Renku Sessions

The Renku Sessions: 12 Tones – Musical Chairs, Week 13

renku_300

Welcome to THF’s Renku Sessions. I’m Lorin Ford, acting as sabaki/ guide for this renku.

***

The ageku: ah, sun-flower. . .   

*****

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      (verse 9)

– Orense

a kite frolics
this way
and that

– Rob Barkan                  (verse 9b)

a thousand pilgrimages
was it left, or right?

– Joseph Kitagawa

one man
and his horse
on the road to Shirakawa

– Carol Jones

sunflowers
passing by

– Diana Ming Jeong

****************

Diana’s verse links perfectly to Carol’s Shirakawa verse: a man and his horse are on the road. The illusion of scenery passing by us, rather than us passing by the scenery, is a true experience. After a while on a horse, at a pace such as the slow canter, it certainly can appear that the scenery is passing by us, rather than us passing by the scenery. The effect is hypnotic. I can vouch for this because (long ago, now) I had the luck of owning a horse whose most beautiful, dream-like pace (among all of the usual paces) was the slow canter.

On January 31 (The Haiku Foundation date & time), after noting how complicated or ‘clever’ many of the offered verses for the ageku had become, I advised: “Keep on, with your flower verses. Sunflowers and hydrangeas are perfect for the location. But whatever flower you choose, my advice is to keep the verse simple, don’t overload it, don’t try to squash too much in, don’t try to be clever.” Diana’s flower verse of three words exceeds my expectations!

Congratulations, Diana, for your excellent link to Carol’s verse and a perfect concluding verse for this renku.

******************

Short List for week 13 (in no particular order)

 

fireflies coming on
with the evening primrose      – Laurie Greer

*

wild roses
welcome the weary                   – Tracy Davidson

*

nanosecond view of sunflowers
from the train window               – Dan Campbell

*

brushing sunflower petals
from my passport                          – Melissa Dennison

*

surrounded by sunflowers
thatched roofs point skywards   – Melissa Dennison

*

even on the thatched roof
a poppy blooms                           –  Orense

*

above the kaki fields
the grasses full of flowers –          – dick pettit

*

*****************

And now to my great mistake at verse 9. Having selected this perfect-for the-spot eighth verse, our second ‘love’ verse:

“first spring gust
and the silk robe opens” – princess k

I’d also noted Orense’s

young lovers stargazing
with the frogs frogs frogs  – Orense

and especially appreciated that true-to-life sound of “frogs frogs frogs”. I wanted those frogs, that sound and that repetition in this renku. So, I asked Orense if she would write a few verses (not ‘love’ verses) that would link to princess’s verse 8, and Orense agreed. Of her submitted verses, I selected, for our 9th verse:

evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs      – Orense

However, feeling some vibes of envy and resentment on the thread, I decided to open an extra verse 9. This verse would also link to princess’s verse. This verse would be competitive, as usual. The chosen verse (verse 9b) was:

a kite frolics
           this way
and that                          – Rob Barkan

This verse was never intended to link to Orense’s verse, but to princess’s verse. From there, I imagined, participants could write verses that linked to Orense’s verse and/ or to Rob’s. Only one verse would be chosen: that which I considered to have the best link. The chosen verse was:

a thousand pilgrimages
was it left, or right?            – Joseph Kitagawa

(Thank goodness for Joseph’s sense of humour!)

The problem was/is that this idea of having an extra verse relied on (1) centring princess’s verse, then (2) placing Orense’s verse to the right (beneath princess’s verse) and (3) Rob’s verse to the left (beneath princess’s verse).  It didn’t work.

So, what we have is :

evening star
just in time for
the frogs frogs frogs      (verse 9, linking to princess’s verse)

– Orense

followed by:

a kite frolics
this way
and that

– Rob Barkan                  (verse 9b, linking to princess’s verse, not Orence’s)

Over the years I have often sent my senryu to  Mike Rehling’s ‘Failed Haiku’. Now I have to admit I’m in the ‘Failed Renku Guide’ club.

********************************

Note – From John Stevenson:

I tend to look for the ways in which things that have “gone wrong” are also “right.” In this instance, it’s an easy task. The game “musical chairs” involves one less chair than the number of players. This renku has one verse without what we call in renku a “seat.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Haiku Foundation reminds you that participation in our offerings assumes respectful and appropriate behavior from all parties. Please see our Code of Conduct policy: https://thehaikufoundation.org/about-thf/policies/#code-of-conduct

John Stevenson

Comments (118)

  1. To John Stevenson:

    Good day John,

    This is to notify you that I want my poem
    and name withdrawn as soon as possible
    from the recently archived Completed
    Musical Chairs Renku.

    The poem is:

    a kite frolics
    this way
    and that

    Thank you in advance,
    Rob Barkan

    1. No apologies to all the poets who participated in the renku and linked with your verse both immediately and subsequently? No thought to the fact you essentially rendered their work useless or at the least diminished it? How surprising…

      1. I downloaded the file before it gets removed or altered because I am happy with the way it turned out for Musical Chairs and the renku without a seat. Everyone one has right to speak their thoughts and opinions. Perhaps a Zoom call rather than using a keyboard to talk would be best to talk it out but that’s just a suggestion. I wanted to show my niece who is 10 what her auntie has been doing but I’ll just show her the file I downloaded. This is a public forum so someone her age like Sherry Grant’s daughter could still read these comments. That’s just how people do. I abide by THF rules and guidelines and T&C and whatever is decided is fine by me. Emotionally I am attached to the work the way it is. If in the history of THF there have been take backs or if we are making history, then that’s the organic nature of it all.
        Peace Be With You All,
        – Diana

        1. i don’t see any problem here….having # 9b taken away, doesn’t have to affect the renku at all.
          In fact….it improves, in my opinion.
          there is a link using the Basho theme….between ‘frogs’ in Orense’s verse with the ‘pilgrimages’ in Joseph’s verse.
          We won’t have two same articles, ‘a’ in a row….as we do now,
          and we will have twelve verses in the 12 tone….and no verses unseated.
          Ah!
          the glass
          full of water!

          old pond
          the sound of frog
          out of water

          wendy c. bialek
          copyright 2/12/2025

          1. ” i don’t see any problem here…. ” Wendy C. Bialek

            I do. I’m ashamed at what has been put in the Archive of Completed Renku. I made a mistake in asking for two verses responding to princess’s

            “first spring gust
            and the silk robe opens”

            I wanted the “frogs frogs frogs” from a verse submitted for the previous verse & that’s fine, is acceptable, and in a sabaki’s scope, but It never entered my mind that the extra verse that I offered to all might result in the chosen verse being redacted, at the end of the renku, with no reason or explanation given. The only conclusion I have come to is that Rob Barkan intended and planned to wreck the renku. Why? I have no idea. It’s beyond me.

            Also, since the final version of this renku had been completed and accepted by THF, why Rob Barkan’s rather late demand to have his verse redacted was obeyed by John Stevenson. Why?
            Once accepted by a publisher (in this case THF is the legitimate publisher) one has no right to withdraw. Why did John S. comply with Rob Barkan’s request/ demand? Where were the moderators ?

            Why was Rob Barkan’s accepted verse allowed to be redacted, considering the time frame. I could understand if anyone wanted a verse redacted if it were in the same week as it was posted. All one needed to do was inform the sabaki/ guide: no problem.

            But Rob’s redaction after three more weeks and three more verses selected. . . what does that point to? Why would one wait?
            That’s mystifying enough, but the fact that THF has complied with Rob’s request despite the fact that, legally, THF has the right to publish whatever anyone submits for publication and yet has complied with Rob’s (rather late) request.

