Dark Spot Tanka Poem by Chen-ou Liu

a dark spot
on the winter moon
back again
from the hospital
my wife says nothing

Third Place, Mandy's Pages Annual Tanka Contest,2018

Judge's Report by Shrikaanth K. Murthy: Another powerful poem that transposes the dark spot from the moon to the uncertainty the future holds. Why does the wife say nothing? Is it because the truth is too disturbing to digest? Or is it to protect the husband? Clearly, this isn't the first time this has happened. A nice backstory to it that is left to the reader to fill in. Tanka sing stories, and they also offer lot of contemplative space to the reader