Tanka
by James Penha
at thirteen we sang
Elvis tunes to the jukebox
and mimed the lyrics—
oh how I wanted him “now”
he made clear it was “never”
Expat New Yorker James Penha (he/him) has lived for the past three decades in Indonesia. Nominated for Pushcart Prizes in fiction and poetry, his work is widely published in journals and anthologies. His newest chapbook of poems, American Daguerreotypes, is available for Kindle. Penha edits The New Verse News, an online journal of current-events poetry. Bluesky: @JamesPenha.bsky.social