            I do see problems here, Wendy. (and I’ve done my best to understand you & be “on the same page” but have usually failed)

            – Lorin

          2. Lorin, I don’t know if you have thought of this, you might have and discarded the idea for practical reasons, but how about replacing Rob’s verse with another from week 8, since he does not want the spot? I skimmed through and several stood out as functioning in a similar way. I did not look too closely so perhaps there are more that could work for you.

            after
            the thunderstorm
            butterflies

            Kanchan Chatterjee

            back and forth
            the sway of tulips
            beneath your steps

            Joanna Ashwell

            the kite rises
            and plunges
            in the wind

            John Daleiden

            a butterfly
            circles and
            recircles

            Richard Straw

            This would allow your creative vision to still come through.

        2. Thanks, Diana, for your positive thoughts. I’n happy you’ve been able to downloas it.
          This would work for me:

          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

          one man
          and his horse
          on the road to Shirakawa

          – Carol Jones

          sunflowers
          passing by

          – Diana Ming Jeong

          ****************

          I don’t know where (or even whether) this post will appear, but I’d prefer that it was up with my earlier comment regarding Rob’s idea of withdrawing his ‘kite’ verse.

          ” John Stevenson
          February 6, 2025 at 9:09 am

          The completed text of this renku, plus the results of our most recent tan-renga session, have now been added to the Haiku Foundation archives.”
          —-
          Rob Barkan
          February 12, 2025 at 12:12 am

          To John Stevenson:

          Good day John,

          This is to notify you that I want my poem
          and name withdrawn as soon as possible
          from the recently archived Completed
          Musical Chairs Renku.

          The poem is:

          a kite frolics
          this way
          and that

          Thank you in advance,
          Rob Barkan
          *****************************
          Rob, you give no reason why you want your verse deleted.
          (Note the dates: John completed on the 6th Feb, Then Rob made his request ob Feb 12th, 6 days later. ) Rob, we could delete the numbers on Orense’s and your verse, I think.
          —
          evening star
          just in time for
          the frogs frogs frogs (- linking to princess’s verse)– Orense
          –
          followed by:
          –
          a kite frolics
          this way
          and that – Rob Barkan (- linking to Orence’s verse )
          (link: both evening star and kite are seen in the sky)
          ****
          I was actually unwell at the time, I should have realised & made it clear that Rob’s ‘kite ‘ verse, while initially intended to link to princess’s verse, also links very well to Orense’s frog verse:

          evening star
          just in time for
          the frogs frogs frogs (Orense, verse 9,)

          a kite frolics
          this way
          and that – Rob Barkan ( the link : things seen in the sky: an evening star and a kite)

          And, importantly, Rob’s verse allows Joseph’s linking response “left or right?”)

          a thousand pilgrimages
          was it left, or right? – Joseph Kitagawa
          —
          and so on, until Diana’s sunflowers.
          Reading it this way, Rob’s verse does double duty.
          ***
          I responded to Rob, re his request about having his verse deleted on Feb 12th, (today, AEST) I wrote:

          “Lorin Ford
          February 12, 2025 at 8:41 pm

          Why would you want to do that, Rob?

          If you wanted to withdraw, common sense would show that you’d need to make such a request in good time before the next verse had been selected. In this case, three verses following and relying on your “kite” verse have been published the completed renku was placed in the THF Archive of Completed Renku:
          https://thehaikufoundation.org/the-haiku-foundation-renku-archive/
          ***
          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
          **
          one man
          and his horse
          on the road to Shirakawa – Carol Jones
          **
          sunflowers
          passing by – Diana Ming Jeong
          **
          Your verse has been published, Rob. You are the author of your verse but THF is the publisher.
          By submitting a verse, we enter a contract with THF. We give publication rights to publish it as a THF renku verse. If we want to withdraw a verse that a sabaki has fiddled with to the detriment of the verse, we need to quickly, but politely, request withdrawal .
          You waited several weeks and even then you gave no hint as to why you wanted your verse deleted.
          ****
          I accepted your verse as you submitted it. Please understand that by participating in a THF Renku, we are giving publication rights to The Haiku Foundation. You do not have the right to withdraw your verse at this point, Rob, so long after , nor to ask that it be deleted considering that a third of this completed renku, beginning with your verse, would be deleted along with your verse. It seems to me to be an extremely selfish request, but who knows what “backseat sabaki” ( an expression invented by our sweet & innocent Wendy) has whispered in your ear.
          —
          Wendy, I disagree with you:
          ” February 12, 2025 at 4:01 pm

          i don’t see any problem here….having # 9b taken away, doesn’t have to affect the renku at all.
          In fact….it improves, in my opinion.
          (If you mean having the number 9 & the symbols deleted , I agree. See my other posts)
          ***
          “there is a link using the Basho theme….between ‘frogs’ in Orense’s verse with the ‘pilgrimages’ in Joseph’s verse. ” – Wendy”
          —
          I don’t see any link between ‘frogs’ and Joseph’s verse. There is a link between Orense’s & Rob’s verse that was staring at us, but I missed it,. Rob’s “kite’ links to “evening star” (things seen in the sky)
          —
          Do you mean the verse or the number tag, Wendy? If you mean the number tag(#9b)
          I agree with you. That was an awkward way of distinguishing the two verses. At the time, though, you applauded it, and at the time I didn’t see the link between kite & evening star.

          1. There is no “Basho theme”.
          2.The Renku Sessions: 12 Tones – Musical Chairs, has, actually, 13 verses. My mistake, but I can live with it.
          *****
          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

          one man
          and his horse
          on the road to Shirakawa – Carol Jones

          sunflowers
          passing by – Diana Ming Jeong

          ****************
          *
          first spring gust
          and the silk robe opens – princess k

          This verse was never intended to link to Orense’s verse, but to princess’s verse. (However, I now realise that it can link to Orense’s verse,. see above. L)
          There is no need to tag Orense’s verse & Rob’s verse with numbers and/or letters.
          My experiment with layout failed, despite Wendy encouraging me. (Live & learn!)
          ***
          I hope that Rob will agree and that these two small changes can be made:
          The Renku Sessions: 12 Tones – Musical Chairs, Week 13

          February 6, 2025John Stevenson

          Renku Sessions

          ***

          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

          one man
          and his horse
          on the road to Shirakawa

          – Carol Jones

          sunflowers
          passing by

          – Diana Ming Jeong
          ***
          – Lorin

          —-

      2. Orense, it’s been a hard time in several ways not related to THF for me, so the building nastiness , somewhat disguised, got to me. (and other things not to do with THF) I hope Rob will read what I’ve written and change his mind. It’s a nuisance for John Stevenson, but I think a work-around of Rob’s verse, deleting the numbered verses, would help a lot. I wish I’d been able to see it before: it’s as simple as deleting the numbers & tags I put beside Rob’s “twin” verses. As it happens (I realise) his ‘kite’ verse actually links to your verse: things in the sky (evening star and kite).
        I do appreciate your understanding and willingness to speak out about the nasty atmosphere that eventuated. You hit the issue on the head with your mention of the “passive/aggressive” personality. Such people find misdirection , teasing and forming little “girl gangs” sort of thing amusing & clever. Teasing and cruelty amuses them. (It’s not only women, of course)
        I hope the simple removal of those numbers & tags I had in Rob’s verse will be acceptable to him. I wish I’d seen it earlier but there have been other things.

