The Renku Sessions: 12 Tones – Musical Chairs, Week 11
Welcome to THF’s Renku Sessions. I’m Lorin Ford, acting as sabaki/ guide for this renku.
***
The 10th verse: pilgrimages
***
Musical Chairs – a Junicho Renku
musical chairs
a handful
of hot chestnuts
– Keith Evetts
the one left standing
chats up the scarecrow
– Clysta
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
are we
there yet?
– Curt Linderman
winter moon
dripping from
the shelter tent
– Fatma Zohra Habis
a warm cup of tea
for the newcomer
– Hla Yin Mon
ready
with a love potion
just in case
– Laurie Greer
first spring gust
and the silk robe opens
– princess k
evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs
– Orense
a kite frolics
this way
and that
– Rob Barkan
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
_– Joseph Kitagawa
*****
Congratulations on your original verse, Joseph. There are many, many pilgrimages, but I like to think of those in Japan for this verse. I can even imagine Basho, on his horse at a crossroad, thinking “Now, which way was it?”
*****
10th verse short list – 7 more links to the week 9 ‘frogs’ or ‘kite’ verses, in no particular order:
Our 10th verse was rather experimental, allowing links to a choice of two verses from the previous week 9 verses. Though faults can be found if you’re looking for them, I’m very pleased that this week worked out as well as it has and I believe the experiment was worthwhile. Here is a short list of other verses that might also have been suitable, in my view. These verses are posted in no particular order:
*****
evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs – Orense
three appetizers to-go
off the seafood menu – Wendy C. Bialek
****
evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs – Orense
a pub bell rings
for last orders – Carol Jones
*****
a kite frolics
this way
and that – Rob Barkan
the loops and swirls
of his cursive signature – Laurie Greer
*****
a kite frolics
this way
and that – Rob Barkan
the grey tabby pouncing
on shadows – Orense
*****
a kite frolics
this way
and that – Rob Barkan
curtains twitch
as the new neighbours arrive – Carol Jones
*****
(a kite frolics
this way
and that — Rob Barkan
embers flitting
from rooftop to rooftop –Diana Ming Jeong
*****
(evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs – Orense
pained gurgles
of the cathedral’s gargoyles — Orense
*****************************
Our 11th verse will also be a non-seasonal/ all seasons verse, this time a 3 line verse linking to Joseph Kitagawa’s :
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
_– Joseph Kitagawa
*****
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Comments (124)
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a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
_– Joseph Kitagawa
skimming a stone
back to the moon
an evening prayer
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
damn password
for two OAP tickets to
Stop Making Sense
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
with falling numbers
monks from three monasteries
move into one
This is happening in Ireland.
she tries
a dousing pendulum
to predict baby’s gender
with power outage
the planetary parade
more distinct
sensing a bit
of a lapse his horse
takes the reins
sensing a bit
of a lapse her horse
takes the reins
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
—— Joseph Kitagawa
.
the monk replied,
“wait until the wind
decides”
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
—— Joseph Kitagawa
.
a quatrain
where no answers rhyme and
horses run free
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
in Grant Park, mounted
policemen ride horses from
one end to the other
the automatic
repeat feature again plays
the opera
I allow my horse
to choose if we go up
the mountain or down
at the resale shop
on both sides of the isles,
I search clothes racks
the last place horse
reverses directions
and speeds to the start
3rd version
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
No mules or horses !
You must go forward on foot –
twittering tourists !
