Renku Sessions

The Renku Sessions: Rendezvous – Week 15

renku_300

The Renku Sessions continue on The Haiku Foundation. I am Patricia Machmiller and I am honored to be your guide for an eighteen-verse renku, in which we will compose one verse per week until completion.

Hello, Everyone. I hope you have had a good week and that you and all those close to you are doing well. It’s been a quiet Memorial Day weekend here on Monterey Bay. There was a regatta last Sunday; a trove of sailboats came from Monterey to Moss Landing where I live. I think of all the things human beings have made the sailboat must be one of the most beautiful. They all had their sails (almost all were white) trimmed the same, except for one that had its blue-green spinnaker out. What a lovely sight it was.

And we are here to choose our fourteenth verse. I’m sorry that we weren’t all in accord with my choice for the last verse, but that does happen in renku. Sometimes there’s a falling out, but hopefully, as in any community, if we bring our most generous selves to the task at hand, we will create a wonderful poem.

So here are the verses that stood out for me as potential candidates to consider from the offers you made:

 

three scoops of ice cream
make too much mess                                    Pauline O’ Carolan

 

your turn to monitor
the kiddie pool                                              Ellen Compton

 

an ear of wheat in his hand
turns to dust

*

crashing waves make
pies of sand castles

*

a street person
uncovers the darkness

*

mired in darkness
the smell of stale wee                                   Robert Kingston

 

surf’s
up!

*

reading
through the heat wave

*

the going rate
of a beach front time share

*

authentic reproductions
of spinning wheels at the faire                           Laurie Greer

 

bases loaded home runs
were boyhood dreams

*

it takes three sparklers
to write her name

*

kiangazi dust
cloud stampedes                                                 Dan Campbell

 

our old electric fan
whines back and forth

*

the basking coiled snake
can still strike                                                       Alison Woolpert

 

a guy in a tank top
slurps up a yard of beer                                       Maxianne Berger

 

slapping myself
instead of a mosquito                                          Andrew Shimield

 

long shadows
over a long day                                                   Mark Powderhill

 

glasses mount up
on the beer garden table

*

why do brits wear socks
with their sandals                                                Carol Jones

 

a kickball knocks over
the glass of wine

*

writing names with sparklers
in the night air                                                    Debbie Scheving

 

on the ferris wheel ride
she spots an ice-cream vender

 

*

a quick beach game
of strip poker                                                      Wendy C. Bialek

 

a child in the crowd gasps
at fireworks in the lake                                         Marion Clarke

 

again, the child’s sandcastle
plundered by rough tides

*

on the nudist beach
imbibing ice-cold beers                                        Barbara A. Taylor

 

row row row your boat
into the calm morning                                          Clysta Seney

 

after the county dance
sweaty faces                                                           Carmen Sterba

 

behind the peephole of the door
a blue striped sundress                                           Margherita Ptericcione

 

thoughts devour her
under the mosquito net                                          M. R. Defibaugh

 

a luna moth
revisits my screen door                                          Jonathan Alderfer

 

dining al fresco
in pool noodle hats                                                Liz Ann Winkler

 

As I looked these over, two things became clear to me: (1) I wanted to move away from a circus-like theme as I felt this was taking us back to the seals two verses back, and (2) I wanted this verse to be in unity with the moonlit scene in the previous verse. This meant that the new verse needed to be a night scene or possibly, a very late afternoon scene when the moon might be just rising. An early morning scene didn’t seem compatible with the singers in Autumn’s verse.

 

So these are the verses that seemed most promising:

 

crashing waves make
pies of sand castles                                                 Robert Kinston

This makes an interesting image under the solstice moon. The shape of the pies of the flattened sand castles links to the shape of a full moon. Sand castles feel like summer to me, but I can’t find them specified anywhere.

 

surf’s
up!                                                                           Laurie Greer

This is the ultimate in a verse that goes fast. The surf is linked to the moon’s tidal action.

