The Renku Sessions: Pilgrims' Stride 30
Welcome to The Renku Sessions. Renku is a participatory literary game, following a set of rules that are implemented by the leader of the session. If you would like to learn more about renku go here. And if you would like to see a sample of a complete renku go here.
I’m John Stevenson, and I will serve as your guide for this session, a thirty-six verse (kasen) renku. I have supplied the opening verse (hokku) and each week I will select an additional verse from among those submitted prior to the Tuesday deadline.
Verse thirty will emerge from a total of sixty-six offers, made by a total of eighteen poets. My final selection came down to the following short list:
the difference between
a light bulb and a pear
- –Maureen Virchau
thoughtfully
dissecting a walnut
- –Lorin Ford
hidden in golden leaves
pale orbs of mushrooms
- –mary white
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
- –joel irusta
dancing skeletons
chanting trick or treat
- –jerry julius
backyard selfie
with a leaf-bearing wind
- –Carmen Sterba
The first two of these (by Maureen Virchau and Lorin Ford) are eliminated, reluctantly and only, because we already have a verse from each of the poets. The verse from jerry julius relates to a holiday that is tied to a calendar date, October 31, which occurs in the spring for our Southern Hemisphere poets. It is possibly for this reason, at least in part, that Halloween is not listed as a seasonal topic on our list. Carmen Sterba’s offer was a frontrunner for quite a while but I couldn’t find a definite reference for it in our season words list and we already have a camera in the renku (verse 18). And, finally, I am releasing mary white’s gorgeous cornucopia of autumn images since we have a number of verses specifying or strongly suggesting specific colors.
That leaves one. Our thirtieth verse comes from joel irusta. The gentle nuttiness of this image seems like just the right closing for the “ha.”
Here is the verse you must link to:
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits–joel irusta
The next link, the thirty-first, is the last in this series of autumn verses. It is also the opening verse of the closing section (kyu) of our renku. This section is sometimes referred to as the “fast finish.” The tone is brisk, optimistic, and somewhat formal. Here are the requirements for verse thirty-one:
- Autumn image (with a brisk, optimistic, and somewhat formal tone)
- Written in three lines, without a cut
- Linking with the thirtieth verse, and only the thirtieth verse
- Shifting widely to a new topic and setting
Add your suggested three-line link below, in the Comments box. You have until midnight EST, Tuesday, October 7, 2014. You may submit as many verses as you like, but please use a new comment box for each one. I will announce my selection for the next link on Thursday, October 9 here on the blog, and provide information and instructions for submitting the next link.
What We’ll Be Looking For — Throughout the Session
There are many schematic outlines for a kasen renku. We will be using one set out by Professor Fukuda in his book Introduction to World-linking Renku. It will not be necessary for you to have a copy of this book since instructions will be offered before each verse is solicited.
It is a good idea for those participating in the composition of a renku to make use of the same list of season words. There are a number of these lists available and I intend no judgment of their relative value. For purposes of this session I am suggesting the use of The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words.
Pilgrims’ Stride to Date
comparing maps
to the mountain pass–
pilgrims’ stride–John Stevenson
a sun-warmed stone bridge
over snowmelt–Billie Wilson
dampened soil
of seed trays
in the glasshouse–Margaret Beverland
grandmother’s silverware
polished every monday–Polona Oblak
a sonata
on the concert Steinway
played to the moon–Lorin Ford
dragonflies hover
by the swaying reeds–Karen Cesar
slight hum
of a drone
in fog–Alice Frampton
the atmosphere
thick with teenage pheromones–Norman Darlington
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”–Paul MacNeil
thinking of a red wig
during chemo–Asni Amin
the woodland
of silent stories
and shadow–Alan Summers
he makes a wish
to become real–Marion Clarke
each mirror reflects
only the cool moon
rising–kris moon
freshly-caught fish
sizzles in the pan–Aalix Roake
a wealthy prince
exiled in Nigeria
soliciting my help–Christopher Patchel
sugar plum fairy came
and hit the streets…–Jennifer Sutherland
a milky nimbus
at dusk
beneath the cherry tree–Scott Mason
pulling in spring clouds
with a telephoto lens–Dru Philippou
plain truth
of a skylark’s
song–Stella Pierides
our yoga instructor
tells us to breathe–Priscilla Van Valkenburgh
smoldering dung cakes
burning in the blackened pit
flavors the curry–Betty Shropshire
the family’s grudge
celebrates a century–batsword
first snowfall
covering little by little
all the dirt–Vasile Moldovan
scraping the ice rink
of blood, sweat and tears–Carole MacRury
the sting
of a paper cut
on her tongue–Terri French
used books signed
for someone special–Ellen Grace Olinger
a large voddy tonny
for the woman who may be
his next wife–Sandra Simpson
stirring the crowd
with the slur of a slur–Maureen Virchau
continents join
under this moon
the bones of my head–Patrick Sweeney
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits–joel irusta
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passing wind
busies a leaf
through the stacks
– Betty Shropshire
. . . ‘passing wind’, Betty? 🙂 That’d be a bit after eating the curry, perhaps?
