The Renku Sessions: 12 Tones – Musical Chairs, Week 4
Welcome to THF’s Renku Sessions. I’m Lorin Ford, acting as sabaki/ guide for this renku.
*****
The Daisan – Turn! Turn! Turn!
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
With the Daisan, we turn away from seasonal verses to our first non-seasonal verse. John Daleiden has succeeded in the somewhat difficult job of both linking to the wakiku and turning away from it.
Kudos, John!
The link here is the road sign, which stands by a road that (I imagine) runs beside a rural region where scarecrows may be seen standing on duty in fields of crops or grains. The road sign points away from scarecrow country, towards ‘the Monument’. Ah, but which Monument is the Monument? I appreciate that John D. has left this open, since a Londoner might think of a particular Monument, an American a different one and I happen to live in a country where there is a small, remote town named ‘The Monument ‘, along with there being all sorts of literal monuments here in every State.
I imagine that ‘the Monument’, for our purposes in this renku, can be whatever monument comes to each reader’s mind. Why is a proper noun used here? Apart from it being, in some cases, the legitimate name of something, I think ‘monument’ (the word) deserves that big, capital M because the subject is usually monumental. Except, that is, if we’re referring to a small Queensland town named The Monument’ . Unlike that town, Uluru is a natural and truly magnificent natural Monument.
Our next verse, verse 4, will be a two-line, non-seasonal verse that links to the daisan and avoids all the verses that went before. I look forward to reading all of your submitted verses,
*
The submission deadlines will be Sundays, midnight eastern US time.
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
Comments (122)
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a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
Iron gate
causing vertigo
refugees
barred entrance
It’s a joy to read all these beautiful verses and it’s been wonderful discovering and finding out more about specific statues, buildings and trees in this week’s post.:)
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument–John Daleiden
still managing
to get lost
the red light
takes forever
turning right
at the last minute
losing
the compass
they walk back
to the hotel
finding
our bearings
enough change
for the train
Michael Palin’s railroad journeys
glued to our seat
Can I have “still managing to get lost” taken out of the running”?
thanks for this RR journey!
madeleine
from the top to bottom!
this what i found on the way:
https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=546004821651230
Awww. your welcome, Wendy… looking forward to checking out the link:)
special ones
make you salute and weep
misspelled words
in marble are forever
I say thank you Abe
each morn when I walk by
marble ones crumble later
than ones made of sand
Dan, these are great, especially “I say thank you Abe…”
Dan….and Madeleine;
Count me on too…make that two additionals for Abe
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
-– John Daleiden
“a monument with a soul”
rises from the ashes
This is beautiful, Pamela.
i agree with you, Madeleine….Pamela’s church resurrection verse is heartfelt and hopeful.
Thank you! Thank you! Dear Madeleine and Wendy!
Philippe Jost was in charge of meeting President Macron’s deadline for reconstructing Notre Dame. Jost said it was important to rebuilt Notre Dame as close to the way it was as possible. “It’s what we owe to this monument,” he said. He calls this a “monument with a soul.”
Alternatively:
a monument reaching many souls
rises from the ashes
a cathedral for the masses
rises from the ashes
This is wonderful, Pamela.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument – John Daleiden
tipsy and tripping
on a cobblestone treat
immigrants notice
how easily birds cross borders
golden arches are signposts
in foreign cities
small towns flash by
in a train window
Typo correction
tipsy and tripping
on a cobblestone street
It happens to us all, Dan. :-)
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
we walk on basalt columns
in the footsteps of giants
waves thunder at the edge
of the Giant’s Causeway
marion, thank you for posting these moving pieces that have such a rich history. both above and below!
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
a Stonehenge wedding cake
for the Druid couple
a ray of sunlight pierces
the stone circle
the circle of stones
bathed by sunrise
Stonehenge druids harness
the power of the cosmos
Rebels topple statues
of the dictator
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument—–– John Daleiden
*
inside boulangerie we break
sourdough with the tour guide
oh….if eating is not allowed:
tour guide treats us to smell
sourdough inside boulangerie
Love these both, Wendy!
thank you, maddy!…for reading them…and commenting.
BTW: i enjoyed reading your ku/haibun on the chagall painting…..and wasn’t that a fun experience with lafcadio?
Awww, thank you Wendy…it was such a fun experience:)
Wendy, I wanted to say how blown away I am by your verses… that you allow for interpretation regarding the viewer further deepens the meaning of
“swept up
by a sacred mountain…”
Wendy Bialek
I had no idea that the Navajo people considered sacred mountains to be deities… it makes much sense.
