Robbie’s Inspiration – Sunflower Tanka: Dreams, submissions open, Reena’s Xploration Challenge and CFFC #poetry #photography #SunflowerTankaDreams
Submissions for Sunflower Tanka Dreams are open from 9 August to 9 September 2025. You will find all the details and guidelines on Colleen’s blog here: https://tankatuesday.com/2025/08/09/submissions-are-open-for-the-2025-sunflower-tanka-anthology/
Reena’s Xploration ChallengeReena’s challenge for this week is to write a poem inspired by the following wording:
She kept the clock running backward, just to see which regrets would return first.
For me, this fitted nicely into the dreams theme so I’m using this poem as a demo for the Sunflower Tanka Dreams anthology and for Reena’s Xploration Challenge which you can join here: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2025/08/07/reenas-xploration-challenge-393/
Mellowing of Dreams (rensaku)hindsight’s clarity
pierces childhood memories
unravelling joys
and long days of happiness
dreams of youth revisited
***
young girl’s ambitions
white wedding among flowers
stripped right to bare bone
goals achievement considered
dreams of youth revisited
***
senior school learner
individuality
suppressed to conform
with pack ideas of coolness
dreams of youth revisited
***
young professional
climbing the corporate ladder
harshest lesson learned
be careful what you wish for
dreams of youth revisited
***
middle age entered
edges mellowed by losses
contentment new goal
value of health understood
dreams of youth revisited
CFFCDan’s CFFC challenge is afternoon. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/08/11/time-of-day-afternoon-cffc/ The following pictures are afternoon scenes that could also translate as the fulfilment of a dream or the objective of a dream. Perhaps one of them will inspire you with dreams related poetry.
Picture caption: Houseboat on a canal in Amsterdam
Picture caption: Elephant in a South African private game reserve. 
Picture caption: house facing the white cliffs near Friston Forest in the UK (near to Brighton and the forest home of Winnie the Pooh)
Picture caption: small cruise boat on the canal in Bruges, Belgium
Picture caption: My son, Greg, on his graduation day from University with a degree in mathematics and computer science
Picture caption: English Heritage notice specifying that a famous author lived here.
Picture caption: small cruise boat on the Thames in front of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London
Picture caption: I’ve shared this photograph before but its my favourite of my wedding photographs
