Tanka Chain:
old green haired man
guarding the area
birds making nests
in your branches
do you care?

yes, I do care
treasuring life in me
I’m their shelter
I nurture them.
what’s your point?

I’m so ashamed
that I have bothered you
you’re important
to the birds, please
forgive me?

© Bianca 2004

Writing

New Prompt: Write a Dutch Tanka chain (max 40 lines). Information on the form can be found here: "Tanka, Dutch"

Topic: Open Doors