“sacred mountains
sweep desert paths”
Wendy Bialek
Not only an intriguing verse but brilliant. ( I can’t help but enjoy the play on words:) …Both verses take my breath away:)
lorin,
i understand your point. thank you for sharing your view.
perhaps these will be more towards your ideals and likings:
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
*
swept up
by a sacred mountain
*
*The expression “swept up by” means to be carried along by the momentum of something larger than oneself. For example, “They were swept along by the force of their emotions”.
Here are some other examples of using the word “swept”:
“This questionable behavior is quietly swept under the rug”.
“They couldn’t get in the soup line unless they swept up around the camp”.
“When they left, the biggest wave of relief swept over me”.
“The supernova ejecta have already swept through a large volume”.
“Sweep up” can also be used as a phrasal verb to mean removing dirt or dust from something with a brush or broom.
*
swept away by the first sight
of a sacred mountain
“Swept away” is a phrasal verb that has multiple meanings:
This is how i am using it in the above verse.
To be overwhelmed by emotion
To feel like you are being carried away by a strong emotion, such as love or excitement. For example, “When he apologized, my anger was swept away”.
*
the sight in my mirror
of a motorist flipping the bird
*
birds excited as i am
flying over the boy statue
*
on the sculpture tour line
we stare at a crumpled lunch bag
*
some believe sacred mountains
sweep desert paths
Wendy, I find it somewhat amusing that you consider that you might be able to help me with the English language.
I don’t want to embarrass you but my job/ career, before retirement, was teaching English (the language and the literature) and ESL (English as a 2nd language) at middle to senior high school level. .Before that, I graduated from University with a first class honours degree in English Literature. (That doesn’t mean I never make a mistake, of course.)
Let me assure you that I do understand the idioms “swept up’ and ‘swept away’. Such idioms, of course, depend upon context.
(Also, though the idiom “flipping the bird”, though it probably originated in the USA, it is part of the Australian lingo, too. I’m guilty of having displayed that very gesture in certain circumstances.)
The only thing that’s possibly iffy about your “. . . swept away by the first sight/ of a sacred mountain” is that the reader has to imply “I was”, “she was”, “he was”, “they were”. If read out of context, the reader doesn’t know who was swept away, though we’d probably imply you meant first person: “I was…” But that’s not an issue here.
thank you for sharing your feedback, lorin.
anything i can learn from your leadership here
about renku i truly appreciate.
that you for sharing, again, your background credentials,
i only have praise and kudos to all people who seek education, receive it and use it to encourage others to grow ….and i would like to assure you that in no way was i trying to educate you, i simply wanted to help us be on the same page….but this poet says it better than i can ever:
Lyrics
I ain’t lookin’ to compete with you
Beat or cheat or mistreat you
Simplify you, classify you
Deny, defy or crucify you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you
No, and I ain’t lookin’ to fight with you
Frighten you or uptighten you
Drag you down or drain you down
Chain you down or bring you down
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you
I ain’t lookin’ to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up
Analyze you, categorize you
Finalize you or advertise you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you
I don’t want to straight-face you
Race or chase you, track or trace you
Or disgrace you or displace you
Or define you or confine you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you
I don’t want to meet your kin
Make you spin or do you in
Or select you or dissect you
Or inspect you or reject you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you
I don’t want to fake you out
Take or shake or forsake you out
I ain’t lookin’ for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bob Dylan
All I Really Want to Do lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
getting lost
can be a blessing
the highway to hell
is all downhill
a weeping hitchhiker
standing in the rain
Elon Musk’s sky train
to the galaxies
*
‘one day’
a road sign points
in the direction
of the Monument
*
on his guard lest he be
foiled again
*
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
*
regaled half the way
with tales of a pet porcupine
*
the story’s end apparent
long before they reach it
*
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument – John Daleiden
following a tumbleweed
down a deserted highway
counting middle fingers
during rush hour
repair crew jackhammers
sync to my heartbeat
a fat pigeon
perches on a traffic cone
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument – John Daleiden
another detour
because of a collapsed bridge
detours offer
wildflower views
found a pawnshop
that sells second chances
what do you do
when the compass needle spins
choosing the path less
travelled by. was a mistake
Well done John!
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
butterflies in her stomach
this is what she’s waited for
they march past
without a word
reaching the top of the valley
she catches her breath
eating a cheese sandwich
as the sheep munch the grass
having come this far
there’s no turning back
misreading the map
they go the wrong way
over lunch at the pub
they tell stories of the past
a breath taking view
from the castle ramparts
imagining what it was like
to be an archer
holding the ancient coin
all the hands that held it before
an abseiling caterpillar
gets caught in her hair
touching the unconformity
such vast amounts of time
buying a keyring
at the gift shop
on the wrong platform
running for the train
with old school map
and compass she strides out
theclll
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
Congratulations John
Beautiful !!
