A few days ago, I had published the first ten verses of my first ever poetry collaboration, with David of The skeptic’s kaddish. I truly found it very enjoyable, and so we continued till we came up with the next ten tankas of our to-be hyakuin(hopefully!), titled “Many Waters”. Enjoy!

Many Waters(Tankas 1-10)

Monsoon arriving,
Bringing tragedy and joy,
Both sorrow and glee.
Streets flood into canal routes
Mind floods with uncertainty

The rivers in spate,
Swallowing all in their way,
Showering their wrath.
Nāgas ascend to surface
Soar into the air and dive

Swordfish ascending,
Their hearts singing merrily,
Relishing the storm.
Potamides saddle sturgeons
Riding their rushing rivers

Boats carried away,
Currents tossing them about,
Lie battered by rain.
Truth undulates with algae
Macroinvertebrates buzz

As do tranquil ponds,
Buzzing with tranquil beings,
Yet in immense spate.
Meditation in water
Brings our heart rates down, calming

Feel the cold water,
Attacking with cold fury,
Yet calming your mind.
Sinking into frigid depths
Letting go of mortal coil

Heart freed of harrow,
Hugged genially by cold,
Rinsed clean of troubles.
Cold water cycle spins tale
Created out of whole cloth.

Onlookers watch, shocked,
At nature’s wrath unleashed,
The destruction wrought.
Sirens sing seductively
Smiling smoothly at sailors

Hoping to tumble
Into the land of mermaids,
Or seas of treasure.
Davy Jones’ Locker sparkles,
Beckoning to mortal men

Grindylows await,
Their presence oblivious
To ships steered by greed.
God of ~Elusive Sea Change~
Proteus foretells downfalls

Tankas 11-20:

Thousands thus pursue
The Weed of Eternal Life,
Never to succeed.
Seekers dive through kelp forests
In quest for enchanted roots

Only to perish,
Consumed by dark energies,
Guarding vile secrets.
Deep calls deep through cataracts
Waves and billows sweep away

The undeserving,
Corrupted souls seeking fame,
Black-hearted mortals.
Among golden chalices
Stands the simple Holy Grail*

Guarded for aeons,
Its holy water, if drunk
Grants eternal life.
Monsoon waters swirl within
Like tempest in a goblet**

Sparkling like diamonds,
Reflecting bearer’s image,
And the evil within.
Dorian Gray stares***, aghast
Ghastly evil returns gaze

Clairvoyance channeled,
By chalices, to predict
The future of foes.
Fates foretold by Kassandra^,
Unheeded by feckless fools 

Dire monsoons summoned,
To shower devastation
Upon thoughtless thieves.
Deluge purges wicked Earth;
A lone wooden ark rises^^

Vast vessel of God;
Amidst roaring thunderstorms,
A lone speck of life.
From B 612^^^,
The Little Prince watches Earth

Should wickedness rise,
Sends his destroyer angel,
Yrcom Ylventus.
Immortal Connor MacLeod^^^^
Readies his sword for battle

‘Neath skies black with rage,
Indra smites ruthless demons,
As clouds weep with joy.
Indra decimates Vritra****,
Mankind celebrates sunshine.

*This is a reference to the old movie – ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ – if you haven’t seen the original Indiana Jones movies, you really should! If you need an explanation of the “goblet” scene, let me know. You can find it here on YouTube.

**A reference to the phrase “tempest in a teapot” or “tempest in a teacup”

***A reference to the famous book (and now a movie too): Dorian Gray

^Cassandra – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra

^^https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_flood_narrative

^^^The Little Prince (a classic book) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Prince
B 612 – the name of the asteroid, which the Little Prince lived on.

^^^^From the movie Highlander: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film)

****https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vritra

As told in the previous post, the text in italics has been penned by me and that in bold by David.

Hyakuin:
A hyakuin is a renga consisting of 100 tankas.

This time, we decided to create a full ten verses portraying an interplay of different fictional characters. Stay tuned for more! 😉

To visit David’s website, you can refer The skeptic’s kaddish .

For more such poems, you can refer The Forgers of Fantasy