Liz Lanigan

Where Are You?

What’s lost is gone forever so I’d rather say my keys are merely misplaced. If only I’d put them where they belong – on a hook in front of my bagua mirror – a feng shui object that seeks to balance yin and yang in harmony with the Tao.

too long
wasted with regrets
she cannot change
the flow of water
a passing breeze

Time for a re-enactment. Surely I wouldn’t have left them in the car? But did I drop them getting out? In the pocket of my jacket? My bag? Perhaps I put them on the garden table when I noticed my potted pansies wilting. I filled the watering can. Gave them a drink.

a tapestry
of flowers in the desert
after rain
what a difference
a little nurture makes

I’m running late. I know I have a spare car key, placed somewhere safe. But where? Ah yes! The cupboard above my fridge, under the microwave.

that missing child?
here she is with eyes closed
counting to ten
playing hide and seek
with her grandchildren

---

About the Author

Liz Lanigan has been in the tanka community for about eight years. Her tanka and tanka prose have been published in various journals. She is currently the tanka prose editor for the Tanka Society of America’s journal, Ribbons.