Congratulation John, I enjoy your verses and thank you Lorin
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
only prodigal sons
search for porchlights
a fallen angel halo
in the pawnshop window
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
as the t-shirt says “I’m not
a tourist I live here”
thanks john and lorin for moving things along.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
silver slab atop mt. shasta
beams a faded warning
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
he puts himself to sleep
counting license plates
*
telling omissions
on the license plate list
*
the middle line blurs
as he rounds the bend
*
repost with clarifing info:
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument—–– John Daleiden
sacred mountains
sweep desert paths
“the sacred mountains” if refer to here are the four sacred mountains that are considered deities by the Navajo culture and beliefs. These mountains are the protectors of the people and the land. Looking after the spiritual and physical well being of people and land….knowing the land is significant to their survival…to grow crops, etc.
each mountain is located in four different directions, East, North, South & West and each represents a colour (white, blue, black and yellow)and a corresponding stone symbolic, to the culture.
similar to my hokku in side show renku, this is a visual!
the mountains with their triangular shapes, to me, represent
broom bottoms….capable of doing the task of keeping the land safe and swept of impurities. while clearing desert paths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Sacred_Mountains_of_the_Navajo
on my first cross-country trip as an adult….i was in awe upon seeing and feeling the powerful vibrations emanating from the San Francisco Peaks…coming into Flagstaff. (one of the four sacred mountains)
it is said to be ‘grounded by a sunbeam’ hence, the broom’s handle!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Peaks
Enjoy &
Hope this clarifies things for Lorin, Nancy anyone else with curiosities.
https://discovernavajo.com/
That’s a very interesting piece of research/ experience,, Wendy. (It’s after 7:30am Saturday morning here where I am. Yawn.)
Yes, mountains seem to have special meanings for indigenous peoples the world around. You have the sacred mountains of the Navajo. We, in Australia, have Uluru:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru
We also have the old poem that was often recited in 3rd or 4th grade classrooms, at least, it was recited in classrooms so often when I was a kid that I used to know it by heart: ‘My Country’, by Dorothea Mackellar, the 2nd verse of which begins:
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons, . . .
Please note “sweeping plains” and the context.
Now, please note that “sweeping” , in context, has naught to do with brooms. The plains do not sweep anything. ‘Sweeping’, in context, is not a verb but an adjective. One can have a sweeping view of the Cooktown region from a police helicopter. (I’ve had that experience.) The view doesn’t sweep anything. The same goes for your amusing :
sacred mountains
sweep desert paths
If you were flying over those mountains in a helicopter (or on your broom) you’d have a sweeping view of the mountains and the desert. But those sacred mountains are not sweeping anything.
What you’re doing, Wendy, is confusing adjectives with verbs.
(5th grade class, Attention! Close inkwells! File out! )
Maybe I’m just having a bad day, but it seems to me that the two of you—Wendy and Lorin—are in some kind of power struggle and continue to fill this space with attempts to one-up each other, sometimes with regrettably snarky language. I think I’ll sit out the rest of this “5th grade class.”
Jonathon, I would appreciate it if you kept such views to yourself from now on. Your post, in my view, is “snarky”. I’m asking you to acquaint yourself with THF’s Policies & Code of Conduct and kindly refrain from such outbursts in future. Note that no. 18 applies: ” Do not ignore moderator requests . This will result in warning and/or ban.” Please understand that I am the sabaki and moderator for this renku.
I don’t agree that Jonathan’s comments are an outburst. He chose to stand up to you. I believe his words are the result of a general frustration from the disharmony which in my opinion, Lorin you are causing. The fact that you are arbitrarily targeting another poet’s beautiful work is disheartening. She is
responding to your unwarranted criticisms with gentleness and kindness.
Thanks for the explanation, Wendy. I certainly appreciated this information. It even fits with what I tried to say, but you made it clear. Thanks again. Nan
nancy….yes, i can count on you always to see or search for the beauty and truth in whatever is placed before you eyes. Glad to know you enjoyed
reading and appreciated the history i posted behind my verse.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
boxed in silence
a marble crow
– Joanna Ashwell
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
taking in the sights
with an old video cam
*
looking ahead to
looking back and laughing
make that:
taking in the sights
with an old camcorder
I really like this one Laurie…enjoying the lightheartedness of it. :)
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
can the real thing live up
to its interactive tour
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
—John Daleiden
are we
there yet?
invisible backseat
battle lines being drawn
the cicadas
as if on cue
chin up
thumb out
I can hear those little whining voices. :-) ( “are we there yet?”) Familiar, no doubt, the world around.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
“Hello my name is”
in languages rare and not
*
the nametags alone
worth the price of admission
*
on the end of my finger
a Teddy Bear crab
One can see why they’re called the “Teddy Bear crab”. (I googled. )
I thought you might, Lorin, and glad you did.
