Flowers of Ice, #tanka

The tanka describes the transition from winter to spring, with thawing winds, melting ice, and the emergence of green grass.

Colleen Chesebro

January 27, 2024

1 minute

cold thawing winds blow
winter rain paints the windows
flowers of ice gush
rivulets run through snow crust
revealing green grass below

This tanka is written for this week’s #TankaTuesday challenge where we entered the season of Deep Cold. My kigo word phrases were: cold thawing winds, and flowers of ice.

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54 responses to “Flowers of Ice, #tanka”

Melissa Lemay

January 27, 2024 at 2:50 pm

Stunning. I especially love these: “winter rain paints the windows
flowers of ice gush”

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 27, 2024 at 3:10 pm
  
  I tried to find an image of how ice looks when it melts… you know, how it has holes and open places? Some of that ice looks like flowers. I couldn’t find a photo. Thanks so much.
  
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Author Jan Sikes

January 27, 2024 at 2:59 pm

You captured it, Colleen!

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 27, 2024 at 3:08 pm
  
  Thanks, Jan. I can see the green grass. What a great sight.
  
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Suzanne

January 27, 2024 at 3:00 pm

Oh wow! I love how the thaw is built up and runs through every line until the green grass shows through – that is a poem i would love to be able to write 👏🥰💞

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 27, 2024 at 3:07 pm
  
  I wanted to create the thaw, so I took it step by step to the end—like a dripping icicle. I went with the flow like descriptive phrases for each line. You can do this, Suzanne. Let each line take you on a journey of word imagery. 💖
  
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Miriam Hurdle

January 27, 2024 at 3:17 pm

Flowers of ice gush – what a beautiful imagery, Colleen! ❤ 🙂

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 27, 2024 at 4:01 pm
  
  Thank you! I wish I could find a good photo of how the ice melts and looks just like a flower!
  
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  1. Miriam Hurdle
    
    January 27, 2024 at 5:39 pm
    
    That would be very pretty 😍.
    
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Cindy Georgakas

January 27, 2024 at 3:47 pm

lovely imagery and that photo is great too pair with your words, Colleen❣️

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 27, 2024 at 3:59 pm
  
  Thanks, Cindy. I really like the season word phrase: flowers of ice… it’s so descriptive.
  
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  1. Cindy Georgakas
    
    January 27, 2024 at 4:32 pm
    
    It’ sooooo good❣️
    
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    1. Colleen Chesebro
      
      January 28, 2024 at 11:31 am
      
      Thank you.
      
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      1. Cindy Georgakas
        
        January 28, 2024 at 12:37 pm
        
        ❤️❤️❤️
        
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Annette Rochelle Aben

January 27, 2024 at 5:27 pm

beautiful

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:21 am
  
  Thank you, Sis.
  
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memadtwo

January 27, 2024 at 6:52 pm

I love the idea of flowers of ice. (K)

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yvettemcalleiro

January 27, 2024 at 10:46 pm

So much beautiful imagery, Colleen! I love it!

Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:09 am
  
  Thanks Yvi. I love the patterns of frost and ice. ❄️
  
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Destiny

January 28, 2024 at 12:08 am

beautiful, Colleen 🤍

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:08 am
  
  Thanks, Destiny. ❄️
  
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  1. Destiny
    
    January 28, 2024 at 1:53 pm
    
    my pleasure 🤍🙏
    
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robbiesinspiration

January 28, 2024 at 2:18 am

So beautiful, Colleen

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:07 am
  
  Thanks Robbie. It was really lovely to see the delicate ice patterns on the windows.
  
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Sadje

January 28, 2024 at 3:55 am

Such a beautiful scene painted Colleen

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:06 am
  
  Thanks so much, Sadje. Ice and frost on the windows make lovely delicate patterns.
  
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  1. Sadje
    
    January 28, 2024 at 11:17 am
    
    Yes it does though I’ve seen it only a few times
    
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merrildsmith

January 28, 2024 at 5:57 am

I like the ice flowers.
I was surprised, too, by how much green was under our melted snow.

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:04 am
  
  Thanks Merril. When it got really cold a couple weeks ago, we had ice and frost on the outside windows. I was surprised at how lovely the patterns looked.
  
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  1. merrildsmith
    
    January 28, 2024 at 12:51 pm
    
    You’re welcome. They are pretty.
    