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
I apply
to colonize the first Mars
outpost
the horse browses
from flower to flower
in the meadow
a policeman
directs cars at a damaged
traffic light
my horse masters
gee and haw commands
in a single day
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
circling
a blue horse lost
in broad daylight
the pause
of a blue horse lost
in broad daylight
the blue horse
taking a final bow
at the edge of the stage
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
upon the horses
bells ring out
a divine note
Diana Ming Jeong
undulating
through the air
the sound of bells
grateful
for a bed
at the hostel
walking beside
the horse
composing haiku
resting
as the horse
has a nap
planets parade
across
the night sky
in
his diary
secret treasures
sitting by the side
of the road
sewing up a tear
cantering
beneath
the stars
small figures
in the distance
still a way to go
watery eyes
it’s a long way
from home
the kindness
of strangers
opening their homes
leaving
a poem
under a stone
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
temple bells
call home
a blind horse
Diana Ming Jeong
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?——— Joseph Kitagawa
the twitch
of horse ears
assures our path
his horse
remembers skywater
in the singing bowls
one man
and his horse
on the road to Shirakawa
Doubleback –
No mules or horses! T
This must go forward on foot –
tottering tourists!
No Bikes or horses!
This must go forward on foot
ye footloose ventourers.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
my horse changes
directions with the slight
touch of my heel
both bride and groom
sign their names
at the courthouse
when our bridle path
diverges, the horse halts
to wait for my choice
an art dealer
hangs the original
next to a copy
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
the poor horse
right in the middle
of the roundabout
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
*
groomed to put
his best foot
forward
*
gently guiding
the champion
dressage horse
*
Well done, Joseph.
I’m late to the party as usual!
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
a Barbary ape
decides on
her pink iPhone
For what it’s worth, I had no idea why the apes of Gibraltar came to mind while trying to come up with a verse about a horse—until this morning!
I had thought the link was that the tourists who visit the island to see the mischievous, thieving troop of apes were like pilgrims. However, just now, a chorus from Irish singer Christy Moore, came into my head. These lines from his song ‘St Brendan’s Voyage’ go like this…
“Is it right or left for Gibraltar”
What tack do I take for Mizen Head?
I’d love to settle down near Ventry Harbour”,
St. Brendan to his albatross he said.
So it must have been Joseph’s question about directions that introduced the lyrics to my psyche! Mystery solved. 😄
(Apologies for the digression, Lorin!)
Amazing, Marion! :-) I must look that song up and hear it. (Very Irish indeed, what with St. Brendon and his albatross.)
We have a couple of different types of Albatross here in Victoria. Mostly up in East Gippsland . . . Tamboon Inlet, Mallacoota etc. One funny (and quite common) thing I often saw was albatrosses lining up on a jetty, waiting for a fishing boat to come in. ( They can tell the time that the boat is expected!)
(You probably won’t see this, as I’m writing it in the afternoon of Thursday 30th Jan. )
Albatrosses lining up for the arrival of a boat is such a great image, Lorin! I guess animals soon get used to human routines, as our cat doesn’t come up to the bedroom at the weekends to cry to be fed—she knows we have a lie-in! 😄
8:30 am Thursday here.
marion
But what’s amazing (to me) is that the albatrosses would actually line up, single file. And would wait that way. Very polite!
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
in the paddock
horse and jockey
revel with roses
along the horse trail
dog Jack sniffs for fresh game
on both sides
the magician
waves his wand
over a bouquet
gossip of ladies
in the beauty salon
has bits of truth
my old horse
ahead of me on the path
to enlightenment
In case there are any misunderstandings regarding my idea of having a horse in the renku for this verse, I should emphasize that ” horse” alone is not a link to Joseph’s verse. Whether you choose to have a horse in your verse or not, a link to Joseph’s verse is essential.
my horse
eyes the flowers
beyond the fence
a black horse
vanishing
in the night
old farmer
napping in the shade
of a horse
wife loaned
my bridle
to a horse
punters cheer
their horse into the
winners enclosure
these hoofs
man made for marching
called into cavalry again
or
these hooves
man made for marching
called into cavalry again
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
one still horse
under the North Star
waiting for dawn
Ah, a good verse, but Pamela, we already have “”evening star” with the frogs back a few verses, so we can’t have North Star or any other star for this renku.
(But keep it up your sleeve for another renku.)
