Tanka is a short poem 短歌. It is one of the traditional forms of Japanese verse. Recently, a friend asked me to read this one by Hiroshi Homura and I haven’t been able to forget it.
elephant’s dung in the savanna
listen to me
I am drowsy, heartbreaking
terrifying, lonely
Original Japanese:
サバンナの象のうんこよ聞いてくれだるいせつないこわいさみしい
sabanna no zô no unko yo kiite kure darui setsunai kowai samishii
Translation by Faye Aoyagi