Renku Sessions

The Renku Sessions: Side Show – Week 14

renku_300

 

Hello, Everyone:

Wow! What a fantastic week! I am so impressed because you had a big challenge this week writing a love verse while linking to a verse about death. But you more than met the challenge using clever words, such as “engulfed,” “succumb,” “taxes,” “doomed,” and “unearthed” while writing about love. Since Barbara’s verse has a participle in it, I wanted to avoid the use of one in this verse (and for a number of verses to come) so many otherwise worthy verses dropped out. As you will see I did keep a few, to evaluate further.

Here’s my first cut in choosing verses for consideration:

at the edge of my bed
you finally held
my heart

you will not take her
before
our seventieth

off the trail
sudden moans
of passion

his heart bullet-riddled
but it was beauty
killed the beast

Rob Barkan

*

to all who can hear
we swear to love each other
forever and ever

Loren Ford

*

she finishes my
sentences before I have
time to end them

on a hillside field
of yellow poppies
they say, we do

she hears
the ultrasound
at OB-GYN

through the forest
the wail of a newborn
child echoes

married eighty-nine
years, yet something new
every day

two lovers
engulfed
with passion

captured
in bronze
their endless kiss

a happy prisoner
I succumb
to her kisses

their fire
threatens
their existence

John Daleiden

*

see how
our shadows
hold each other up

a murder
suicide pact
instead of vows

twilight serenade
under her
open window

holding hands
as our homemade
raft sinks

watching
our castle slowly
wash away

Dan Campbell

*

another rendezvous
at the sign
of the horns

they make the hamsa
their private
love token

the sparkle
of the solitaire
says it all

the crown of sonnets
they read
to each other

what the two get up to
when the white noise machine
goes on

to be on the safe side
they make it a short
engagement

not saying a word
as they plight
their troth

lonely for that
come hither
look

the little vial
that guarantees
they won’t be parted

their final vow
is a pact
for someday

the two of them
dumbstruck
by the prognosis

the smiles
in their joint passport
good for another few years

Laurie Greer

*

through your voice
I hear
my favorite song

our silence
weaves a language
only we speak

sandalwood scent
clings to my soul
long after we part

Sandip Chauhan

*

in a whisper
showing their initials
on his skin

Sandra St-Laurent

*

so close to the edge
they go ahead and fall
in love

Debbie Fuller

*

his breath stolen
by words whispered
from red lips

nothing can stop
those doomed lovers meeting
on the windswept moor

Marion Clarke

*

their unfinished
story returns
on a bookshelf

grandma rereads
his worn braille love letters
from the war

first time
against the moss-covered
stone

last turn
in scrabble tiles
M A R R Y M E

when everything
isn’t fair
in love & war

Wendy C. Bialek

*

the screech
every time touching stops
until we touch again

Pamela Garry

*

something
on the tip of my tongue
about your touch

words
fail
me

an undertow
grabs hold as I enter your
darkened room

shipwrecked
by a fox faced girl
and her kisses

as we embrace
I can only surrender
to her dybbuk

Jonathan Alderfer

*

an old couple
spends eternity together
among gravestones

do-not-disturb signs
sway as the ship strikes
an iceberg

young lover pairs
on the space mission
don’t feel air leaks

in a bombed ditch
the young husband’s hand
covers his wife’s eyes

Richard Straw

*

love bound
in the hereafter
of 1001 nights 

for nothing is certain
except with prune juice
and that little blue pill

Betty Shropshire

*

while we hold
each other’s hands
in hospice

monoxide poisoning
claims a couple on
lover’s lane

the grieving widow
still waits
for a sign

her
poison pen letter
sealed with a kiss

Michael Henry Lee

*

who wouldn’t fall
for the shy young widow
with almond eyes

Keith Evetts

*

at the wedding
he screams to do you take her –
I DO!

he blames
his flatulence
on the wedding cake

Dan MacDonald

*

kissing
away the last bite
of poison apple

Eavonka Ettinger

*

an old mixed tape
unearths memories
of first love

Tracy Davidson

*

his long knee slide
as he swears how
deep their love is

Clysta Seney

*

now
filing taxes
jointly

speak
now
or

Diana Ming Jeong

*

out shooting
her partner
who eventually became her happy husband

madeleine Kavanagh

*

falling for
the new HR director
could be fatal

Harrison

*

in the rubble
after the bombing
they lie together

Pauline O’Carolan

From the above I chose these six verses to examine more carefully:

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

off the trail
sudden moans
of passion

Rob Barkan

*

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

love bound
in the hereafter
of 1001 nights

Betty Shropshire

*

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

her
poison pen letter
sealed with a kiss

Michael Henry Lee

*

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

at the wedding
he screams to do you take her –
I DO!