Thank you Lorin! Will do.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
distant wolf howls
stir the horses in their
makeshift corral
scents of roast meat
fill campground sites
at sunset
the under water
passage emerges
in unexplored caves
oil drillers release
an expanding pool
of black gold
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
worshippers
circle the mountain
over and over
socks off
rubbing
sore feet
resting
for a while
as the sun beats down
prayer flags
flutter
overhead
regretting
not stopping
for a street map
weary walkers
stop for a drink
at the old nag’s head
in her dreams
she gallops
through the stars
waiting
for a blessing
pony on her back pack
forty winks
on the river bank
the horse nibbles grass
in the saddle bag
a worn copy of
the narrow road
wishing
he’d brought
the map
horses
in a nearby field
rolling around
making hay
they set off
early
sleeping
in a barn below
the sounds of horses
in the gift shop
rows and rows
of resting buddhas
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
horses
finding themselves
in the still waters
horses
multiply
in the still waters
horses
reflecting
at the water’s edge
horses noses
ripple
the still waters
Diana Ming Jeong
by noon
even my horse’s shadow
is tired
along the path
scent of flowers
and my horse’s farts
Thank you Lorin for appreciating my tabby verse :) Your bird’s eye view of the renku is so keen, great directions.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
wild horses
up, down, across
the mountains
my horse
knows more
than me
the jockey
looking like
he’s missing a horse
my horse
throws me down
kindly
my horse
looks at the hills
then looks at me
wild horses
leaving
sunset behind
near the stream
my horse drinks
from a puddle
I wonder if using horse breeds is ok?
wild mustangs
up down across
the mountains
“I wonder if using horse breeds is ok?” – Orense
Orense, I don’t think ‘mustangs’ is the name for a particular breed of horse, any more than ‘brumbies’ are a particular breed. Both are descendants of horses from (a) Spain and (b) Great Britain. The Spanish shipped horses to America and the British shipped horses Australia and of course many became wild horses and bred, on both continents.
(The British shipped camels along with their Afghani trainers to Australia, too, but that’s another story)
Yes, I guess they are more of a non-breed :) What I really meant was sub classification of horses I guess, or does it have to be the word horse?
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
at sundown we feed
our horses and groom their coats
before we chow down
my horse sticks his nose
into all my pockets
and finds his apple
after the event
the horses
fed and watered
after the event
the horse
fed and watered
or maybe –
after each event
the horse/s
fed and watered
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
the spirited horse
galloping along
the swash and backwash
the riderless horse
meandering
between sandcastles
the spirited horse
galloping across
the swash and backwash
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?—–– Joseph Kitagawa
master’s cracked lips
healed
by his horse’s tongue
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?——-– Joseph Kitagawa
parched old monk
pulled to a creek
by his horse
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
my horse
leads me beside
the still waters
After reading through all the offered verses this morning and re-reading our renku again it strikes me that there is a dearth of animals.
(In last week’s short list there is the true-to-life ” the grey tabby pouncing on shadows ” – Orense ( which is so true to life that, if it were mine, I’d be keeping for another renku) but I can see no other animals in our renku. (Frogs are amphibians, not animals.)
I wonder if , among you all, there are some who might consider following up Joseph’s;
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? — Joseph Kitagawa
with a 3-line linking verse that includes a horse? (adult horse! not mare, not stallion, not gelding…just horse.) This week, not later.
After this next verse (verse 11) is chosen there will be only one more verse , the ageku.
—
(The Junicho is a 12 verse renku, usually. This time there had to be a work-around unless I deleted one of the accepted verses (something I didn’t want to do) so this Junicho will be a 12 verse +1 renku.)
.