 

our old electric fan
whines back and forth                                             Alison Woolpert

I like the connection here of a mechanical whine to the singing voices in the previous verse. The phrase “back and forth” is a bit too similar to “give and take” in Clysta’s verse, however.

 

slapping myself
instead of a mosquito                                              Andrew Shimield

Even though he doesn’t say it, there’s the whine of the mosquito connecting this verse to the previous verse.

 

why do brits wear socks
with their sandals                                                     Carol Jones

Great question. And I like the idea of having a change of rhetoric here. I would say this is a scent link in that it feels similar to the previous verse in tone and sensibility.

 

writing names with sparklers
in the night air                                         Debbie Scheving

This makes a nice scene with the solstice moon. Dan also wrote about the same subject, but I chose to consider Debbie’s because Dan already has a verse. The link is the light.

 

after the county dance
sweaty faces                                              Carmen Sterba

Music is the connection here and also the faces are moon-shaped.

 

thoughts devour her
under the mosquito net                                 M. R. Defibaugh

What a great verse this is. “Thoughts devour her” in this time of great anxiety is such a profound expression of what we are experiencing. The link is unusual. The thoughts are going round and round in her head—very similar to singing a round. Wow! So good. Thank you for this.

 

a luna moth
revisits my screen door                              Jonathan Alderfer

A beautiful luna moth connected to the moon by its name.

 

dining al fresco
in pool noodle hats                                                    Liz Ann Winkler

This verse works if we imagine the diners to be spending the evening poolside. I hesitate a bit because it feels a little too close to the circus atmosphere, and yet it’s not.

 

So those are my thoughts; from these I am going to choose Jonathan Alderfer’s delicate verse:

a luna moth
revisits my screen door

 

And here is our renku so far:

 

rendezvous —
snowshoes piled high
outside the sauna                              Sally Biggar

an antiphonal greeting
of one wolf to the others                  Mary Kendall

the jury still out
on gray
vs grey                                               Laurie Greer

a little half-
and-half in my tea                              M. R. Defibaugh

scarecrows and
moons are the best
listeners                                              Dan Campbell

at the autumn gates
who can hear me now                        Wendy C. Bialek

an opened sesame
seed packet
from India                                          Betty Shropshire

and as if by magic
they fall in love                                   Marion Clarke

like charmed quarks
their relationship
thrives on give and take                       Clysta Seney

a boomerang
when skillfully thrown returns             Kanjini Devi

the seniors’ tour group
photobombed
by an emu                                             Judt Shrode

“this way
to the performing seals”                        Pauline O’Carolan

another round of
sumer is icumen in
for the solstice moon                             Autumn Noelle Hall

a luna moth
revisits my screen door                           Jonathan Alderfer

 

We have four more verses to the end of the renku—it is coming fast. To give you a notion of where we are going as best as it can be anticipated, I want to lay out the final path. Whether this is what actually happens, only the renku knows. Let’s imagine we are starting through the rapids. The following two verses (15, and 16) should go fast, like we are rushing quickly and adroitly through the rapids until we come to the waterfall, our glorious ending (verses 17 and 18).

So, with the above in mind, here are the instructions and considerations for our fifteenth verse. This verse is a no kigo verse. It should link to the fourteenth verse, but have no connection to the thirteeth verse. The requirements for this verse are:

  • a three-line poem of seventeen syllables or less; in this case less is more.
  • this verse is a no kigo verse.  Avoid the names of countries for a long while. Avoid references to science subjects for one verse, and tools or small flying objects for two. No birds, old people, or photography for three verses. No more mammals except humans for the rest of the poem. No more celestial objects; no more insects. No more buildings or parts of buildings. Also, no flowers—we have a blossom verse coming up.
  • a single syntactical structure flowing over three lines.