        1. Lorin, I am glad I was part of this renku journey, the positive far outweighs the negative for me. And I want to reiterate I have learned a lot and I thank you for it.

          As to all the different ideas for changing the renku I truly think editing the way the renku was already published diminishes it. It makes Joseph Kitagawa’s verse less, it is still an excellent verse but he wrote an exceptional response to the creative moment where poets were asked to link with one or the other or both previous verses of link 9. Removing the conditions in which he linked doesn’t allow for the depth and subtlety of his response to come through.
          Haikai poetry is the poetry of moments and a renku as a whole is also at its best when it reflects the creative moment.
          Making Rob Barkan’s verse and my verse a succession doesn’t make it more compliant with the form since we move away from the alternating choku/tanku structure with the drawback of making the departure from the norm appear less purposeful and meaningful. I think that your first intention is the right one, it is an amazing idea and what elevates the renku. This for me is an example of how renku can be fully relevant poetically and not simply a party game for poets which is one of the criticisms often levied against renku throughout its history. It breaks my heart to see the leveling of such a perfect renku moment as is Joseph’s response.
          Both removing Rob Barkan’s verse or breaking up the fork structure to create a traditional linear progression, makes the renku less impactful, more common place in my opinion and less in the moment. But if I had to choose between those two options that are unsatisfactory for me I would agree the second is better.

          1. We’re all over the place with replies : sometimes one can reply, sometimes we have to scroll back or down.
            Orense, my head is fuzzy & I’m very, very slow, but I understand your :

            “As to all the different ideas for changing the renku I truly think editing the way the renku was already published diminishes it. It makes Joseph Kitagawa’s verse less, it is still an excellent verse but he wrote an exceptional response to the creative moment where poets were asked to link with one or the other or both previous verses of link 9. Removing the conditions in which he linked doesn’t allow for the depth and subtlety of his response to come through. … Both removing Rob Barkan’s verse or breaking up the fork structure to create a traditional linear progression, makes the renku less impactful, more common place ” (Orense, February 13, 2025 at 4:58 am
            —
            In the wake of Rob’s unexplained redaction (which I can only interpret as malicious) John has simply removed that verse:
            https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/renkuarchive/2025_musical%20chairs.pdf

            Unfortunately, Orense, the “fork structure” didn’t happen and I could only label the two verses involved 9a and 9b, which was awkward. It was a failed experiment by this failed sabaki. At this point, now, I think what is needed is simply a replacement verse. I don’t think that should be too hard for John. If he can remove a verse in the ‘completed renku’ I’m pretty sure he could replace the removed verse with another verse.

            I recall your suggestion of going back and finding a suitable offered verse to replace the redacted verse. I don’t think I’m capable of that choice at present, especially after the startling experience of a participant successfully demanding his verse be redacted thus setting a standard) but here’s what I intend to do:

            In the wake of Rob’s unexplained redaction (which I can only interpret as malicious and planned) John has simply removed that verse from the completed renku pages:
            https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/renkuarchive/2025_musical%20chairs.pdf

            What is needed is a replacement verse. And so, here is my proposal:

            first spring gust
            and the silk robe opens – princess k
            –
            evening star
            just in time for
            the frogs frogs frogs – Orense
            –
            back and forth
            the calls of two
            boobook owls – Lorin
            –
            a thousand pilgrimages
            was it left, or right? – Joseph Kitagawa
            ———
            Boobook Owls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_boobook

            —-
            At least I know that I wouldn’t demand the verse be redacted.

            ps – yesterday, intending to make a list of people who had offered a verse (or several) I only got to the end of week 2. The first (in week 1) was Richard Straw, the 31st was Rob Barkan (in week 2) and the last, at the end of week 2, was Federico.
            Over the first two weeks there were 51 individual people interested in participating in the renku. Imagine how many people had submitted verses by the end of this renku!

    2. Why would you want to do that, Rob?

      If you wanted to withdraw, common sense would show that you’d need to make such a request in good time before the next verse had been selected. In this case, three verses following and relying on your “kite” verse have been published the completed renku was placed in the THF Archive of Completed Renku:
      https://thehaikufoundation.org/the-haiku-foundation-renku-archive/

      a kite frolics
      this way
      and that

      – Rob Barkan

      a thousand pilgrimages
      was it left, or right?

      – Joseph Kitagawa

      one man
      and his horse
      on the road to Shirakawa

      – Carol Jones

      sunflowers
      passing by

      – Diana Ming Jeong
      . . .
      Your verse has been published. You are the author of your verse but THF is the publisher.
      By submitting a verse, we enter a contract with THF. We give publication rights to publish it as a THF renku verse. If we want to withdraw a verse that a sabaki has fiddled with to the detriment of the verse, we need to quickly, but politely, request withdrawal . (That’s not the case here. I accepted your verse as you submitted it.)

      Please understand: by participating in a THF Renku, we are giving publication rights to The Haiku Foundation. You do not have the right to withdraw your verse at this point, Rob, and to ask that it be deleted when a third of this completed renku, beginning with your verse, would be deleted seems to me to be an extremely selfish request.
      —

      1. Lorin,
        I checked and the archives have been updated.

        I said I would abide by the decisions of THF but at the same time, I do feel grief.

        Despite it all, our work is not rendered useless nor is it diminished.

        It’s for the best. The kite flew away and got caught in a tree. And that tree burned down to the ground.

        I wrote a haiku after a deadline for Eaton Canyon, Altadena, and Pasadena, and I offer it here.

        from the ashes
        sprouting grasses and forbs
        recolonize the earth

        -Diana Ming Jeong

        We always rise from the ashes like a phoenix.

        🐦‍🔥 🪑 🌻

    4. Rob, I hope you will reconsider…correct me if I am wrong, please, but if this is the reason, don’t feel badly, that many of the poets here who offered worthy verses weren’t able to have their poems published in the finished version … I am positive that we are all very proud of each and everyone of our fellow poets’ contributions to this renku. Your poem, along with the other poems that were chosen not only serve as an inspiration, but gives us all hope… for the ”next time”! :)

      1. “.if this is the reason, don’t feel badly, . . that many of the poets here who offered worthy verses weren’t able to have their poems published in the finished version . . .” (Madeleine)

        It is true that when there are many more participants than there are the number of verse places, some will be disappointed. The Junicho has 12 verses. (in this case I added an extra verse spot and there were 13 verses,) How many participants were there?

        But spitting the dummy & demanding withdrawal of one’s selected verse weeks after it has been chosen (and in this case, when the renku had been completed) can’t help those who haven’t had a verse selected.

        I see that John has complied with Rob Barkan’s demand.

  2. Sorry, Mr. Sato…..please forgive me for my typo error of inserting the wrong first name when introducing your reference book to this renku session’s discussion.
    It should read, “Hiroaki Sato”, who wrote this wonderfully comprehensive book called, “One Hundred FROGS” from Renga to Haiku to English.