Not a verse to be considered even for the ‘long list’ however, this little lovely is monumental in its cuteness :)
Couldn’t help but look it up too, Carol. I agree, very monumental… and cuddly! :)
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
only me and a pitchfork
in the back of the pickup
Well done, John. This is shaping up really nicely, Lorin.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
the migrant worker believes
in streets paved with gold
Nice one, Marion.
Thanks, Carol! 🙂
picking the wrong fork
for the fish course
speeding through
his history homework
another valley
lost to infrastructure
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
unable to unsee
the tree at Hadrian’s Wall
unable to unsee
the Sycamore Gap Tree
Yours is a heartfelt verse, Pamela. I have no doubt in saying there are very many people that will see and feel the sadness within this verse. On a good note, the tree’s seeds have started to emerge or so the media have told us.
I hope they will not be dug up and taken home with visitors to the site.
Wow! Carol! Thank you for sharing kernels of good news.
free tour guides
for the eager visitors
all eyes on
the language of her hands
words pouring forth
from nimble fingers
she forms her hands
into the shape of a heart
For fun, I googled around and found ‘ The 15 strangest monuments around the world’.
There is the hilarious ‘Cadillac Ranch – (Texas, USA), there is ‘the largest equestrian statue in the world, 50 meters high and 250 tons. ‘ (Mongolia), ‘The Spring Temple Buddha, the largest statue in the world’ (China), the mysterious Stonehenge (England) , the hilarious ‘Le Pouce’, (the Thumb) Paris, France … and more, all worth a look. And that’s only on one place that’s advertising hostels! (Well worth looking at, though)
https://www.hostelworld.com/blog/strangest-monuments-around-the-world/
I’m posting this hoping to get you all loosened up about monuments. Of course you can have Abraham Lincoln or the monument to the Great London Fires or one of the many Australian ANZAC monuments & etc , but there are lots of monuments around the world. Some invite serious remembrance. some invite bowed heads and others invite hilarity. You can write seriously or you can write humorously about any particular one of them.
Thank you for this, Lorin.
Thank you Lorin Ford for choosing my verse for the Daisan, ab unexpoeted honor. I will eagerly read all of the next nine weeks submisions to follow the path of thisrRenku.
I enjoyed reading all of the submisions for the Daisan verse; this is an honor.
John, if it’s an honour, then it’s a well-deserved one. (yes, there were many submissions for the daisan this time around)
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
forever receding
in infinity mirrors
Congratulations, John, on your verse. To me, you’ve had such magnificent verses, which weren’t selected, in the past so glad you had one included in this renku.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
–John Daleiden
yellow bricks lead
to the green castle
.
their spirits rumored
to be seen on the tombs
These verses are lovely Nan…I especially enjoy your second, “their spirts rumored…” :)
continuing catalyst
of words
Congratulations John!
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
——– John Daleiden
.
arches and hoodoos
etched with ancient glyphs
.
the weathervane arrow
spins in circles
.
whirligigs dance
with the sundown wind
I love this Jonathan!
the weathervane arrow
spins in circles
I agree with you, Diana…lovely!
3
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
4
a grasping tyrant aghast
at the radioactive waste
in the big city square
a traffic roundabout
a heroic figure astride
the nation’s enslavement
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
giant soap bubbles
at every attraction
Diana Ming Jeong
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
where she stops
nobody knows
Diana Ming Jeong
Love this Diana…fun and intriguing:)
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument—–– John Daleiden
spirit-trapped pantry
made into a shrine
Mystified, I googled and found there is a documentary:
“A California family filmed strange occurrences in their home. we investigated to get the full story and never before seen footage of the first documented spirit entity ever captured on film.”
I’m afraid that strange occurrences in my homes over the years have, sooner or later, been found to be caused by the cat. (Every cat is THE Cat. I’m referring to them all.)
Wendy and Lorin,
THIS made my day.
Love,
Diana
LOL!!!
neon pictograms
in the motel window
Congratulations John! It’s perfect for our renku…holding much meaning and promise…
Lorin, I appreciate your choice and insight.
