In his new book of poetry, TANKA YEAR, George Roberts immerses himself in a traditional Japanese verse form, the tanka, observing its specific technical and content requirements thirty-one syllables, five lines, observation of nature, controlled passion and reflection while standing firmly in the present and honoring the zen quality of impermanence in each moment. Tan, in Japanese, means short, and kam means poem or song. So a tanka year could be a collection of brief poems about the passage of time through the seasons. The original project, a fine letterpress printed edition of seven, sold...