Tanka Basics: A tanka has five lines that don’t usually rhyme. The first and third lines have five syllables, while the second, fourth, and fifth lines have seven. The third line usually represents a turning point in the story: reading the first three lines together give you one image, while reading the last three lines give you another. ________________ Sample Tanka: Snow-covered pine trees line the frozen pathway home, but we turn away. The world is a lake of ice, and we have one warm hand each.