    For those interested, the unredacted edition is downloadable, and read-ready at THF Digitable Library.

    and his photo and bio info:
    https://thehaikufoundation.org/staff-member/hiroaki-sato/

    Hiroaki Sato is a translator, writer, and columnist. He, with Burton Watson, won the 1982 PEN American Center Translation Prize for their collaboration, From the Country of Eight Islands: Anthology of Japanese Poetry (Anchor Books, 1981; reprint, Columbia University Press, 1986). He also won the 1999 Japan-United States Friendship Commission Japanese Literary Translation Prize for Breeze Through Bamboo: Kanshi of Ema Saikō (Columbia University Press, 1997). His more recent translations of Japanese poetry are Miyazawa Kenji: Selections (University of California Press, 2007), The Modern Fable: Poems of Nishiwaki Junzaburō (Green Integer, 2007), and Japanese Women Poets: An Anthology (M.E. Sharpe, 2007). Among his prose translations are Legends of the Samurai (Overlook, 1995) and My Friend Hitler and Other Plays of Yukio Mishima (Columbia University Press, 2002). Persona: A Biography of Yukio Mishima (Stone Bridge Press, 2012) is his account of the life of the author who committed disembowelment in 1970; it was inspired by Inose Naoki’s request to translate his biography of the writer and playwright into English. Snow in a Silver Bowl (Red Moon Press, 2013) is his exploration of the Japanese aesthetic concept of yōgen. Sato’s books on haiku are One Hundred Frogs: From Renga to Haiku to English (Weatherhill, 1983) and Eigo Haiku (Haiku in English: A Poetic Form Expands, Simul, 1987). He translated Right under the big sky, I don’t wear a hat: The Haiku and Prose of Hōsai Ozaki (Stone Bridge Press, 1993) ), which comes with Cor van Heuvel’s preface and Kyoko Selden’s full introduction; and Santoka: Grass and Tree Cairn (Red Moon Press, 2002). He was president of the Haiku Society of America, from 1979 to 1981; adjunct professor at St. Andrews Presbyterian College (Laurinburg, NC) and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). He made his living at the New York office of the Japanese trade agency JETRO, from April 1969 to June 2013, for the last six years, as senior research fellow. Since 2000 Sato has written the monthly column, “The View from New York,” for The Japan Times.

  3. i just downloaded and read the recently archived events.
    John S. i love the title you picked for the tan-rengas, “Shadings” taken and honouring, Laurie’s fine verse.

    from what i remember…..

    winter sale
    everything
    must go

    Keith Evetts

    1. Hi John Stevenson,
      is it too late to make changes to the archived tan-renga, “Shadings”?
      i noticed
      the verse :

      winter sale
      everything
      must go…………..is authored by Keith Evetts but it says: Laurie Greer
      …………………………….in the archived tan-renga “Shadings”

      1. Hi John, I just realized Dan’s poem on the short list hasn’t been rightly attributed to him. Will there still be time to change it after taking care of Wendy’s request:)?

        “…brushing sunflower petals
        from my passport…”

        Dan Campbell
        Posted on February 1, 2025 at 12:54.

  4. Congratulations Diana on a lovely and (to me) a somewhat wistful ageku!
    .
    sunflowers
    passing by
    .
    – Diana Ming Jeong
    .
    .
    Thank you Lorin for your guidance throughout the renku sessions. I enjoyed the experimental fork in the road that the renku took with Orense’s and Rob’s verses, and am thrilled that you were willing to take a chance on doing something to push the boundaries (so to speak).
    .
    Thank you John Stevenson, for looking for what went right in this renku session – a refreshing perspective.
    .
    Thank you to everyone who participated in this renku – I always enjoy reading everyone’s submitted verses, regardless of whether or not the verses are chosen. Looking forward to “seeing” everyone at the next renku.

  5. Orense, thank you for reminding me!

    Orense says: “But I think renku is beautiful precisely because it reflects how different perspectives make up a greater whole.”

    Perhaps, you have already read, Hiromi Sato’s book, ” One Hundred Frogs”
    but if you haven’t, i believe you would enjoy it! Particularly the section towards the end….where he shares a collection, (100 verses) of many different haiku poet’s rendition and their interpretation/slant on Basho’s most famous and beloved, frog haiku! I read them all and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the different perspectives on the same subject.
    Although, my favourite one is probably still, Basho’s……..i still appreciate
    the others.
    Just as i did your frog, frog, frog verse, the one chosen by Lorin for this renku. (Though, i liked it better, in the stargazing, love verse!)
    My point is….. i have no malice towards your work, nor accusations of plagiarism. This was just an academic sharing with you, i grew up within a very tolerant and free environment knowing we can state an opinion of preferences, but that is how i grew up…..always knowing we are all entitled to discuss what we love (and prefer) best without suffering harassment or rejection. It is no different then when children get together in an ice cream shoppe and i say how much i love pistachio.
    You were able to enjoy the video link about frogs, frogs, frogs….and had a very positive response
    …..why the radical change?

    1. Harassment or rejection? Those are very strong words. My one comment can hardly be described as harassment but perhaps this is a veiled dig at Lorin instead.

      My referencing your comment was a minor point part of a larger effort pointing out that the situation wasn’t as clear cut as the numerous condemnations of Lorin made it out to be with the big bad sabaki vs the poor sacrificial haijin. This is hypocritical in several ways for me with issues such as always looking at Lorin’s words in the worst light possible and pretending that Lorin had not suffered remarks that could be seen as harassment as well.

      The point I was making has to do with how your comment could be construed not with your intent which I did not pretend to know. Here it is

      “my comment #1

      one of my favourite poems about frogs:

      Voices of frogs
      As if to accompany
      All those stars

      Eleanor Wolff

      reminds me of of our # 9a chosen by Lorin Ford, our sabaki of Musical Chairs Renku, and composed by Orense :

      evening star
      just in time for
      the frogs frogs frogs ——– Orense”

      If you had elaborated with substance and showed in what ways the two verses are different, it would have helped make clear that this was not a negative remark. Whereas simply saying this verse resembles this verse without elaborating does allow for a negative interpretation of your words as implying dejaku. Communication is complicated and if one wants to find fault one always can. Glass houses and all…

      I noticed many calling for apologies from Lorin for “shut up” cue shocked gasp (after weeks of back and forth with Madeleine) but where was the outrage when words such as “disgusting”, “smelly fishwives”, “drunken hussies”, “squabbling washerwomen”
      Where were the calls to apologize for unambiguous sexist insults? Where was the support of at the very least the women? Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please do not claim the moral highground.

      All those asking Lorin to take responsibility for remarks that while sometimes clumsy are not the end of the world refuse to take responsability for their own actions because no one called them out. I could list all the questionable instances but I will limit myself to what you did Wendy all in week 10 since I am responding to your message.

      1)You said to Lorin
      “…you said you believe it was done before…..can you tell me who did it and give me the source so i can read it?

      thank you in advance,
      for respectfully answering my questions.”

      Then when Lorin kindly answered saying she did not have any examples on hand.

      “thanks……Lorin.
      i thought(had hopes) there would be an actual renku you could point to that i could read tonight.
      Sadly, i guess i’ll have to do my best with a skeleton.”

      I think most would agree this level of passive agressiveness can hardly be seen as polite and kind.

      2)”9a or 9b
      can’t make heads
      or tails of this ”

      I don’t think it crazy that Lorin saw your offering as a comment on the renku. Personally I saw it as both a comment and an offering. You answered her kind reassurance first by reposting your offering again with no additional explanation (real helpful) and then with

      “So sorry to hear you may be suffering from the some of the same afflictions that affect “our” leader….and that made you believe i was making a comment directly to you…..when i wasn’t…..it was an actual
      offer for the renku.”

      3) “Lorin, I am not experiencing any confliction regarding your fine, creative decisions for any of your verse selections for this renku….don’t know how you came to that assumption.”

      What could have possibly made Lorin think you were not on board with the fork in the renku? She’s obviously cray cray and you are not gaslighting her at all.

