The Renku Sessions: Pilgrims' Stride 9
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.
Twenty-six poets produced a total of ninety offers to complete our first sequence of love verses! It was truly difficult to choose this time. There were really lovely scent-based verses (Dru Philippou’s harmonizing scents and Terri French’s the scent of his cologne are particularly tempting) but, even though the “atmosphere” in Norman Darlington’s verse is essentially figurative, previous verses featured images of things either in the sky or airborne; so it seems necessary to pick up on “scents” somewhere further along the trail. I love Karen Cesar’s together so much but I’m going to hold off on second verses from any of our poets, at least for a while. I was also very pleased with Marion Clarke’s wishing but, with music in verse five, a jukebox would tend toward retrograde movement here. Others among the many tempting verses include offers from Sandra Simpson (in the darkest) and Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy (her patience). If we were writing with an exclusively American group, I would gladly have chosen Christopher Patchel’s ask your doctor but I’m not certain how widely recognized this American television ad is outside of the USA.
Our ninth verse comes from Paul MacNeil. We do not yet have a first person verse. And the tongue twisting quality of this one creates a new and different sense of pace than hitherto featured in our renku.
Here is the verse you must link to:
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”–Paul MacNeil
The next verse, the tenth, has no seasonal or other specific topical requirements. This is an opportunity for us to introduce some general topics that have not been touched upon. Examples might include an animal (one not assigned to a season on our list of season words), medicine/illness, politics, a non-English word or phrase, or athletics (again, not something associated with a particular season). Please resist the temptation to cover two or three of these in a single verse. It’s like taking a second helping (or third!) before everyone at the table has been served. Here are the formal requirements for verse ten:
- Non-seasonal (avoids any topics assigned to a specific season in our list of season words)
- Written in two lines, without a cut
- Linking with the ninth verse, and only the ninth verse
- Shifting widely to a new topic and setting (and perhaps shifting in a way that has not yet been used?)
Add your suggested two-line link below, in the Comments box. You have until midnight EST, Tuesday, May 6, 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, May 8 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 shrines–
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
a dragonfly hovers
over 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
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Great work, everyone. Next verse will be posted tomorrow morning.
the sidewalk buckled
by sycamore roots
white veil
stuffed in a suitcase
the atmosphere
thick with teenage pheromones
–Norman Darlington
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
“It’s time to burn the beret
and bury the blue dress.”
-Karen Cesar
* Monica Lewinsky quote
the atmosphere
thick with teenage pheromones
–Norman Darlington
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
where least expected:
HERE BE DRAGONS
– Karen Cesar
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
who left
the birdcage open?
a faded wedding dress
in the attic wardrobe
images form
upside down on the retina
white scarf
lost in the bushes
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
the sorrel mare
jumps the pasture fence
lost in the bushes
a white scarf
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
—Paul MacNeil
the vultures’ wild circlings
over the old asylum walls
–Marilyn Walker
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
the best man excels
at three card monte
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
a belly flop
on the Senate floor
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
a belly flop
on the floor of the House
inflated cuff
of the blood pressure monitor
the tooth fairy
grows meaner with age
guiding her thread through
the eye of the needle
deciding afterall,
that the badger cull failed
(a recent cull in UK to try and stop the spread of bovine TB)
the bag lady
pushes a shiny new trolley
rose ringed parakeets
move into the suburbs
the weight of the river
against chest waders
thinking of a red wig
during chemo
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
until the news
hits the tabloids
I stumble
trying to reply
‘I plight thee my troth’
-Paul McNeil
the politician’s
answer opaque as his eyes
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
-Paul MacNeil
into the blue electric bath
coaxial cable to my hip
-Patrick Sweeney
“The Dukes of Hazzard”
at four in the morning
-Alice Frampton
in the dark
she cries and cries
a mouthful of milkshake
snorts out of my nose
-Alice Frampton
the dog barks
as the skateboarder goes by
a slight fix . . .
a murder of crows silent
as it blends into twilight
-Alice Frampton
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
– Paul MacNeil
learning Italian
from old cassettes
– Sue Richards
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
– Paul MacNeil
after the extraction
the lips lisp
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
– Paul MacNeil
remember when Don Knotts
and Rindercella were a hoot?