 

Please enter your verses in the comments box, below. I will be reviewing these offers until midnight on Tuesday, June 2 (California time zone). On Thursday, June 4, there will be a new posting containing my selection for the fifteenth verse, some discussion of other appreciated verses, and instructions for composing the sixteenth verse.

Again, I hope you stay safe and healthy. Do take all precautions. I hope that as a community of writers we can make this process enjoyable for everyone. Keep up the good writing. The challenge, should you care to accept it, is writing a verse that flows quickly. Now is the time for clean writing that zips along. Lightness is the key here—lightness in tone and style.  The more you write the better the final renku will be. I look forward to seeing your work.

As always, a thank you to John for his help in posting this.

I’d like to express my gratitude to all who have contributed; I especially appreciate the good will and kindness you show to each other and me; I am hoping for a return to amity. Thanks to those who already have a verse and still are contributing. We are glad for your voices and your company.

Patricia

This Post Has 297 Comments

  1. another round of
    sumer is icumen in
    for the solstice moon — Autumn Noelle Hall
    .
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door — Jonathan Alderfer
    ——————————–
    good luck
    doubled in a pair
    of jade hairpins
    .
    good luck
    doubled with the gift
    of jade hairpins
    .
    madam’s updo
    fastened by jade
    butterfly clips
    .

    1. whoops… I’ve just realized I’ve posted the above a day late. Should’ve done it yesterday. . . but other things intervened.

      1. That is a shame with your late entry, but then again our sabaki does make exceptions 😉
        .
        good luck
        doubled with the gift
        of jade hairpins
        .
        I like this as it is more pleasurable to give than receive, and what a beautiful gift and following verse this would make.
        All the best with this one.

  2. A breathtakingly beautiful verse, Jonathan. It took me back to the very first time I ever saw a luna moth as a child–synchronistically, thumping its pale green wings against the screen door of my Grandma’s summer cottage. Thank you for lending such a lovely image.
    *
    the hinged
    symmetry
    of dejavu
    *
    *
    *
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathan Alderfer
    *
    the green fairy
    lights upon a sugar cube
    on Bourbon Street
    *
    ~Autumn

  9. the ringing
    of a phone
    left inside
    *
    stripes of sunlight
    fall on the table
    through louvered shutters
    *
    arriving home
    to the aroma
    of baking bread
    *
    someday
    we hope to hear
    his knock

  10. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    after the tide
    worm holes pop
    in the sun

  11. Patricia, a small request. Could you correct the spelling of my first name in last week’s renku verse to Jonathan (with an “an” at the end) ? Thanks

    1. QUESTION FOR EITHER:
      .

      Patricia/or John Stevenson.
      .
      before this goes into archives….would you be able to correct:
      his first name spelling??????????
      .
      J O N A T H A N

      thank you in advance,

  13. the astronaut
    she’s wearing
    his space suit

    +++++++++++++

    a signal
    unknown
    from the control panel

  14. change of color
    tongue
    strikes
    *
    tongue
    strikes
    change of color
    *
    chameleon’s
    tongue
    strikes

  15. tumbleweed
    convoy sailing across
    a sea of sand
    #######
    a quarter in the
    jukebox and memories
    dance again

  16. SpaceX launches
    a craze
    for tic-tac-toe
    *
    This could be off limits as a science subject, but it could also be seen as business.

  17. almost gone
    mom reminds son
    7 ½ W

    (inspired by carmen’s and current events)

  19. his smiling photo
    posted on her
    dartboard
    #######
    his smiling photo
    resembles her
    voodoo doll
    ########
    life becomes
    boring when you walk
    around puddles
    ########

  20. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    his bed of nails
    sandwich
    is a head turner
    .
    turning heads
    his bed of nail
    sandwich

  21. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    flying first class
    in his very own
    paper airplanes
    *

  22. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer

    Dad greasing
    his leather boots
    for the country dance

  23. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    mother saw
    her son on TV
    looting

  24. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    neighbors grease
    up their motorcycles
    for the curvy roads

  28. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *

    in dappled light
    they play
    kiss and tell
    .
    looting
    they say
    is a black thing
    .
    from time to time
    they speak
    of found treasure
    .