      4) You passive-aggressively numbering your comments #1#2#3 is a coincidence? The exact number I suggested as a cap for congratulatory comments on individual verses… used to number the types of comments Lorin never had an issue with and welcomed instead. You never numbered your comments before.

      5) Your “not a critique” where you express confusion over Lorin’s selections and lament a lack of physicality for the love verses. Not criticism… yet those are hard to put a positive spin on.
      In principle I have nothing against critique and I think voicing disagreement or confusion is not a bad thing but here you did choose the absolute worst time to do so. A more appropriate and logical time would have been when those verses were selected weeks prior, yet at the time you expressed admiration for those choices instead. You just had to wait to kick Lorin when she was down…

      It seems to me Lorin was treated as a guest sabaki, emphasis on guest. She was expected to fit into an already existing system and her authority extended only so far as she perpetuated it. I think the misunderstanding lies in that for Lorin there are no qualifiers attached to sabaki and I would agree with that personally. You say “always knowing we are all entitled to discuss what we love (and prefer) best without suffering harassment or rejection” the operating word in this sentence for me is “entitled”. There are circumstances where communication is restricted for good reasons and one is not always entitled to speak. A renku may be such a setting.

      I know I’m not going to win the popularity vote for saying this and I make no judgement on your intentions, all of this may have been subconscious (though considering the volume that is slightly hard to believe). Nor were you alone in creating this environment, many participated in some way. Personally I take responsability for pushing back on renku theory and debating with Lorin in previous weeks. I draw a distinction in my mind between theoretical debates and the renku proper but perhaps that distinction is flimsy after all and I may have contributed to this outcome by doing so.

      All of this to say let’s get off our high horses we did get to journey to Shirakawa. It may have been a bumpy ride but the poetry that came out of it is admirable. And ultimately you can’t have one without the other.

      Let bygones be bygones and agree there are no righteous heroes in this story.

        1. Orense, you have been the one that has helped me understand what Sabaki Lorin has gone through, throughout this renku…to be at peace and to let things go. We have all been going through our own journeys on this renku and many of us have learned a lot. I think that some of us have made comments that we regret. (I know that I have and I hope to learn from it.) I don’t know what Wendy is feeling right now, but I can tell you how I am feeling … deep remorse for words I have said, that I wish I could take back. I am holding on tightly to John’s philosophy: ”…I tend to look for the ways in which things that have ‘gone wrong’ are also ‘right’…”(js.) Thinking about the renku pilgrimage we have just returned from, I hope all my left turns will become right paths. Orense, I love your ending suggestion, which I have taken to heart “…let bygones be bygones and agree there are no righteous heroes in this story…”

        1. Hi Lorin,

          I agree with Orense.

          I am happy with this too: “Your clarity and positive interpretations sit very well with me.”

          I also emailed you a private message that I didn’t want to post on a public forum. I used your email address in your bio here at THF.
          -Diana 🌸

          1. Many thanks, Diana, for your kindness. I hadn’t been checking my emails, but this morning (AEST) I did, as I needed to contact John Stevenson.

    2. “……..i still appreciate
      the others.
      Just as i did your frog, frog, frog verse, the one chosen by Lorin for this renku. (Though, i liked it better, in the stargazing, love verse!)” – Wendy C. .Bialek

      This is strange, Wendy! By “the stargazing love verse”, do you mean

      “young lovers stargazing
      with the frogs frogs frogs – Orense”

      If so, yes, I appreciate this verse, too (& noted in in the short list, where it lingered in my mind), but when one is in the role of sabaki/guide one has to choose from many submitted verses that will help move the renku along. Orense submitted this “young lovers…” verse and I liked it a lot. However, I preferred, for this particular place in this renku, the nuanced possibilities opened by princess’s :

      first spring gust
      and the silk robe opens – princess k

      You didn’t like that, either, Wendy. Anyone can skim the comments and see your degrading comments. I can’t recall exactly, but the gist of them was something along the lines of “this isn’t a love verse because the silk robe could be on the clothes line, drying, and has nothing to to with “love”.) (the sense of sulkiness comes through)
      In fact , Wendy, anyone who reads your comments could gather that you would’ve preferred, in this renku, that I should follow :

      a warm cup of tea
      for the newcomer – Hla Yin Mon

      with a verse of your own, rather than Laurie’s “love potion” verse link ( which definitely gained your disapproval) with a verse of your own, which was about ‘spooning’ on a yoga mat. Two people, in a position of fucking or near to fucking, as a link to a hospitable cup of tea??? (Give me strength!)

      Where’s the link to the cup of tea? A literal tea spoon? (not all cups of tea are sugared, btw)

      Wendy, you’ve already given your opinion about both of the chosen ‘love verses’. Anyone can go back and read your (somewhat biased) views as you’ve stated them along the way. You disapproved of Laurie’s “love potion” verse because you considered there should be two (at least , two) people in a sexual act in the first love verse, rather than a good humored, even humorous “I’m in the mood for love!” verse (which, we can’t deny, Laurie’s excellent haiku shows. A good one, Laurie! :-)

      “This was just an academic sharing with you, i grew up within a very tolerant and free environment knowing we can state an opinion of preferences, …”

      Well, Wendy, that’s nice that you grew up in a tolerant and free environment. (Quite what that might have been I’m not aware, but I left school at the end of 6th grade (the story of many, in those days in Australia) and was out on my own in the ’60s, but I had some good luck, too.

      I am aware (and was a part of) the hippie culture, way back then. (My education, by luck, is due to Gough Whitlam, in the 70’s. That’s the “academia” aspect (I loved it.
      The university had a creche, which looked after my son while I attended lectures.. An actual , real psychologist, who I’d been referred to (a straight -up, Pommie bloke, had supported me by telling me I had a high I. Q. & I should apply for this “early leaver’s scheme’ (I did, & got in with 1st colas honours) )

      My feeling ( I may be wrong!) is that you, Wendy, are younger., and tghat you wouldn’t know what an “academic sharing” is, since you have no idea of what academia is . But what you’ve been doing here is not a simple matter of stating your opinion or preferences.

      You claim (or was it one or of your followers who claimed?) that you are a qualified and practicing psychologist doesn’t sit well with me. . My opinion, going by your comments over several renku, is that you are certainly not a qualified psychologist.
      But I can see that you do have the ability to get some people to support you.

      1. This has been a very challenging renku for all of us, I believe. It looks to me that we all want to put everything behind, learning from our mistakes and to accept each other as we are and realize there is room for change. This week more than others Wendy has proven this, by standing up and extending the olive branch in her joyous way…hoping for understanding and compassion and should be commended, as this is no easy task. “Let bygones be bygones.” Several poets including Wendy have echoed this sentiment, especially this week … that this be a safe place where we can come together as a renku family to find peace, solace and to express ourselves in our poetry.

        1. It is disingenuous to pretend Lorin’s comment is coming out of nowhere. She is responding to Wendy who is the one who brought up several not so peaceful veiled criticisms in the first place. I would also say that the HFLA (having fun linking again) celebratory hats are not the classiest move. Bygones works only when the strife’s cause has gone by…

          1. Orense “..criticisms..” per this renku session is not the first time it’s happened …If nothing else, for the preservation of our beloved renku adventures, let’s please all agree to bury the hatchet so we can get on with what we all love …that which brings joy to our lives.

