How a poem educated me the hard way

Dear friends,

as you might now I'm an avid composer of poetry and a member on a great website called http://www.authorsden.com/

I have a very funny story to tell, but before I make a complete nerd out of myself let me explain something first.

This story is about a certain form of poetry. It goes back 1200 years and I believe it came from Japan.

Here is a quick explanation for those of you who don't know what a "Tanka" poem is:
A Tanka poem always consists of 5 lines:

Line 1 – 5 syllables
Line 2 – 7 syllables
Line 3 – 5 syllables
Line 4 – 7 syllables
Line 5 – 7 syllables
Tanka poems are written about nature, seasons, love, sadness and other emotions.
(explanation copied from www.edu.pe.ca/)

Just recently I shared a little story with one of my friends at the authorsden website. She thought it was hilarious and since I believe in laughter, I would like to pass this on.
It does mean for me to make a fool out of myself, the joke - after all - is on my side but I don’t mind.
Though I have enjoyed writing poetry for a while, I never really studied the different styles. To be completely honest, I never thought that poetry might come with ‘rules’. I just like to speak in rhymes when there is something special I like to ‘talk’ about.
I guess you can call me a light hearted poet.

With that said, I came a cross a poem written by someone who obviously has a lot more knowledge about the styles of poetry, than I do.
I don’t recall the exact name of the title, but it was something like “Remembering – Tanka”
It was a heartfelt write, sad, and it reminded me of someone losing something close, like a person or a pet.
And since the title contained the ‘name’ Tanka and I am blessed with a vivid imagination, I really thought this person had composed a poem about remembering – their dog. (Since Tanka sounded like a nice name for a big dog) I was the first to review this poem and left a note offering my condolences for the loss.
....
Okay, are you done laughing?
Let me just add, that often I return to poems I really enjoy to re-fresh them in my mind and this Tanka poem was one of those. As I scanned the reviews I got a little confused since nobody else seemed to care about a dead dog.
And just a few days ago, I learned the true meaning of ‘Tanka’. Needless to say, I was embarrassed first and then I had a good chuckle about my own ignorance. I guess sometimes we learn (even about poetry) the hard way.

I promise I will be better in the future and do my well-needed studies!
Have a great day!
Toodles,
Rebecca~

http://www.rebeccalerwill.com/

P.S. Are you interested in my poetry and short stories? You can find me here:
http://www.authorsden.com/rebeccalerwill