Creatrix is a quarterly online poetry journal run by Western Australian Poets Inc. (WA Poets). Each issue is produced in two sections: one devoted to haiku, and the other presenting longer forms of poetry.

The poetry selections for the December 2021 issue of Creatrix (#55) were made by Peter Jeffery and Veronica Lake. Issue #55 included my poem titled Rise & Fall.

Rise & Fall

I
on the boil
steam rising from a kettle
rushing upward
like tiny voices escaping
from a nestful of tiny mouths

II
the tougher twigs
forming tangents around the brood
cold-hearted comets
unwavering as they dash past earth
never noticing this is life, and death

III
a noisy handful
of newborns begging for food
from their mother’s crop
the youngest, pressed flat
on the floor of the nest

If you thought the form of each stanza resembled a tanka, you’re probably right. Though I didn’t set out to write the poem in that way. In this case, the use of tanka evolved during the writing process. Tanka is a classical Japanese poetic genre written in five lines. If you wish to explore the subject further, Australian poet, Beverley George, provides a sound introduction to tanka here.

While most contributors to Creatrix are Australian, the journal also publishes submissions from around the world. You can access issues of Creatrix dating back to 2008 here.