Dan MacDonald

*

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

now
filing taxes
jointly

Diana Ming Jeong

*

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

speak
now
or

Diana Ming Jeong

And I can’t believe it — how powerful Diana’s verse is following Barbara’s — three words in three lines! I would have never predicted it. It’s the unsaid that lingers in the air like a threat . . .

But much as I like the verse, I fear that “speak” is too close to “ear” in Keith’s verse, and so instead, I am going to choose Betty’s:

love bound
in the hereafter
of 1001 nights

Betty Shropshire

And so, our renku this far is:

Side Show

the moon joins
a juggler’s side show
harvest festival

Wendy C. Bialek

a swirl of moths
orbits the yellow lamplight

Jonathan Alderfer

drifting leaves
pile up at the lock gates
on the old canal

Andrew Shimield

an inuksuk points the way
to the next adventure

Carol Jones

Earthrise
to the tune of Strauss’s ‘Thus
spake Zarathustra’

Lorin Ford

may I have this dance
for the rest of my life?

John Daleiden

I swing onto
his Vespa
fully committed

Clysta Seney

letting off a stowaway
in the middle of the heat

Laurie Greer

the cool
of the house
at the back of her mind

madeleine kavanagh

unidentifiable
vibrations

Pamela Garry

the dog’s ears
prick up
before the doorbell

Keith Evetts

death
is listening

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

love bound
in the hereafter
of 1001 nights

Betty Shropshire

And now here are your instructions for verse fourteen:

  • a two-line winter love verse, the two lines should flow syntactically;
  • link to verse thirteen in some fashion;
  • the door is open for all topics except death: war, politics, or any wild or bizarre subjects (in this section of the renku the party gets going full steam — arguments, clowning, tears, all happen here);
  • for the rest of the renku, please avoid any subjects related to festivals or circuses, carnival acts, etc. as well as death, house/home, and life; avoid time of day or night, any reference to heaven, hell, or the great beyond, any numbers, and any reference to literary works or books for the next six verses; avoid references to hearing or listening or speaking for the next five verses; please avoid mentioning four-legged animals or sound-making devices for the next four verses; avoid ID’s and vibrating objects for the next three verses; also avoid mention of structures such as houses, barns, cabins, etc. as well as brains for the next two verses; also avoid mention of hiding, hitchhiking, passengers, or parts or fractions for the next verse.
  • submit your verses by midnight PDT Tuesday, August 20.

I thank you all for your submissions and for your lively participation. I wish you good writing in the coming week — and good healing and tranquility for John.

— Patricia

 

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

Jim Kacian

Comments (150)

  2. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    snowy sky
    unable to view her star husband

        2. I love that the version of “the star husband” that I read–the woman eventually joins her husband and son in the sky.

  3. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    ignoring record snow fall
    they celebrate long marriage

    under his golf umbrella
    he shelters her from sleet

  4. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    x’s and o’s
    on the fogged up windows

    joined at the hip
    we leave marks on the ice

    it’s cuffing season
    let’s netflix and chill

    Diana Ming Jeong

        1. Yep, I’ve looked up cwch , too: ” One of the most notable uses of the word in the English language was by Elizabeth Taylor, who said of her Welsh husband Richard Burton, “I just want to go and cwtch him” ”
          (Wikipedia)
          …and now I recall ‘Under Milkwood’. I still have a copy on audio tape.