–
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? — Joseph Kitagawa
a dancing horse
hand painted
on a prayer board
Diana Ming Jeong
I didn’t mean to start again with an indefinite article. Here is an edit.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? — Joseph Kitagawa
dancing horse
hand painted
on a prayer board
Diana Ming Jeong
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
lost hikers
passing the same tree
again and again
hearing
the river
before seeing it ‘
monkeys laugh
because they know
I’m lost
a cheap
compass
pointing nowhere
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
the man who was
my dad is
now with God
still the grave
remains
unmarked
Diana Ming Jeong
Edit:
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
my father
is now
with God
Diana Ming Jeong
the missing
beds of roses
in new roundabouts
Thank you all for the kind comments and Lorin for your selection. Glad to be writing amongst the THF community. Much love.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
*
the rod trembles
on the road
to the well
*
the slight arrhythmia
in the pulse
of his dowsing rod
*
passing his tremble
to the pulse
of the dowsing rod
*
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? — Joseph Kitagawa
watching the smoke
swirl from
a monk’s cigarette
holy water
sizzles when
sprinkled on my head
a shrine candle
shattering
the darkness
cleaning
my halo
with baby wipes
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
in the end
a cross marks
the spot
a cross
marks the spot
in the end
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
——- Joseph Kitagawa
.
as in quatrain
where no answers rhymed and
rocks were as clouds
edit:
as in a quatrain
where no answers rhyme and
clouds are as stone
should have been
as in a quatrain
where no answers rhyme and
rocks are as clouds
sorry, rethinking a few things:
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
*
yellow highlighter
maps the route
back to Oz
*
film fans
recreate
a yellow brick road
*
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
the CEO
requests police protection
for his travels
they map the ocean
floor to find ancient
shipwrecks
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
the golden thread
of sunset
over the moor
over the moor
the golden thread
of sunset
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
*
looking for
a sign
at the crossroads
*
another question
for the man
behind the curtain
*
linking arms
and skipping
all the way to Oz
*
a highlighter
keeps memory
on the straight and narrow
*
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
where paradise
burned
to the ground
Diana Ming Jeong
an old man’s sandals
almost as worn
as his donkey’s feet
no enlightenment
in regressive
regimes
too many forks
to remember
in the posh restaurant
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
_– Joseph Kitagawa
where Alph
the sacred river ran
down to a sunless sea
I follow
the sacred river
down to a sunless sea
“in Xanadu did Kubla Khan. . . ” – Coleridge. :-)
Yes, Kubla Khan is burned into my brain :) One of my poetic pilgrimages lol
claiming my boot
at the lost
and found office
8
first spring gust
and the silk robe opens
9a
evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs
9b
a kite frolics
this way
and that
10
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
11
one step in a million –
could have been anywhere –
I thought it was O.K.
a bit of a toss-up
but I didn’t want to miss
the party afterwards
the worst in 50 years –
people & cars everywhere
with nowhere to go
8
first spring gust
and the silk robe opens
9a
evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs
9b
a kite frolics
this way
and that
10
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
11
one step in a million –
could have been anywhere –
I thought it was O.K.
a bit of a toss-up
but I didn’t want to miss
the party afterwards
the worst in 50 years –
people & cars everywhere
with nowhere to go
in the corner
of the rock garden
a weed emerges
revision –
in a corner
of the rock garden
a weed emerges
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
postal workers watch
machines sort mail
for delivery
flames rage through tinder
dried mountain sides
day and night
Congratulations, Joseph and Lorin!
anointing oil
poured onto
his bowed head
dusty feet
washed clean
with offered water
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
ringing
the temple bell
with a wooden log
Diana Ming Jeong
Very nice Joseph!
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
——- Joseph Kitagawa
.
the setting sun
illuminates poems written
on a roadside boulder
.
petroglyphs
in ochre and red
line the canyon walls
.
fossilized sea creatures
peek out from rocks
exposed by a road cut
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?———-_– Joseph Kitagawa
which foot got washed
while writing haiku
in the shower
which foot got washed
while i wrote haiku
in the shower
or
which foot got washed
in the shower
while i wrote haiku
which foot did i wash
in the shower
while writing haiku
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
_– Joseph Kitagawa
the temple bell
fells
an oak leaf
in the crystal ball
nothing
but hairy nostrils
Congratulations Joseph on a truly fitting and exceptional verse!