          2. I said what I had to say. Peace is good… just don’t go digging that hatchet up again then pretending it magically appeared in others’ hands.
            You may have gathered by now that I am allergic to hypocrisy. 😏

          4. Thinking about what you said, Orense, I’ve gone back into the present renku’s posts and last renku’s sessions. I have found that I have hurt Lorin’s feelings more than several times.…a lot to think about and an incentive for change. And yes, I am well aware that I am a hypocrite and fear that I most likely will remain one. It will still go on my list of things hoping to change. I would also like to change my “…criticisms…” in the post above to “…misunderstandings…”

          5. Madeleine, we all do and say hypocritical things, most often not by design. Which is why dialogue is so important to allow us to understand others’ point of view. I can see by your willingness to apologize and your ability to consider others’ feelings that you are not a hypocrit in general. I also think the unconditional support you found in others was detrimental to you in this particular case, sometimes being a friend can be about providing perspective instead of reinforcing a false sense of righteousness.

            If Lorin were your peer you would have a case arguing she said such and such to me which I did not like and so I was justified to respond in this and that way. But Lorin as Sabaki is not our peer. She is a step above by virtue of her function. Her remarks which you might find hurtful serve a purpose just like it might not be fun to be reprimanded by a teacher but you learn not to talk back.

            Have you never had that teacher that you disliked at first because you thought him/her too strict and harsh but after some getting used to you really liked? I remember my philosophy teacher in high school, Mr. Ruby. He is one of the most caustic human beings I have ever met (think Dr House) and would say the most hilariously offensive things to us but we didn’t take offense because we understood it was nothing personal and he was brilliant. He was the most beloved teacher in school and a legend. Students couldn’t wait to be seniors to see what all the fuss was about. I wonder if twenty years later he could still be a teacher in the current climate of discourse and I find that sad considering the great impact he had on so many students teaching us the rudiments of thought.

            Lorin is nowhere near that level of abrasiveness and I can appreciate her effort to be genuine in her interactions, shying away from false praise and engaging with others’ comments in a substantive way. While such an approach can be bruising to the ego sometimes, challenge does afford greater opportunity for growth.

            I think of Wendy’s reference to a “safe environment” and I would point out that the definition of a safe environment can vary depending on perspective. You can imagine a world with eiderdown pillows everywhere and pictures of puppies on the wall (strangely reminiscent of a padded room) but it could also be an environment where you learn that bumps are part of life and are nothing to be feared. They afford different kinds of safeties, one more sustainable than the other in my opinion. I understand that we all respond differently to teaching styles. I tend to yearn for the real and meaningful and I am willing to suffer some discomfort to get to those because they are most often inextricable in my mind.

            A lot of tangents to say I think that all of this could have gone very differently if Lorin was truly afforded the respect that being sabaki commands. This renku was challenging as you note, in some negative aspects because of all the interpersonal drama but also in a positive way for me, challenging the poetic status quo and opening up many new ideas about renku’s possibilities for me.

    3. ” Perhaps, you have already read, Hiromi Sato’s book, ” One Hundred Frogs”
      but if you haven’t, i believe you would enjoy it! ” Wendy (to Orense)

      I doubt anyone has read a book titled “One Hundred Frogs” and authored by Hiromi Sato.
      I’ve not read that book but I’m aware that the author is male and that my son’s partner, Hiromi ,
      is female. Perhaps you’re getting the genders mixed up, Wendy?

      2. Lorin,
        i typed the wrong first name…..from some recent research i was doing and copy-pasted the wrong first name instead.
        LOL!!!!! though i often make mistakes with gengers they are not limited to genger.

        1. typo-corrections
          LOL!!!!! though i often make mistakes with genders they are not limited to gender.

    4. Alot of pondering for me Orense…Thanks! Wendy.all this information on 100 Frogs! Very thoughtful! I am looking forward to reading about it:)! Looking forward to spring! Have a great break everyone! :)

        1. Yes, maddy, tender cuddling is also my understanding and association with the meaning of spooning.
          we used yoga mats in La Maze class, too, prior to both children’s birth.
          Being that yoga mats are so narrow, two people sharing one mat, may have to be on their sides, in the spooning position.
          You totally saw the imagery and tender sharing, i intended in that verse! Thanks for sharing those links….and bringing back those fond memories.

          2. Orense, after pondering your response, a couple of texts above, I truly don’t feel an abrasive teaching style has a place in a teacher’s tool box. Teaching can be just as effective, even more effective without resorting to an out-and-out disrespect of a child’s or adult’s character, through shaming and or using humiliation techniques. There is no place for this kind of treatment of a human being. More than ever we should as a group and as individuals practice kindness, compassion regularly and to see another person’s point of view in a nonjudgmental way…to walk in another’s shoes. I know I am going to start practicing this philosophy.

          3. I wanted to add Orense, that your kind and compassionate response to me, above was quite comforting and much appreciated and I do understand your point of view. (Mr. Ruby’s reputation does make me smile…) I believe outrageousness has its endearing qualities. In my opinion it needs to be paired with much compassion. I appreciated your touches of humor… My puppy is sleeping next to me on the sofa and there is an excess of pillows around!:)

          4. Orense, upon more pondering… I want to be clear in admitting my “.. out-and-out disrespect and shaming…” of Sabaki’s authority in this present renku and would like to repeat that there is no place for this kind of treatment of a human being.

          5. In response to comments in yesterday’s posts “..building nastiness…little girl gangs…” stem in my opinion from a lack of understanding of the situation. Neither side involved was entirely innocent. Shaming others as a group or individually, never helps. It only serves to inflict more emotional and psychological damage on the recipient. In my opinion these misunderstandings should more than ever be given the benefit of the doubt…I have looked through the posts on the renku sessions… In spite of what was going on, I have seen friendships blossom between poets and friendships blossoming between Sabaki Lorin, as well…More than anything, comments of poets standing up for each other and poets standing up for Sabaki. I wouldn’t consider standing up for someone (or standing up to someone) when needed, to be “cruel” on anyone’s part. I fully admit, some of my remarks were harsh…sadly, but not cruel or “teasing”. Inspite of everything going on, there seems to have been a lot more positive things happening, which some poets have already expressed. I hope this sentiment will help those of us who have been affected by this disharmony, one way or another…to be able to heal and to find peace.

  6. What a beautifully understated end to the renku! Congratulations Diane on this perfect ageku and congratulations Lorin on such an engaging renku, of which you and everyone can be proud of. I very much enjoyed the journey and everybody’s contributions.
    John, I also admire your remark on how fitting Lorin’s departure from the norm is in the context of this musical chairs renku , a truly marvellous insight.
    Looking forward to more renku adventures😀

  7. “Congratulations, Diana, for your excellent link to Carol’s verse and a perfect concluding verse for our “Musical Chairs” renku!”
    Ditto on Lorin’s compliment.
    Diana, i am so happy that your brief, poignant and potent, sunflower verse has been chosen and that your relentless efforts to find the best way to express your experiences here, are so greatly appreciated and deserved!!!!
    i see and feel the cantor motion of the image ‘passing by’….that Lorin speaks about here.
    and i feel a strong spiritual message, as well:
    Aren’t we all passing by…..by passing through!

    sunflowers
    passing by

    Diana Ming Jeong

    Lorin, thanks for selecting Diana’s beautifully crafted, sunflower ageku!

    i wanted to tell you how much i enjoyed your sentient, collab. with Dan C.

    from the train window
    fields of sunflower gold……Dan Campbell and Lorin Ford

    And John Stevenson,
    i love your zen and gestalt reflection and parallel approach on Musical Chairs game, with the mechanics of this Musical Chairs renku.
    Life imitating Art!

    Thank you to all who participated in this renku, the poets and THF community for making these Sessions possible.