Thanks for the chuckle. 😉 Promise you’ll read it out, po-faced, at the next barbeque you attend. 🙂
– Lorin
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
–joel irusta
surely it’s a lion
stalking and pouncing
on fallen leaves
– Lorin
passing wind
busies a leaf
through the stacks
the mindful way
a thoroughbred chews
his mouthful of hay
the scent
of the harvest stew
brought to a boil
a docent pointing
to the broad brush strokes
in Monet’s Haystacks
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
before discharge
she looks pensively at leaves
caught by the exit
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
before her discharge
looking pensively at the leaves
caught in the door
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
in a hurry
a freshman turns off
her cellphone
Peter bows
to the glory
of a lightning rod
the long hair
of a green freshman
swirls in the wind
Peter holds
the gate open
for the autumn wind
a leaf-bearing wind
blows away a corner
of schoolhouse dust
Slight revision:
writing poetry
sitting on a bale of straw
in the truck’s headlights
Getting rid of the “this” meant going with two gerunds
unrolling a can
of sardines
for the feral cat
a feral cat
peeking from behind
the haystack
recalling haystacks
their former playground
and field of dreams
singing songs
from the Wizard of Oz
to the autumn wind
on the movie set
the fake morning-glories
look so good!
steeping valerian
before the soiree
to calm child and cat
a litter of raffle tickets
around the chrysanthemums
to be carried home
a neighbor’s stuffed raven
pretends to feast
on a citron in our sukkah
in my messenger bag
pickled grapes and walnuts
swaddled in silk
walking to the shower
in sight of the river
thick with falling sweetfish
au revoir
to the pewter quail
nestled in her palm
cricket song
fills the air with
life vibrations
Previously posted:
an ode to the chestnut
in the poet-in-residence’s
briefcase
Another version:
an ode
to a chestnut
in the poet’s briefcase
falling leaves
blanket a sleeping lwan
in hues of gold
an ode to the chestnut
in the poet-in-residence’s
briefcase
gathering around
a painting of a mushroom
at the gallery
gathering around
a new species of mushroom
at the county fair
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
tattered leaves
with a beauty
all their own
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
next full moon
we hope to see
old friends again
lions
quicken
the long night
the long night
on a bucket list
quickens the pride
the long night
for the bold
to erase all sin
by lamplight
she looks up recipe
for stew
under the oak
a mushroom dreams
of morning
by lamplight
the farmer’s wife serves
steaming potatoes
briar patch trickster
outfoxes the long night
for the downtrodden
briar patch trickster
outfoxes the long night
for all cottontails
br’er trickster
in the briar patch
bests the long night
I write this poem
sitting on a straw bale
in the truck’s headlights
Previously posted:
the poet
finding the right word
in a chestnut’s shell
Another version:
finding
the right word
in a chestnut’s shell
the poet
finding the right word
in a chestnut’s shell
shifting
bales of straw
for the maze
willow leaves
falling with a shift
in wind
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
–joel irusta
eyelids droop
as night unfolds
in the autumn lamplight
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
withered leaves
make perfect compost
in the growing plot
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
on our ginko
morning glory shifts
the mood
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
is that Bunnykins
skipping through
the tattered leaves?
paddy straw mushrooms
unveil the dew
before the great bear
choosing
where to place
each bale of straw
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
clip art pictures
of red leaves
for the blog post
fly fishing
for sea bass becomes
a well choreographed dance
Previously posted:
children laughing
atop a pyramid
of hay bales
Rewritten to replace “hay” with “straw”:
children laughing
atop a pyramid
of straw bales
a pattern
in the haystacks
across the field
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
time for old
colorful sweaters
these chilly days
a refreshing wind
weaving through
withered tips
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
– joel irusta
autumn rain
renews flowers
for the Farmers’ Market
flashes of lightening
show us the way
through
sea bass breaks
water’s surface with
glimmering scales
a shift in wind
bringing the scent
of citron
Thanks Lorin!
Yes, good on ya, Joel! 🙂 It’s high time, and it’s a delightful verse.
the scarecrow reads
renku to the rabbits
–joel irusta
children laughing
atop a pyramid
of hay bales
a game
of hide-and-seek
through the haystacks
braving
the desolate night
with a childhood prayer
children’s laughter
from inside
the haystack
You’re welcome, Joel. 🙂
lifting a lantern
to the statue
of Saint Francis
Thanks Maureen! I’m thrilled to have a verse in the renku!
the mattress filled with
new straw is now
bug free
under the burden
of the trucks full with maize
the stone bridge thrilling
at the picnic
in the harvested vineyard
a flock of starlings
a drawer
filled with apples
in the teacher’s desk
a small girl
placing an apple
on the teacher’s desk
That’s a wonderful verse, Joel. 🙂
Previously posted:
keeping an apple peel
unbroken
Rewritten in the necessary three lines:
keeping
an apple peel
unbroken
Another version:
keeping
the apple skin
unbroken
worms cry for
joy that his
verse was selected
keeping an apple peel
unbroken
refreshing wind
carries dew drops
across Ursa Major
refreshing wind
carries the dew drops
across fallen ears
refreshing to hear
another autumn wind
through scattered leaves
revising to:
caterpillar huffs
on a hooka with Alice
whose answer mushrooms
caterpillar huffs
on a hooka with Alice
answering more rhymes