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    1. Colleen Chesebro
      
      January 28, 2024 at 1:35 pm
      
      Thanks Merril.
      
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Eugi

January 28, 2024 at 8:23 am

I love how you brought the reader into the scene, Colleen. Beautiful imagery.💟

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 11:01 am
  
  Thanks so much, Eugi. The flowers of ice pattern on the window a couple of weeks ago really got me thinking.
  
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  1. Eugi
    
    January 29, 2024 at 7:30 am
    
    You’re welcome, Colleen.
    
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Jules

January 28, 2024 at 10:31 am

Almost all of our snow is gone… but the rain, could cause some flooding.

Ice on glass always makes nice patterns 🙂

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 10:58 am
  
  Same here. We have rain, and most of the snow is now gone except in the northern shady areas. I like this time of year. You never know what you’ll get.
  
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  1. Jules
    
    January 30, 2024 at 3:56 pm
    
    …like that box of chocolates… ???
    😀
    
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balroop2013

January 28, 2024 at 12:19 pm

What a vivid image this tanka creates! Perfect. Ice and flowers – I love your imaginative spirit Colleen.

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 28, 2024 at 1:39 pm
  
  Thanks, Balroop. You know the frost and ice you get on your windows in the winter? We had a frigid couple of weeks where we had ice on the outside of the windows. (First time in this house). Anyway, I was captivated by the patterns. Ice flowers is a cool kigo word.
  
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Recap: 24 Seasons Poetry Challenge No. 18, Part I, Deep Cold: (January 20 – February 2) Daikan 大寒 – Tanka Tuesday

January 29, 2024 at 12:03 am

[…] Colleen Chesebro […]

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willowdot21

January 29, 2024 at 3:49 am

This is so beautiful Colleen it reminds me of my childhood and icicals on the inside of the bedroom window…. Getting dressed under the covers .💜😂

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 29, 2024 at 10:05 am
  
  Thanks so much, Willow. This was the first year since we moved to Michigan that it got below zero. I was surprised at the ice and frost on the windows. It’s much more humid here than it is out west. I’m glad you enjoyed. 💜
  
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  1. willowdot21
    
    January 29, 2024 at 12:02 pm
    
    I did as I said you evoked 💜💜
    
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Rall

January 29, 2024 at 8:31 am

A nice image….good to read in a heatwave:)

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 29, 2024 at 10:06 am
  
  LOL! I bet! It was bitter cold here a few weeks back. We’re above normal now. Such strange weather patterns we’re all having.
  
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Gwen M. Plano

January 29, 2024 at 9:37 am

Beautiful, Colleen. The imagery is exquisite. ❤️

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 29, 2024 at 10:07 am
  
  Thanks so much Gwen. It’s those kigo words. They are the magic sauce of haiku and for our writing inspiration this year. 💜
  
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msjadeli

January 29, 2024 at 12:56 pm

Good description of where we’re at in Michigan with the season. Rivulets and green grass revealed work well.

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 29, 2024 at 3:51 pm
  
  Thanks Lisa. It looks like spring, but feels like winter. LOL!
  
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ben Alexander

January 29, 2024 at 2:07 pm

Colleen, I love your imagery! You truly capture the contrast between winter’s grasp and the emergence of spring… I think the phrase “flowers of ice gush” vividly conveys the thawing process 🙂

~David

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 29, 2024 at 3:43 pm
  
  Thanks David. We had some really pretty ice patterns on the windows this year from the ice and frost. 🌸
  
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Luanne

January 29, 2024 at 4:00 pm

This is a lovely tanka, and it reminds me of how much I love the tanka form.

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1. Colleen Chesebro
  
  January 29, 2024 at 4:07 pm
  
  I do too. It’s really a versatile form and when a few are strug together it tells a fabulous poem tale.
  
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  1. Luanne
    
    January 29, 2024 at 10:01 pm
    
    Good point. I agree!
    
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Author

Written by

Colleen Chesebro

Colleen M. Chesebro grew up in a large city in the Midwest. Keen on making her own way in the world, she joined the United States Air Force after graduation to tour the world and find herself. To this day, that search continues. An avid reader, Colleen rekindled her love of writing poetry and cozy fantasy mysteries after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Besides poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on tankatuesday.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. She offers book publishing services through Unicorn Cats Publishing Services, designed to help authors & poets create ePubs & ebooks for publication on Amazon. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.