A Skein of Old Yarn ! is the title of the present Renku poem being created by the Port Townsend Renku group… Soooo, under the Master’s serene presence, enjoy the magic of “variety in images -without narrative” -as I think to have heard Christopher say… : )
1 autumn (Jay)
.
morning light
dragonflies barely ripple
the lagoon
.
2 autumn moon (Leticia)
.
does this warmth
come from you, O moon?
.
3 autumn (Tenzing)
.
the scarecrow’s
lost a button or two
off his coat
.
4 No Season (Carmi)
.
my neighbor weaves
a skein of old yarn
.
5 winter (Bethel)
.
in his cold hut
the hermit prepares
.
rosehip tea (Bethel)
.
6 winter (Jackie)
a rare visitor leaves
footprints in the snow
.
7 No Season (Alison)
.
just inside the door
lies an envelope
with a foreign stamp
.
8 No Season (Jay)
.
bits of paper protrude
from the eagle’s nest
.
9 Love (Jackie)
.
her new bikini
causes his eyes to bug out
and his heart to flutter
.
10 love (Jackie)
.
the scent of perfume
wafts from the dryer
.
11 love (Carol)
.
as I read my book
I hear her sing a lullaby
to our daughter
.
12 No Season (Jay)
.
if clouds could speak
these would whisper
.
13 summer moon (Doris)
.
summer moon
swallowed
by the mountain
.
14 summer (Tanya)
.
bats begin to swoop
all around the camp
.
15 No Season (Carol)
.
three girls
race for the white horse
on the carousel
.
16 No Season (Tenzing)
.
somebody’s gone and left
the damn milk out to spoil
.
17 Spring Blossom (Doris)
.
cherry blossoms
tease my hand
into the branches
.
18 spring (Jay)
.
the monthly poker game
still active during lent
.
This three-line stanza needs to have a spring reference that is either applicable to the entire season or points to a time AFTER Lent, sometime in April. “Easter” wouldn’t be a good reference since it’s thematically too close to “lent.” #19 can take place eside or outside. It should link in some way to #18 but NOT to #17, nor to the hokku. No personal pronouns please. It would be a good idea to have a scene in which humanity is either not present or barely so. Check your mandalic universe for likely topics. If you have a saijiki (seasnal almanac), that’s the best place to search for late-spring ideas. Here’s the link to the late Bill Higginson’s on-line saijiki:
Hi Chris and group. I just wanted to leave a note to let you know how much I am enjoying the progress of your renku. I’ve bookmarked the page, and look forward to seeing updates as the poem progresses.
What a pleasant surprise to hear from you on Leiticia Hubers PortTownsendPeeps website. I’m delighted that you are enjoying our present renku concoction and am happy to know that you’ll be tuning in. It’s great fun to be collaborating with a live group again. Until the summer of ’08 I’d been missing the monthly renku parties of the Marin Renku group back in California. We wrote from approximately 1991 to ’98. I don’t know if they’re still writing together. In any case, thanks for your appreciative words.
And best wishes to you. I know you are immersed in renku projects of your own.
Hi Chris and group. I just wanted to leave a note to let you know how much I am enjoying the progress of your renku. I’ve bookmarked the page, and look forward to seeing updates as the poem progresses.
Best wishes
Norman Darlington
Ireland
Hello Norman!
What a pleasant surprise to hear from you on Leiticia Hubers PortTownsendPeeps website. I’m delighted that you are enjoying our present renku concoction and am happy to know that you’ll be tuning in. It’s great fun to be collaborating with a live group again. Until the summer of ’08 I’d been missing the monthly renku parties of the Marin Renku group back in California. We wrote from approximately 1991 to ’98. I don’t know if they’re still writing together. In any case, thanks for your appreciative words.
And best wishes to you. I know you are immersed in renku projects of your own.
Christopher Herold
Port Townsend