– Sandra Simpson
or, to avoid another “the”
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
– Paul MacNeil
those good old days when
Don Knotts was a hoot
– Sandra Simpson
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
– Paul MacNeil
the good old days when
Don Knotts was a hoot
– Sandra Simpson
a murder of crows silent
as they blend into twilight
-Alice Frampton
another furrow deepens in the
carabao’s forehead
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
tripping in and out
of chaos theory
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
the engaged tone, time
time after time after time
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
another day, another hurdle
for the pollies
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
broken bones won’t
deter this world champion
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
blah, blah, the PM’s
broken promises
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
rescued by a fallen angel
in the soup kitchen
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
genealogy records destroyed
by terrorist bombs
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
between the gravestones
of the courageous
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
please, don’t tell Laura,
he stuttered
Thanks, John. I am enjoying the Renku.
dog barks every time
skateboarders roll down the driveway
dog barks every time skateboarders
roll down the driveway
dog barks every time
skateboarders come down the driveway
Karen:
“John is it OK for me to keep submitting as long as I understand you are not choosing verses from those who have had a verse chosen already?”
Yes, please! I hope everyone will keep playing. I don’t rule out including a second verse from someone at some later point but first I will try to include as many poets as possible. But, in the meantime, playing along will help you keep your finger on the pulse of the renku. Plus, I just like seeing what you come up with!
the atmosphere
thick with teenage pheromones
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
the valley rich
in fossil shells
the atmosphere
thick with teenage pheromones
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
olms on display
in Postojna Cave
a bit of local endemic fauna, probably too exotic if i were posting a candidate verse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olm
what a revoltin’
development dis is
* puts this phrase more directly in Durante’s persona … and would probably need to be put in italics or quotes. I would probably choose the first more general one as it is, well, more general. John is it OK for me to keep submitting as long as I understand you are not choosing verses from those who have had a verse chosen already?
–Alice Frampton
the atmosphere
thick with teenage pheromones
–Norman Darlington
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
what a revoltin’
development this is!
– Karen Cesar
* catch phrase of the 1940’s associated with ‘ Life of Riley’ radio show and Jimmy Durante, a comedian of the time
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
–Paul MacNeil
the cattle stampede
to the trough*
– Tal Goldman
*(a delightful malapropism)
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth”
the pole vaulter
counts her steps
a giant armadillo
lumbers in the dark
(for my friend, Carla, who struggles with MS)
an orange ribbon
tied to her cane
the sizzle of habanero
on his tongue
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
he makes me an offer
i can’t refuse
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
the chess master’s sheepish smile
yielding to the touch-move rule
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
a chipped china mug
from the white elephant stall
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
dust on the covers
of penny dreadfuls
a dolphin surfaces
alongside our boat
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
we continue
leaving no stones unturned
skateboarders down the street
dog barks every time
new dog gets confused
wanders away forever
new dog gets confused
wanders away
new dog gets confused
and wanders away forever
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
a gift of carnivorous plants
for the brand-new Queen
– Sandra Simpson
(Queen Maxima of The Netherlands received such a bouquet in September 2013)
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
zig-zagging away
the lucky rabbit’s foot
– Sandra Simpson
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
the famous actor winks
grins, and throws a punch
– Sandra Simpson
lost balloon
ascends into the sky
released balloon
ascends into the sky
temptation leads him
to the cold of ice cream
sorry, an extra a showed up and this is better anyway
temptation leads her
to the coldness of ice cream
temptation leads her
to the a cold of ice cream
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
being over familiar
with the blood group chimera
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
going down hill
the transfer of sunlight
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
bottling vinegar
for the Salad Uprising
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
the legalisation
of vinegar
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
holes in the T-shirt
where hard rain stabs
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
inking my knuckles
behind walls
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
inking knuckles
behind walls
-Alan Summers
I stumble
trying to reply
“I plight thee my troth.”
–Paul MacNeil
the cardboard flap ripped
off for a syringe
-Alan Summers