      1. ah, yes. Nice one, Robert.
        .

        Back in the day, there was also Bowie …
        .
        fast forward
        to The Man Who Fell
        to Earth
        .

        1. Thanks Lorin
          .
          Vague memories
          of space suits
          and high heel boots
          .
          ziggy
          turns stardust
          to rain
          .
          on major tom’s birthday
          we toast the nurses
          With a fly by
          .

    3. looting
      they say
      is a negative thing
      .
      maybe a better visual opportunity, with the change Rob 🙂
      .

      1. Thanks Carol
        looting
        they say!
        is a black thing
        .
        the pigeon
        along the border
        chooses neither path
        .
        🙂

        2. No birds, at this stage, however this could be a good verse for a ‘dove’

          1. thank you for the reminder Carol. 🙂

            .
            stuck in a bunker
            the canary
            losing it’s voice

          2. stuck in a bunker
            the canary
            losing it’s voice
            .
            They are loud and clear in this bunker 🙂

  30. another round of
    sumer is icumen in
    for the solstice moon – Autumn Noelle Hall
    .
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door – Jonathan Alderfer
    ——————————-
    the Cornwall coast
    just right
    for hang gliding
    .
    a parachute
    plummeting
    seaward
    .

  31. another round of
    sumer is icumen in
    for the solstice moon – Autumn Noelle Hall
    .
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door – Jonathan Alderfer
    ——————————-
    “This is not
    a photo opportunity”
    by Banksy
    .
    that balloon girl
    on the West Bank wall
    still flying
    .
    deafened
    by the presidential
    helicopter
    .

      1. Thanks, Robert.
        (“photo opportunity” of course should be scratched … no photos as it harks back to “photobombing”.)

  33. going
    for
    gold
    .
    all
    wrapped
    up
    .
    limber girls
    favored
    in PE
    .
    PE
    teacher
    a tyrant
    .
    benched
    at
    half-time
    .
    setting up
    an
    alley-oop
    .
    goalie
    gives
    his all
    .

  34. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    reversi
    is a game best played
    at night
    .
    solving
    the last clue
    of the crossword puzzle
    .
    ten stitches later
    they view the result
    of his hernia op
    .
    at the strip joint
    her fish nets
    hung out to dry
    .

    .

  39. all of nature’s beauty
    come to live their pesticide-
    free lives here

    1. all of nature’s beauty
      come to live their lives here
      pesticide-free

  40. Thanks Patrizia for mentioning my proposal, congratulations to the chosen
    *
    onefrom the roller coaster
    in the lights
    headlong
    *
    start
    of Ferris wheel
    descent
    *
    a last touch
    of iridescent blush
    and go

  42. old oak
    trees remember
    favorite winds
    ##########
    redwood
    sipping
    fog
    ########
    remember
    grandpa planting
    that pecan tree
    ########
    ode to joy
    needs no
    translation
    #######

  43. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    expanding and
    contracting the columns
    of a spreadsheet

    *
    catching just
    the flutter
    of a heart murmur
    *

    1. The breadth of your links astounds me. All lessons for the learning. Appreciation—Clysta

    1. At night a cloudburst
      the flootgates of heaven open
      raindrops beat the drum

  46. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door Jonathon Alderfer

    *

    awards night
    but there’s no-one
    in sight

    *

    there’s only one way out
    take it
    or leave it

    *

    dusting off
    my fingerprints
    just in case

    *

    the danger of extra kilos
    thanks to lockdown
    and technology

    *

    a new path opens
    the way to changed habits
    and better lifestyles

    ~~~

  48. Congratulations Jonathon on your verse addition. The unpredictability of how the renku is coming together has been fun. Thank you Patricia, for including a couple of mine in your discussion. I will contribute more tomorrow, but for now in honor of this year’s graduates:
    *
    eyes bright
    over face masks
    in school colors

