tanka #41215 (The Fishwife)
feeling queasy now
butterflies-out of the way
it’s not so easy
I have a belly of fish
that never stop swimming
© Rebecca Sanchez 2015
Linking up an old poem with dVerse~Poets Pub that I wrote for this prompt which I animated.
Background: I had a very interesting word trip when I started this poem and I had to share it with you. When seeing this picture prompt I thought, I’ll write a poem about a woman with fish in her belly or fishbelly. Then I looked it up.
Besides the Jonah in the belly of the whale story, the white skin under a bathing suit line and normal fish bellies, I found this urban definition (2006), fishbelly: a bad name for a white caucasian person. Then I asked for other words and it gave me 20 related to fishbelly.
Honky, bad, caucasian, clit, clitoris, cracka, cracker, craka, fish, fish belly, fishbelly pussy, girl, puberty, pubic, twat, vag vagina, white, whitey, wonderbread. Wow!
If you caught the date, this word was re-defined in 2006. Now fast forward to now with Trump as president. Meanings like this aren’t going anywhere soon.
Capricious Poet 
Thank you. My vocabulary just grew by 20 words. Very interesting and an a beautiful photo to go with it. I wonder if Trump gets to read this!
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I doubt that Trump reads me, if he did he’d see my Limmericks about him.
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Wow, is right! I had no idea of the meanings of ‘fishbelly’ um, not that I’ve spent much time thinking about it. 🙂 Love your tanka, Bekkie, and appreciate your background information.
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Thank you so much!
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kaykuala
I have a belly of fish
that never stop swimming
The fish can well replace the butterflies in the tummy, the feeling’s the same!
Hank
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Thank you, Hank!
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You write under a few names and I’m having trouble finding this one.
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I remember that feeling well…both the butterflies and the swimming fish. Great job here.
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Thanks for coming by and reading, Sue!
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This makes me think of being pregnant with multiples, getting past the nervousness and just enjoying the blessings.
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I can see why Marley. Was that you?
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Butterflies replaced by a belly full of fish – love your play on words. And I learnt something new!
#Haiku
Browsing through your work
An ingenious play on words
A follow, follows
😉
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Love your haiku, Vivian! Thank you for coming by, I’ll be reading yours soon.
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Thanks, Bekkie!
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That’s an interesting tanka and I know that feeling. Your explanation is really enlightening, Rebecca. I ‘m fascinated by words too.
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Words are so interesting! Thank you, Kim. If you’re a writer and don’t like words you’re in trouble! Lol!
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Couldn’t find your poem, what name is it under?
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Which one, Bekkie? I always write as Kim M. Russell.
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That’s why! I was looking for kim881. Thank you! I sometimes have trouble finding the names when they are different. Not that great with everyone’s last names yet.
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‘I have a belly of fish that never stop swimming’ Perfect!
God, do I know what that’s like…
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I’m sorry you do, Scott! I’m lucky in that I have a cast iron stomach. Thank you for stopping by.
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Love how you turned the word into something much better than intended… reclaiming language is a great subject of poetry….
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For sure, Bjorn! Thank you!
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I’m not familiar with “fishbelly”, but I liked how the rhyme sound between “queasy” and “easy” tied the tanka together for me.
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Thank you, Frank! Going to read yours now.
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