I’m in my happy place…driving through the middle of no-where Utah…land of red sedimentary rock, copper mines, and known as Straight-Up Land by the Paiute Indians. The road ahead goes on for what seems forever. What is it about this road that makes me so happy? It’s not just any ol’ road. Roads carved by the ruts of routine don’t make me this happy. No…it’s about the mystery. What’s over the hill? What will the next mile reveal? What’s the name of the next town? My joy found in unraveling the unknown.

the paved road unfurls
for as far as eyes can see
the future unclear
a horizon holds promise
embracing uncertainty

© 2018-2019 – Donna Matthews

The above poem is written in a form called Haibun. Haibun, is a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku/senryu/tanka. The range of haibun is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem, short story, and travel journal. Learn more about various poetry styles here.

The tanka form is generally a short poem with the following pattern 5-7-5-7-7. In its purest form, tanka poems are most commonly written as expressions of gratitude, love, or self-reflection and can be read forward and backward.

Hey y’all, thanks for visiting the Go Dog Go Cafe and I hope you enjoyed reading today’s selection. I am Donna Matthews, a born and bred Texan who can usually be found writing, painting, taking pictures, or traveling the world on foot. I’m all about love, people, sharing, and doing life together and would love to get to know you. I host two blogs…the first, The DJ Ranch, documents my personal adventures while the second, Slay The Chaos, focuses on mindsets, technology, productivity and organization. Come on over for a visit sometime 💙