  49. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    rinsing dried beans
    for the cassoulet
    in her new Instapot
    *
    plexiglass smudges
    on your side
    or mine?
    *
    designer face masks
    go to the highest bidder
    at the on-line fundraiser

  54. another round of
    sumer is icumen in
    for the solstice moon – Autumn Noelle Hall
    .
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door – Jonathon Alderfer
    ———————————-
    who was
    that dashing
    masked man?
    .

    the neighbour
    who gets things wrong
    wears a Zorro mask
    .
    just under
    the wire his
    completed thesis
    .
    ambulance sirens
    waking us from our
    pretty dreams
    .
    there’s tomorrow
    and tomorrow if
    we’re lucky
    .

    1. of all here, lorin….i find your last one to be most fitting and intimate as a link

      1. Intimate isn’t a requirement. Though a range of tone as well as topic, over the whole Renku, is desirable.

    1. really great use of no spaces between words! It renders both the holding it in and the no time to pause ☺

  58. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    hypnotised
    by the mosaic
    mask of Tezcatlipoca

      1. Dark clouds are lifting
        and the sun is peeking through
        people breathe again

        1. At night a cloudburst
          the flootgates of heaven open
          raindrops beat the drum

    1. Funny. Apologies unnecessary. I’ve always felt moths have a noir side.

  64. वहाँ पर लटका हुआ
    *
    vahaan
    par
    lataka hua

    *
    at the intersection
    of hard work & luck
    is success

    *

    from a quote by Dustin Moskovitz

    “Success is very much the intersection of luck and hard work.”

  66. a squad car
    rides
    the double line
    *
    his rights read
    by a cop
    without a mask
    *

    1. Hey Laurie
      Just wanted to say congratulations on your haiku universe ku yesterday.
      .
      Your second one here. Wow.

      1. Thanks, Robert! I witnessed the incident in these verses just a little while ago.
        *
        Haikuniverse is a lot of fun–glad you read it!

        1. Hi Laurie
          Yes, I have haiku universe and tiny words. Always interesting to see what gets approved. Had a couple published in the past. More recent submissions though have not made the grade.

  68. jealous
    fluttering
    eyelashes

    ~~~~

    back
    to the glow
    of his phone

    ~~~~

    el sonido
    de la
    madrugada

  69. saxophone
    notes say sorrow
    better than words
    #########
    eating with
    chopsticks is my
    comedy routine
    #########
    a beautiful
    smile can still melt
    a cold cold heart

  70. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door

    *
    Jonathon Alderfer

    *

    the shapeshifter
    Proteus
    still rising

  72. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    how do you stop
    a psyche from
    tossing and turning?

  73. how he’s taken to
    wearing stripes
    with plaid
    *
    longing for
    somewhere
    off the grid
    *

    1. Laurie, love the image of stripes and plaid, and off the grid I feel often.

      1. Thanks, Maxianne! Sorry if I get a little obsessive sometimes. Just have to try things out in every iteration possible.

        1. Laurie,
          It has taken me until now to get this. Had a line break been inserted it would have hit home. It certainly meets the succinct and the human elements.
          I vote for the hashtag.:-)

  76. a trip
    to the hairdresser
    long over due
    .
    not sure if this is too close to Judt’s in respect of tour/trip?