    Lorin,
    i learned many new things related to renku from you: such as….
    that love verses are acceptable by just the thought/or desire for love!
    not always requiring one or two adult partners.
    That thoughts, unconscious/subconscious; can be governed/factored in renku and be treated differently with regard to rules for breaks/cuts.
    and how you like certain articles at times to show who is doing the actions.
    Thank you Lorin for these guiding points along the way.
    Glad you are cooling off some!

    Diana, glad to see that the Ca. wildfires are 100% contained,
    and that this renku challenge has taken your mind off the tragedy
    you were subjected to…..

    2. Wendy,
      I greatly appreciate and love the kindness and support here at THF. I am especially grateful for yours and others’ concerns about the well-being of me and us all. I hope everyone feels the same about THF and/or has a place like this that comforts them and where they can turn in need.
      ❤️ – Diana

      1. we are a caring community of artists. i, too, have many times been touched here with the warmth of the renku family.
        the bond we all have here, is undeniably strong.
        Thank you for this sharing, Diana.

  8. A lovely final verse Diana and appreciation to Lorin for choosing such an interesting renku route. THF brings out our best. So good to find you back in the driver’s seat John.

  9. Congrats, Diana! What a great verse to end with, Lorin. It brought me right back to a rail journey, speeding past sunflowers on a TGV en route to visit our daughter in the Champagne region.

    Many thanks to all. 🙏

    marion

    1. Thanks, Marion. I’m happy that you, too, appreciate Diana’s ageku. Simplicity and brevity, in the right context, work well.

  10. Thank you, Lorin! Thank you for choosing my link for the ageku. Thanks to you, I did not give up. All I could think about for days at work, at home, at church, in my sleep, at the store… was sunflowers. It took my mind off of the fires and other natural and unnatural disasters. And thankfully, I came back to read the comments and I saw that you said “try not to be clever”. The same day, Lee and I were watching one of those science programs on YouTube on our TV, and they were discussing parallax. Thus, this image came to mind.

    sunflowers
    passing by

    It describes many fond memories of hiking, biking, horse back riding, walking and talking here in California, many road trips in the car, on a train, or taking off in a plane. :)

    Thank you John Stevenson for your note! I hadn’t thought of it while we were participating in this renku but yes, it did feel very much like we have been playing musical chairs and because of the special extra verse … “This renku has one verse without what we call in renku a “seat.” Brilliant. I will also be applying this to my life: “I tend to look for the ways in which things that have “gone wrong” are also “right.””

    And thank you Lorin for another gift. I have a penchant for looking up things in Google, and I had a feeling this was another one of your offerings… ah! sun-flower…

    Ah! Sun-flower

    By William Blake
    Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,
    Who countest the steps of the Sun:
    Seeking after that sweet golden clime
    Where the travellers journey is done.

    Where the Youth pined away with desire,
    And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:
    Arise from their graves and aspire,
    Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.

    https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43649/ah-sun-flower

    🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

    I look forward to the next renku. I have been enjoying everyone’s submissions and camaraderie. Thank you!
    -Diana 🌸

    1. “I tend to look for the ways in which things that have “gone wrong” are also “right.”” – (Diana quoting John)
      Diana, I,. too, will be following that wise attitude of John’s.

      Ha! And you got “ah, sun-flower. . . ” :-) I’m happy that you did How could I not recall Blake’s (now ancient) poem? I was certainly getting a bit weary of time, myself.

        1. Diana, I agree with Lorin’s commentary and Wendy’s about your excellent verse… You worked hard and came up with the perfect verse that ends our renku:) I am happy that you find comfort at THF and I agree…there is much kindness here. Thank you, always for your thoughtfulness and caring. ❤️ See you soon at the next renku!

          (I enjoyed William Blake’s “Ah! Sun-flower” … It is beautiful:)

    2. Diana,
      i love and share your penchant for googling!
      Thank you for sharing this famous sunflower poem and the url links.

      about your desire to get notifications….i googled it!….to get directions to enable notifications on your browser/system..

      i also googled the name, Joseph Kitagawa, as i remembered the name from my past……but forgot the source.
      the one that came up at me….was the late, writer of Japanese/Shinto Philosophy, when i studied different beliefs …..perhaps our creative, newcomer is his son???????? if so, i am sorry for your loss, Joseph, and i know your father is honoured and proud to know you are following in his footsteps.

  11. Congratulations, Diana, your verse has a wonderful serenity. A lovely choice, Lorin.

    Many thanks to Lorin and John for another diverse and interesting renku session. You’ve worked hard Lorin, enjoy your rest, I do hope the temperature is or will become cooler for you. I’ve enjoyed the diverse conversations, and also reading the verses each week by our happy band of poets.

    I’m looking forward to the next session.

    1. Thanks, Carol. :-) Today, the temperature has dropped. Grey sky, the hope of rain and a predicted top temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. I’m recovering already. :-)

  12. Such a delightful journey! Dare I say it was also more of a communal pilgrimage as well. Thank you for allowing me to be part of it.

    1. Curt, how could I not have your

      “are we
      there yet?”

      to follow John D’s road sign pointing to The Monument ? Perfect for the spot, I thought. :-)

  13. Congratulations, Diana, on writing a mesmerizing closing link. It’s a wonderful selection, Lorin, and a great renku overall. By the way, regarding this week’s short list, I didn’t write the sunflower link that has been attributed to me. I’m not sure who wrote it.

    1. I searched last week’s entries and found that the link wrongly attributed to me (i.e., “surrounded by sunflowers / thatched roofs point skywards”) was submitted by Melissa Dennison on February 1, 2025, at 8:48 a.m.

      1. I’ve just now found the mistake you refer to in the final week’s short list, Richard.
        I don’t think I can do anything about it, but at least I can attribute it to Melissa, here:

        surrounded by sunflowers
        thatched roofs point skywards – Melissa Dennison

  14. Many thanks Lorin, John and to all of the participants, I looked forward to each weekly session.

    1. Hi Dan,
      i wanted to tell you how much i enjoyed your verse:

      nanosecond view of sunflowers
      from the train window – Dan Campbell

      The message i received from this was touching….
      i feel the comparison/shift that occurs when people
      adjust (get back) to their regular lives after coming back from
      vacation. when on vacation….they allow themselves
      the time to ‘smell the roses’ ( here to see the sunflowers)……
      and on the train ride back….such a small glimpse of sunflowers.

      Wouldn’t it be great, if we all could allow ourselves to live as if we
      were on vacation/holiday all the time?

      1. Wendy, I really enjoyed Dan’s verse, too (as well as Lorin’s & Dan’s collaboration, as you mentioned at the very top of the posting) and your thoughts about it. :) I also was very moved by Dan’s verse:

        “brushing sunflower petals
        from my passport”

        It touched my heart.

      2. Many thanks dear Wendy and dear madeleine, I sure do appreciate both of your verses and participation!

          1. Lorin and John, I just realized Dan’s poem on the short list hasn’t been rightly attributed to him. Will there still be time to change it?

            “…brushing sunflower petals
            from my passport…”

            Dan Campbell
            Posted on February 1, 2025 at 12:54.

          2. LOL!!!!!! Maddy, that one brushed right past me, looks like we’ll have to go undercover as ‘Straws’ or Melissa will not only be surrounded by sunflowers but the rest of her life brushing their petals off her passport and not getting off the ground. And Laurie’s business will move to Alaska.

