Distant streaks of grey

Tanka is one of the most common forms of Japanese verse, and has been for well over a thousand years. It consists of 5 unrhymed lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables each. Many medieval tankas paint a simple still-life portrait of nature, which then relates back to the poet's life or state of mind. Others are back-and-forth exchanges between lovers, where one lover writes a tanka, and another answers with a second tanka (this can go on as long as the lovers have the stamina to maintain!). 

During the month of July, I challenge you to write a tanka on absolutely any topic you choose. You need not restrict yourself to landscapes-in-verse or exchanges between lovers, although those are certainly interesting avenues to explore. 

Here is an example of a medieval Japanese tanka by Ono no Komachi (825-900 CE): 

Hana no iro wa
Utsurini kerina
Itazura ni
Wagami yoni furu
Nagame seshi ma ni 

This flower's color
Has now faded all away
While in idle thoughts
My life passes all away
As I watch the long rains fall.