Lorin, this is such a great way to tie up this bifurcation. Beyond the humour there is a wonderful meta playfulness here for me. I see this verse as potentially linking to both verses of link 9, “left or right” echoes “this way and that” and the star’s journey and arrival just in time as well as the congregation of frogs that might have also journeyed to get there resonate with the theme of pilgrimages. Then “left or right” speaks to the situation of the renku for me, which verse did Joseph link to as he was asked to choose a path? But it also speaks to the reader’s journey through the renku which path of the fork did he/she choose? Of course this meta dimension only comes through fully if the verses are presented side by side but given the technical issues you still managed an amazing resolution and for me this choice adds a lot of originality and depth to the renku.
Orense, thanks for your in-depth and generous reading. :-) And yet the kudos should all go to Joseph.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
no strings attached
to the memories
I catch and release
a cross-eyed child
in a dotted tee
offers an answer
robotic arms
returning a recycling cart
in the middle of the driveway
he vowed
to bear toothache
instead of true faith
a cross-eyed child
in a dotted tee
points out the way
robotic arms
returning recycling carts
to the end of the road
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
families journey back
home when the town’s
expunged off the map
also:
going back home
when their town’s
expunged off the map
returning home
with skin on
their backs
going back home
with towns expunged
off the map
Congratulations Joseph! Thank you Lorin for choosing one of mine for the short list! Thank you to Orense and Lorin for helping me with your feedback and guidance!
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
– Joseph Kitagawa
landscapes
dramatically altered
by wildfires
natural changes
unrecognizable
after a natural disaster
the terrain changes both
slowly and rapidly
over time
the terrain
becomes unrecognizable
after a wildfire
the Earth’s surface
is constantly
changing
the terrain
is constantly
changing
volcanoes erupt
to form mountains
out of mole hills
a beaver
builds a dam
upstream
windblown
dust becomes
a mountain
high tides
and low tides
give and take
an earthquake
is at
fault
wildfires
and rainstorms
make mudslides
a fallen tree
changes the course
of the river
a river
takes a shortcut
through the bend
an oxbow
where the path
used to be
Diana Ming Jeong
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – Juliet (in the famous Shakespearean play.)
Diana, you’ve shown me the meaning of a word I’ve seen, but never looked up the meaning of before: ‘oxbow’
an oxbow
where the path
used to be
This strange and foreign thing turns out to simply be the same thing that, in Australia, is called a billabong!
How funny Lorin! To me Billabong is a clothing company! Now I know what it means! 😆😊
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? _– Joseph Kitagawa
paths to righteousness
wind through the land
amid temptations
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?—-— Joseph Kitagawa
knowing my age
by the number of candles
on the cake
**
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
*
trusting gut instinct
to show him
the way
*
following
muscle memory to the end
of the earth
*
distant stars
a pause by the roadside
no more open sky
what to do
with these questions
just another whiskey hour
stepping back
already lost in ocean
a shrinking horizon
Wow! Joseph this is indeed a special verse. The link to Rob’s kite journey…is so spot on, the shift to perhaps a poet/monk in the course of his travel by horse….and the image of Basho (as introduced by our astute, sabaki Lorin) adds a wonderful ancient flavour and tribute to our traditional twelve-tone renku! i appreciate, too, the humour which has a delightful, ironic twist of someone doing something so many times…as if he/she should know the path on the back of his/her palm….yet does know the way….i am still chuckling!
Lorin….i am 100% behind you on this selection! Your introduction and slant on this verse is filled with positivity and fed me with the feeling of enlightenment and harmony…. i crave for by engaging with this renku experience……thank you for going beyond and above with this choice, sabaki, Lorin!!!!!!
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?——–— Joseph Kitagawa
even our dogs
help find
the puzzle piece
ooopsy,
in my comment, it should read, “yet ‘doesn’t’ know the way”
Another splendid selection, Lorin! (And thank you for putting me on the short list.) Congratulations, Joseph.
**
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
Joseph Kitagawa
*
he languishes
in the vagaries
of a senior moment
*
guessing how many
angels
dance on the head of a pin
*
putting his trust
in the strait
and narrow
*
revision:
lost
in the vagaries
of a senior moment
*
I think the verse is beautiful alone and in the Renku. But I do wonder if it contains a cut.