  16. A charming and fitting verse Diana! It’s perfect! :) So grateful for a week filled with flowers … pink, blue, purple hydrangeous… all manner of sunflowers, among the many other offerings. Thank you Lorin for leading the way, to John for posting every week and to the poets who contributed throughout the Musical Chairs Renku.

    1. madelaine,
      i was looking forward to your creative images in flower verses, (that are so well done)…..but they never came up!
      I love hydrangeas, too! I did make a mistake, though, they actually weren’t on the season word reference list we were told to use for this renku! Soon as i realized this…..i stopped using them in verses…..and went to sunflowers instead.
      Looking forward to seeing you post verses in the next renku!

        1. Awww…thank you dear Wendy, you made my day. 🙂 I thought your sunflower verses were very creative and I enjoyed reading them. I smiled a big smile when I read:

          “Snap! my face
          on a sunflower stem”

          See you at the next renku, Wendy!:)

          2. Awww…thank you, Wendy! 🙂 Had fun with the responses… trying out a new alias and being silly…still Maddy.

        2. maddy,
          the ‘snap’ one made me laugh, too!
          i’m sure there are many ways it could be construed.
          since selfie had been mentioned….one can see it as a snap of a camera…..but i know that horses, can be (as well as many other animals/humans, are) fond of eating sunflower seeds.
          so this was a way of inferring the horse presence without saying it directly.
          Glad you enjoyed it, too! (how ever you envisioned it!)

          1. “Snap! my face
            on a sunflower stem”
            Wendy Bialek

            Wendy, my response to your verse:

            a halo
            of honey
            bees
            mk

            You inspired another verse.
            In honor of the Musical Chairs Adventure…

            sunflowers
            linking
            a cluster of renku poets
            mk

        3. “I love hydrangeas, too! I did make a mistake, though, they actually weren’t on the season word reference list we were told to use for this renku! Soon as i realized this…..i stopped using them in verses…..and went to sunflowers instead. ” – Wendy

          Wendy, it seems you have things a bit mixed up. To clarify:
          Yes, Higginson’s ‘The 500 Essential Japanese Season Words” was the kiyose I adopted for this renku. Kiyose or similar lists are useful for keeping all participants on the one page. That certainly does not mean the flowers for the flower verse should be restricted to those listed in that kiyose. I’ve never implied any such thing.
          If you go back and scroll you will find I never once pointed to this kiyose for our Summer flower spot, and in fact made several comments regarding the suitability of hydrangeas and sunflowers for that verse. That doesn’t mean I would prefer one of these over other summer flowers.
          Linking is important. Considering that the verse immediately previous to the flower verse ageku involves a man and his horse on a road, it is not unlikely that there could be a fields along that road. Fields of sunflowers are not unlikely since sunflowers are a crop planted for their seeds.
          (my (very tall) hydrangea plant is scorched brown at the top and pale green shading into blue at the shady bottom, at present. February being the last month of Summer, here.)

          1. Lorin,
            so sorry to hear about your harshly treated tall hydrangea!
            Those are very beautiful colours, i have seen those colour combos on these flowers…..sadly, the extreme temps we are having due to climate change, etc. shortens the amount of time we can enjoy them.
            Sunflowers can tolerate drought, not so with hydrangea…the water guzzlers of the world.

      2. Hi, Wendy , re the hydrangeas, they are a summer flowering plant and I recall mentioning them. You didn’t make any mistake re any season word lists. I didn’t even look at the season word list (Higginson’s) because I didn’t need to. I did note that hydrangeas were part of the quotation re Shirakawa that I posted, though.

        And here’s what I said re one of your ‘hydrangea’ verses”. Your verse:

        “Wendy C. Bialek
        January 30, 2025 at 11:01 pm

        peeing behind the pink
        turned blue hydrangea bush ”
        —
        “Lorin Ford
        January 30, 2025 at 11:57 pm

        I responded: “Wendy, ‘hydrangea’ is a good choice for a summer flower. Try a few more hydrangea verses if you can. The ageku is the final verse and I’m not keen on on the having a lingering scent of urine hanging around the final verse. ”
        —
        I didn’t catch that “peeing” it was a spelling mistake until I saw your revised version, probably because “peeking” isn’t a word I’ve used or heard being used since my early childhood.
        I think we both had a bit of a laugh about that, and you changed ‘peeing’ to ‘peeking’.

        1. yes, Lorin,
          a good laugh….! at my typo!
          and
          the big mistake i made….was writing about hydrangeas as they are not on the online list we used as a ref. for this renku…..even though we know they are indeed summer flowers.

          The peeking….is a way to describe the density of the flower clusters/pom poms/balls on the bush…..that they can be used for a hide out/ and to playfully surprise someone.

      3. Wendy, your kindness and thoughtfulness touches my heart and sweetens the renku.🥰

        1. and you are so soothing, mk!
          i posted, above…my response to your wonderful surprise of fun participation….we just can’t wait to have fun!

          2. Maddy….LOL!!!! it will be fun…..having fun linking, again!
            Maybe we could make hats that say: HFLA

        2. Madeleine, “kindness and thoughtfulness” are not qualities I would attribute to either you or Wendy.

          1. I can’t argue with you, Lorin, concerning me.🙂 But I have to admit you are quite mistaken regarding Wendy…these past couple of years, she has proven to be a generous, warm-hearted and compassionate person.

  18. Thank you, John, Lorin, and everyone who took part in this renku. It was a wonderful adventure and great learning experience! I miss it already–

  19. The completed text of this renku, plus the results of our most recent tan-renga session, have now been added to the Haiku Foundation archives.

    1. John, thanks for all you’ve done. I admire your comparison of the musical chairs game, where chairs are taken away one by one so each time someone is left standing, with this renku.
      I’ve had a look at this renku in the The Haiku Foundation archives, and it looks pretty good, despite
      my silly experiment.

      My thanks to Orense, a very intelligent and sensible woman, who later managed to stop this renku from going up in flames.

      1. Orense, I agree with Lorin…thank you for saving the renku! 🙂And thank you for your delightful verse. It made my heart leap (as I am sure it did to everyone) when I read it, adding such a refreshing and enchanting note to the renku. I wanted to add one more characteristic to Lorin’s list…your compassion. It has been much appreciated.

        1. Rob, I have missed your uplifting words in response to Lorin’s choice at the beginning of every week. I had always looked forward to them.

          2. Rob, I wanted to add that I have appreciated your inspiring and creative verses these past couple of years that I have been a part of the Renku Sessions. You are a positive and welcomed presence. Your upstanding character, empathy and light heartedness have not gone unnoticed…🙂

        2. Thank you Orense, Madeleine, Wendy, Richard, Carol, Marion, Clysta for your kind words and encouragement throughout this journey. Thank you to everyone else who participated and have not commented directly to me and/or have not commented to this post. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s poems each week. It’s a joy and a treat to make time in my day for THF. I look forward to the next renku. Thank you again, Lorin and John!
          – Diana 💐

        3. Thank you Madeleine, I appreciate your kindness. I can hardly take credit for “saving” the renku, it probably would have trudged along without my interventions, perhaps some will even think I was speaking out of turn. 😁 But I think renku is beautiful precisely because it reflects how different perspectives make up a greater whole.

      2. Thank you Lorin for your contribution as sabaki. I learned a lot from this renku and your selections, which feel both modern yet very true to the essence of the form. I know I benefitted from watching you work over these weeks of poetry and gained new insights into the subtleties of renku⚘

      3. With John’s insight Joseph’s verse takes on yet another meaning. Was it left? as in left aside, left over, left behind or was it right? as in fitting. A lot of layers to your choices Lorin 😁

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