Congratulations, John and Lorin! Way to go!
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
their pile of audiobooks
long since exhausted
*
not the journey
but the destination
*
*
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
the hitchhiker promises
rewards on the other side
*
a longwinded hitchhiker
keeps the drowsiness at bay
*
Laurie, your 2nd (above) is promising.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
—John Daleiden
unheeded voices
in the desert wind
vultures circle
the dead horse
hosts of Sabbath day’s
journeys loom ahead
a muleskinner nods
at the stagecoach
an old paint loaded
with cowboy bones
Well Richard, I certainly learned something from those two bottom verses of yours. You had me googling back to Woodie Guthrie for ‘muleskinner’ ! (I had a vague idea that a ‘paint’ was a ‘painted pony’ – so I googled again &
” The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coat colors. Developed from a base of spotted horses with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines, the American Paint Horse Association . . . ” Wikipedia
(My own horse was a Quarter Horse, a Bay with black points.)
The “old paint” is an allusion (honkadori-like) to the folk song transcribed by Carl Sandburg in his book, The American Songbag.
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/carl-sandburg-songbag-i-ride-an-old-paint/2192/
I listened to it, Richard. Seems familiar, so I probably heard it long ago. I recall asking why doggies were in it and was told they weren’t dogs, but cattle.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
view from above
the widespread crop circles
Congratulations, John, and another verse well chosen, Lorin.
Would you like this verse to be inside or outdoors, Lorin?
An interesting question, Carol. I tend to forget that there are some (famous!) monuments that have an inside people can go into. Also, if the monument is outdoors, people might view it from inside a building, bus, car, restaurant, or through the window of a plane flying over it etc.
A hard one to answer. I’d be considering the whole of the verse, though, of course.
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument—–– John Daleiden
sacred mountains
sweep desert paths
Wendy, I just don’t get this one. Mountains that sweep paths? (desert paths, garden paths, bush paths, any sort of path) I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to imagine what kind of brooms they use.
Lorin,
Maybe the wind sweeping down the mountains to the desert? The wind is the broom was the way I read Wendy ‘s verse.
Nancy, there is no wind mentioned here: there are mountains (sacred or not) that “sweep desert paths”.
I can easily accept”the wind sweeping down to the desert …”, “the wind sweeping over the wheat fields” etc. I easily accept Keats’s “winnowing wind”. But I can’t come at ” mountains ” that sweep desert paths., school playgrounds or footpaths/ sidewalks.
Congratulations John! This is very Intriguing!!! 👏 👈 🪧
This reminds me of Verse 4 in Side Show
an inuksuk points the way
to the next adventure
Carol Jones
Wonderful how verses “link” back to anything in our own personal memories.
Just one word “point”.
Now which monument does this trigger for me?
Yes, Diana, both Carol’s ‘inuksuk’ and John’s ‘road sign’ point. (but to very different things, wouldn’t you say?) If both were in the same renku, though, you might have a point.
Lorin,
Haha! Clever! :)
It’s just so fascinating how a word can trigger my mind even if in another context.
Congrats! John D…..a fine directional job for our renku’s ride! Lorin, a fine pick from our renku director!
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
Oh Ozymandias hardly
a leg to stand on
Ah, Shelley’s most well-known poem: Ozymandias
“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . .”
For our purposes, I’d leave out the ‘Oh’ , Orense, and let the name stand alone. Also, I’d lose ‘hardly’:
Ozymandias
without a leg to stand on
Sure, it keeps the tone consistent thank you for the feedback. Perhaps I tend to look for contrast too much :)
Thanks and congrats, Lorin and John
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
dark sky sanctuary
at last
under the huppah
of our Dark Sky Sanctuary
finding Andromeda
in a dark sky sanctuary
all that twinkles outside
my dark sky sanctuary
Congratulations, John! Another great choice, Lorin!
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
—John Daleiden
as faint as a bone
the spoor’s scent
a whiskey bottle
glints in the sand
tourists pose for
their silly selfies
no translator aboard
the alien spacecraft
a truck with chickens
stops for a hitchhiker
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
revived by the fragrance
of sugar pine needles
*
Congratulations John, your daisan really does the job in opening up the renku, wonderful!
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
hard to swallow around
the lump in my throat
molehills molehills
all over the lawn
ancient ivy
all that remains
the great garbage patch
now seen from space
the ISS passes
Betelgeuse
Love The Monument, with all its presence and mystery! Thanks to Lorin and John.
*
a road sign
points in the direction
of the Monument
– John Daleiden
*
the less travelled pages
of a poetry book
*
visiting the poet’s
hometown museum
*