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
Hi, Pamela,
I hear your concern!
The way a sabaki chooses a verse varies. in my exposure to the four or five different sabakis i have heard that when confronted with a decision to get the best fit….when an exceptional verse, such as this one, by Joseph, presents itself…..the perfect link/shift with the beauty and art and humour, too!!!!!!!…the cherry on top of mt. fuji (lol!) appears to take priority. This is at and up-to the discretion of each sabaki.
Pamela, I don’t intend to make many posts or answer many questions this week, but I’ll post here a paragraph from: ‘Basho – The Complete Haiku’, translated etc. by Jane Reichhold.
Though the only haiku-like verse in renku is the first verse, the hokku, I believe that this is useful in understanding the variety of verses that make a renku:
“Instead of telling the reader what to think or feel, words describing images were used as signposts. The placement of these signs caused the reader to form certain pictures almost like memory. As the signs moved from one image to another, with one word and then another, the reader created the journey to the unspoken conclusion of the poem. This process of making the reader see or imagine parts of the poem has, on one hand, made it harder for people to learn to read haiku. Still, this miracle of involving the reader in the creation of the poem has expanded our own definition and concept of poetry. No longer is poetry what someone tells us. ”
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
Work out for yourself what is being said/ thought over the course of these two lines. Add your own words that would make it into an ordinary sentence. (At home, not on this forum) I think that might help you to distinguish a verse with a cut and a verse that implies mood, state of mind etc. of the ‘speaker’ .
This verse tells the reader something:
“a kite frolics
this way
and that” – Rob Barkan
—
This verse (below) shows what is happening in the speaker’s mind:
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right? — Joseph Kitagawanguish
It requires the reader to put herself/ himself in the place of the speaker.
There is no cut implied.
Thank you Lorin for this enlightening lesson!
Lorin,
i knew you had a reason….but not what the reason was.
Now i know!
thanks for sharing this ‘pearl’ about the inner goings and thoughts of the speaker not being subject to the ordinary treatment
where a break would normally come.
Congratulations Joseph and thank you Lorin
listening
to the echo
of my footsteps
choosing
the road
less traveled
pausing
at the fork
in the road
a tragedy
to lose memories
of life’s journeys
Congratulations, Joseph a fine verse. A very good choice, Lorin. I hope you have a quieter session this time round.
I’m over the moon you mentioned two of mine.
Congratulations Joseph and thank you sabaku Lorin for this bold renku . . . going through our paces keeping our inquiring minds, minds, minds open.
oops, sabaki. my apologies for the typo. appreciation for your repeated explanations. each time you reinforce this mind understands a little more.
Clysta, just ‘Lorin’ would do. :-)
( I appreciate your ind comments)
… that was supposed to be ‘ I appreciate your kind comments’ ! (Bloody keyboards & arthritic fingers:! These days, I find it hard to avoid typos )
Congrats Joseph!
Congratulations, Joseph, on your wonderful link! A fine selection, Lorin!
a thousand pilgrimages
was it left or right?
— Joseph Kitagawa
the voice
of the tale-teller
above the fire
smoke
and embers
drift and pop
a mother
holds her baby
close
children
huddle under
a blanket
men stare
deeply into
the flames
A wondrous verse, Joseph Kitagawa. Thank you! A touch of elegance for this renku, Sabaki Lorin, (and always a difficult choice for you to make with the many excellent verses each week!) Wishing you all a fun week of linking!
Just ‘Lorin’ would suffice, Madeleine, (or Fuhrer, if you prefer the German term, but your surname would more likely point to Irish ancestors, despite that your posts strike me as coming from somewhere in the more Southern regions of the USA.
What would I know?
I’ve not met them personally, but from this distance I admire Jim Kacian and John Stevenson, both of whom (I’ve noticed, over the years) are the good guys, who are genually involved in renku and do nor indulge in bullshit. (Please excuse the Australian word)