  77. drawn in
    to the story before
    we could turn away
    ****************
    nothing to guide
    them but the glow of
    the lamplights
    *************
    extraordinary now
    that you should
    mention it
    ***************
    with so little time
    and far less
    opportunity

  79. while tracing
    a face mask pattern
    on graph paper

    *
    while cutting
    a face mask pattern
    on graph paper

  80. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    .
    – Jonathan Alderfer
    *
    fedex delivers
    our cottonelle
    toilet paper

  81. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    netting
    his first
    stickleback
    .
    netting for sails
    is as useful as talking
    into the wind
    .
    a rumble
    from the depths
    of Lector’s mind
    .
    antiheroes
    seek out fun
    in the dark

  82. another round of
    sumer is icumen in
    for the solstice moon – Autumn Noelle Hall
    .
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door – Jonathon Alderfer
    —

    more literature
    from the Jehovah’s
    Witnesses
    .
    in the blink
    of an eye
    the fairy queen
    .
    here and there
    along the silk road
    an oasis
    .
    space cadets
    with wide grins
    winging it
    .

    1. To pick one of this great sequence is unfair, but!
      .
      here and there
      along the silk road
      an oasis
      .
      .
      firmly in his cheek
      the skill
      of Matisse

      1. Hi Robert, thanks for letting me know your preference. 🙂
        .
        I should’ve used caps for the name of the road, of course, so I submit this revision:
        .
        here and there
        along the silk road
        an oasis
        .

    2. your first one, lorin, has a universal relatedness and links satirically well with jonathan’s verse!

  83. another round of
    sumer is icumen in
    for the solstice moon Autumn Noelle Hall
    .

    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door     Jonathon Alderfer
    .
    Congratulations and kudos, Jonathon. A masterful link to my mind as it’s done so simply and smoothly, as suits the kyu section. Your verse links admirably to the previous verse: the moth “revisiting” the screen door recalls the way round singers revisit the lyrics, over and over. The “luna” of Luna moth also enacts a re-visitation, this time to Autumn’s moon.
    .
    Moths (and other insects) on screen doors are definitely a sign of a hot summer night, in my experience. You’ve nailed it with this particular species.
    .

    1. Thanks Lorin. Your explication is just about what I was going for. I liked trying to work in multiple links, and changed “visits” to “revisits” at the last moment. When you mentioned “Autumn’s moon” I thought, how perfect for her to write a summer moon verse.

    2. lorin, your analysis of jonathan’s verse is a welcome breath of fresh air to this renku blog…so glad you have decided to participate and contribute what you are best at… in a positive way. and we have our wonderful sabaki, patricia, to thank, who found this gem…to add to our fantastic rendezvous renku.

      a luna moth
      revisits my screen door

      J o n a t h a n Alderfer

      1. ‘so glad you have decided to participate and contribute what you are best at’
        .
        My god. Just as this genre reads in so many ways, so do your words, ‘smug’ comes to mind.
        .
        the thin weave
        of your garment
        reveals far too much

        1. thanks, Robert .. it was actually my original .. and then I thought it needed more .. but you are right, less is more ..

          1. ☺ .. thanks, Wendy ..
            I wish I knew how to trust when it’s as short as necessary .. I guess practice and experience ..

          2. i am reminded of a true story about a haiku master in minimalist haiku,…. writer, j.w.hackett:
            having written an award winning,( first place) poem of few words…reworked it and made it even shorter and submitted the revised poem in the following year’s contest…where this one also took first place.
            *
            so, what we may ask…. is when is a piece finished?
            *
            many have argued, that hackett’s first version was the better of the two.
            *
            i am sure….that i could spend many more hours….months….or years with any of my offers and tweak, tweak, tweak them…as i often do.
            *
            somehow….i feel, that it isn’t just the amount of syllables or words….(or experience level) but the overall weight of the breath/and content/flow…. to read it aloud…the proper mix of ingredients to get the desired feel/taste….when it is right to you…the goldilock’s technique.
            *
            this is a subject….that i could happily engage an entire lifetime to….

