Poetry, Tanka, Theme Prompt, Writing Prompts

Same Day, Different Years

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for Tanka Tuesday where our host,
Yvette, has asked us to write a syllabic poem
of our choosing on the subject of sisterly love.
Here’s where the prompt took me.

Seated, L to R: me, my dad, my mom; Standing: my sister
Taken at my godparent’s house in Mineola NY
at a birthday dinner for me and my sister.
circa 1960
© NAR

born four years apart

yet the same sun greeted us ….

two flames, one candle ….

she blazed the path into light

so I could follow her glow

NAR©2026

Nancy’s Notes: Tanka is a Japanese poem, consisting of five lines written in the first person point of view from the perspective of the poet. The syllable structure is 5-7-5-7-7.

This is “My Sister” by Reba McEntire

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 61, Sisterly Love, 04/21/26

Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.

40 thoughts on “Same Day, Different Years”

    1. Thank you, Suzanne. I wish I was able to spend more time with my sister. She lives two hours away, is a widow, and doesn’t drive on highways so it’s up to me. I don’t mind because I love driving but I’ve been incapacitated because of my wrist surgeries. Thank goodness for FaceTime! 💕

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    1. It’s a funny picture isn’t it! I think I was about nine years old, which would have made my sister 13, but she looks like an amazon warrior standing behind us! My mother probably said something snippy for my father to be giving her the eye, and I’m actually sitting on my dad’s lap like some squiggly little worm! That’s my hand on his shoulder; I have my arm around his neck. I sent this photo to my sister and we had a good laugh over it. Thanks for your excellent comments, Lois. 💕

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  14. Nice musical choice Nancy. Fancy having the same birthday as your sister. What an exceptional gift for her when you arrived! I fostered sisters temporarily, and both had birthdays in May. The youngest was on the 12th (same day as mine) and the eldest the 18th. She was furious that her sister’s birthday came first when she felt hers should have. Trying to explain to her than she was first as she was born in the previous year never registered.

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    1. It’s true D. Funny story about my dad’s mustache. He had one all his life, and when he died, my mother gave the funeral director his picture. When we went to the wake, we all looked at my dad, and then we did a double take. His mustache have been shaved off! Well, the funeral director was mortified, but what are you gonna do. These things happen!

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