(i)
new year has circled
peach tree scratches bare faced moon
first dream of the hare
you run east with the west wind
my body cold as late snow
(ii)
breezy peach petals
the birthing hare squeals briefly
flesh flushed with longing
under mottled sheets I dream
ancestors cursing red moon
(iii)
peaches cheek to cheek
summer sallow as moonlight
blade cleaves flesh to stone
the fleet hare shrieks in its snare
I dream drops of frozen blood
(iv)
crescent autumn moon
held in an immortal cup
the hare curls asleep
soft ball of over-ripe peach
drops with a sigh in my lap
© Laura Granby 2016
Meeting Toni (kanzensakura) at the Bar for some more of the poetry form- Tanka
PoetryPix 
Very powerful. Some fantastic images here, and I love the way your images evolve through the stanzas.
thank you Sarah – I ran it through the seasons
I admire each tanka specially the last one Laura. I specially like how “peach” theme is uniquely presented in each one.
made for the Tokugawa shogun, I imagined him eating a peach from this ceramic
What a beautifully unique take on the prompt! Love the combination theme of hare and peach in each one, Laura.
tanka is a real challenge to me and so is reworking the main motifs for something fresh each time p.s. thank you for the alert too over that broken linky
Lovely tanka set Laura! Peaches get the pride of day! That’s a good buy!
Hank
right now is a the ripe time for peaches so maybe this helped with the prompt
Gosh ❤️ this is an absolute treat!
thank you Sanaa – ⭐
I love the different season and the life hare and peach in parallel – the line with the first dream of the hare… Yes!
first dream of a new year is apparently significant and am very drawn to motif of the hare
This indeed a magical set of tanka, going through the seasons. Each one is so unique and lovely yet tied in with the theme.
a tantalisingly teasing form from you! appears easy and yet does not come easily.
No it does not. Anyone can write a tanka but not everyone can truly write a tanka…LOL