  87. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    at the art school
    they teach us
    how to scale up

  88. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    then sometimes the scales fall
    back
    in his eyes
    *

  91. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    waiting for the scales
    to fall
    from his eyes
    *
    tipping the scales
    with the lightest of
    fingers
    *

  94. In case the “presto!” is too magical/carnival-like . . . here’s another go . . .

    *

    origami paper
    morphs
    into a fish

  97. crippled beggar
    sprinting
    to catch a bus
    ########
    tripping over
    cobblestones
    in the redlight district
    #########
    snake cafes
    cause upset
    stomachs
    ########
    bowing
    beats shaking
    hands

  99. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    nothing like
    the sheer mesh
    of silk stockings
    *

  100. setting off
    a tornado
    *
    the flap of the wings
    I delete your number
    *
    in one flap
    I delete your number

  101. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    paying
    with a touch
    at the kiosk
    *
    payment
    at the tip
    of a finger
    *
    everything
    touch
    and go
    *

  102. . . . lovely luna, Jonathon!

    *

    di, di, di, di,
    the scammer’s call
    disconnects

    1. a luna moth
      revisits my screen door
      *
      Jonathon Alderfer
      .

      loading the saddle
      of his second hand
      buckaroo

  105. .
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door    Jonathon Alderfer
    ……
    .
    wrong
    way
    home
    .
    each
    time,
    stopped
    .

    1. The link for these (and one more) are the profound 1960’s silkscreen posters of Corita Kent … homage to her social justice art to rally the silent majority

  106. Jonathan, I love that lovely luna moth .. and Patricia, thank you for pausing at my slurping guy, and all the comments that explain various ways of linking ..
    **
    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    let’s play
    fairy princess
    in mom’s canopy bed
    *

  107. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    grounds crew out
    in neon green
    vests
    *
    the stony yard
    covered
    in moss
    *
    winging it
    at the job
    interview
    *

  109. Congratulations, Jonathan, on this lovely link!

    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door

    *

    the wind sweeps
    a swirl of pine needles
    from the cabin roof

    *

    the poplar’s
    photosynthetic
    bark

    *

    a sip of absinthe
    to inspire
    a new poem

  111. sent flying
    by a bump
    in the bike path
    *
    catching
    each other
    on the fly
    *
    gently poking
    a few holes
    in the story
    *
    more than a few
    holes
    in his stories
    *

    1. Love all your verses, Laurie! Just a thought :-
      –
      not so gently
      poking holes
      in the story
      .
      Please bin it if you don’t like it 🙂

  113. poetic moths
    say a match
    is an unhatched flame
    ########
    poets
    call matches
    unhatched flames
    ########
    crashing with
    flaming wings
    is the way to go

  114. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    the morning post
    clatters onto
    the mat
    *
    this mountain view
    is well worth
    the climb

    1. the question bears
      repeating; ” can’t we
      all just get along”?
      ****************
      if at first you don’t
      succeed the likelihood
      dramatically declines
      ******************
      just a spoon
      of Midori helps
      the medicine go down

  117. A lovely verse indeed, Jonathon. And lots of ways to link to it!
    …
    Verse 1:
    …
    she flutters a fan
    to hide
    her acned face
    …
    Verse 2:
    …
    tired of
    the same old
    same old story
    …
    Verse 3:
    …
    meetings
    by computer
    are still painful
    …
    Verse 4:
    …
    growing a hedge
    to block out
    the neigbours
    …
    Verse 5:
    …
    her wimple
    on top of
    the camphorwood box

  118. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    in his fifties
    he learns
    to pick strings

  120. continues
    writing a story
    untitled

    **

    pens a story
    without plot
    construction
    *
    **

    opening tap
    only to see mud
    flowing

    *

    still hot breath
    flowing through
    mask

    2. corrected spelling:
      *
      the folded canvas’
      of warhol’s
      rorschach paintings

  125. Very nice, Jonathon! Simply lovely.
    .
    .
    The Unbearable
    Lightness
    of Being
    .
    .
    the news cycle
    at warp speed
    makes my head spin
    .

  127. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    sending the message
    without
    the attachment
    *
    resending the message
    with
    the attachment
    *

  128. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    I woz ere
    carved
    on a bench
    .
    his prize car
    draped in retirement
    paraphernalia
    .
    a pile
    of welcome home cards
    on the step
    .
    she names
    her holey sweater
    hòly
    .

      1. a luna moth
        revisits my screen door
        *
        Jonathon Alderfer
        *
        living on speed
        through the rail carriage
        window
        .
        brushing dust
        from his
        Cavalier suit
        .
        bagging
        his cavalier suit
        for the bin man

    2. I wos ere
      carved
      on the bench
      .
      nice one, Rob.
      and brevity was asked for 🙂

        1. Down the ages, humans have always left his/her mark, from prints in pottery to cave paintings etc.
          .
          And nature own in the form of fossil. All say ‘I wos ere’ 🙂

  130. “let’s play Twister
    let’s play Risk; see you in
    heaven if you make the list”

  131. Congrats, Jonathan! A beautiful verse, so light and mesmerizing. And thank you, Patricia, for another insightful session. I look forward to this every week 🙏🏾

  135. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    keeping the limes
    under lock
    and key
    *
    mysterious holes
    in the antique
    carpet
    *

  137. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    after the earthquake
    they fold up
    the risk board
    .
    he rips
    the dusty cover
    off her corvette
    .
    the back side
    of water moves
    just as fast
    .

    1. Hi Clysta
      I wondered about “whips” Instead in your corvette verse?
      .
      Nice verse.

      1. Thank you Rob. 🙏🏼 Whips does shift the image, and given the pain of this awful week in my country, this will be my revision:
        .
        he slips
        the dusty cover
        off her corvette
        .

  138. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathan Alderfer

    *
    the white knee
    suffocates
    a black neck

    2. bare branches
      make a mockery
      of freedom
      .
      in star terms
      a dying light
      burns twice as bright
      .
      canaries
      can run out of breath
      in dark places
      .
      in dappled light
      we see
      how unity works

  139. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    rhymin’
    and jivin’
    in the poetry slam
    *

        1. The best bit in my opinion Carole.
          I like this because it is not apparent. 🙂

  141. slam bam
    thank you
    mam
    **********
    some chloroform
    will preserve the
    memory forever
    *****************
    picture postcards
    returned with an
    address unknown
    *****************
    again i’ll touch
    the green green
    grass of home

  142. congratulation jonathan!!!!!!!!
    this was my favourite of all your lovely verses!
    patricia you picked a perfect fit!!!!

    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathan Alderfer

    *

  143. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    going for
    the grand
    slam
    *

  144. Thank you Patricia for adding my verse to the renku, a delightful surprise to wake up to this morning. And thanks to everyone for sending their compliments. So many of your verses have opened (screen) doors for me.

  145. Congratulations Jonathan and thank you Patricia for encouraging our participation and creativity.

  146. Jonathan, congratulations on such a settling verse. Just the right tone for the upcoming rapids. And, Patricia thanks again for the highlighted verses and guidance and your experienced steering. I am learning so much from everyone

    a luna moth
    revisits my screen door Jonathon Alderfer
    .
    hot wheel races
    on the sidewalk
    pull me outside
    .

  147. Congratulations Jonathon. A lovely verse.
    A nice array of selections this week Patricia. The renku is looking good.

    Well done everybody.

  149. Congratulation on having your verse chosen, Jonathon. It portrays a great backstory on its return. I see the element of surprise and excitement, as this session has been 🙂
    And with the renku spirit still intact, we move onward.
    .
    Thankyou, Particia, for selecting one of my verses for comment and consideration.

  150. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *
    too soon to open
    too hard
    to stay closed
    *

  151. a luna moth
    revisits my screen door
    *
    Jonathon Alderfer
    *

    venting
    through
    the face mask
    *
    congratulations, Jonathon! A short, sweet verse.

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