  6. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights

    in the cold moonlight
    she stops before the ending

    the genie escapes the bottle
    she leaves him wanting more

    snug under the covers
    ice patterns the windows

    rubbing the lamp
    wishing for a date night

    on the magic carpet
    entwined shadows dancing

    arm in arm down the street
    icicles adorn the magic lantern

  7. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    after renewed vows they
    face first snow head on

    winter after winter
    we walk the faithfulness path

  9. he leaps into the snow bank
    she asks for his hand
    ~ ~ ~
    his heart leaps
    she shows him a ring
    ~ ~ ~
    the heavily coated jester
    tumbles into her arms

  10. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    ——-Betty Shropshire
    .

    even in the the cold
    your heat

      1. madeleine,
        i found it sad to learn that sumo wrestlers are not permitted to marry until they make it into the two top ranks.

        “Sumo wrestlers live in training stables with strict discipline. Confined within a space with limited exposure, they become too weak to encounter the outside world.”

        “Lower-ranked warriors will help the sekitori or top wrestlers practice, get them dressed, prepare their meals, and wash their clothes. Some even help them clean their buttocks in the toilet.”

        here is the article i read and quoted from…

        https://mainstand.co.th/en/features/1/article/3166

      2. I’ve been wanting to say how much I love your poem, Wendy… It is so vivid and full of imagery! I adore the play on words! :)

      3. LOL! and here….(drum roll, please! ) the long awaited, less curious version:

        turbans unwind as
        bodies thaw in the sauna

  16. Betty Shropshire, you wrote the verse we are all responding to in the renku….yet i don’t see any acknowledgement(from you) of this posted in the comments…so far….are you okay?

  17. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    while snow falls they read
    aloud their billet doux

    snowman jumps over
    the broom again and again

  18. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights

    at the ice hotel
    they snuggle up close

    sharing a hot drink
    above the northern lights

    curtains of green dance above
    holding hands in wonder

    shrieks of laughter
    he stuffs a snowball down her shirt

    outdoors snow falls
    fifty candles on their anniversary cake

    snow white hair
    laughter echoes down the years

    remnants of wedding cake
    left out for the birds

    the family
    surround her hospice bed

    wobbling on ice skates
    he catches her

    warm lips meet
    at the frost fair

    a pair of straws
    in the mug of hot chocolate

    his and her hats
    thawing out by the fire

    1. Oops two verses have accidentally turned into 3 liners…edit time…hope these work out better

      shrieking as he stuffs a snowball
      down her shirt

      snow falls, inside fifty candles
      on their anniversary cake

  19. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    a snowman fashioned with
    the image of my best friend

  20. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    among the snowballs
    falling in love with a million feelings

    Nani Mariani

  21. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    Betty Shropshire

    happiness ..
    the line of grandchildren grows longer

    Nani Mariani

  22. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    –Betty Shropshire

    wedding cake decorated
    with their wedding photos

    Nani Mariani

  23. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    an unsent letter
    in his coat pocket

    red frozen noses touch
    again and again

  24. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    on their anniversary
    skiing at this resort

  25. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    brushing snowflakes
    from her long long black hair

    a two-legged huskie
    pulling her sled across a frozen lake

    a plátano for
    our snowman’s nose

  26. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    hibernating
    until she returns

    gracias mi amor
    for melting my frozen heart

  27. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    ——-Betty Shropshire
    *
    arms around each other
    we step into the new year

  28. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    you buy me again
    that perfume

  30. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    ——-Betty Shropshire
    .

    the mountain snow
    has not forgotten you
    .

    winter drifts in
    under our bedroom door

  31. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    in December her nineteenth
    year with the same man

    they agree winter snow
    compliments their marriage plans

  32. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    snowed up for a week
    they reread to each other

  33. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    the icy grip of handcuffs
    frees her from shame and guilt

    1. the icy grip of handcuffs
      fuels their intimacy

      If this isn’t love, I don’t know what is!

  34. lovers in ski masks
    see the smile out of eyes

    even in black face masks
    they see the white breath’s smile

  41. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    applauding her haiku
    about an evergreen

    those nights spent
    together in a sleeping bag

    she saw her first snowfall
    at the age of twenty-three

  42. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    snowed in
    sparks fly

    Diana Ming Jeong

  43. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    a caribbean wedding
    with winter snow left at home

    oysters and silver carp served
    as winter wedding hors d’oeuvres

    the couple bobsled
    to celebrate their union

    the clear and cold magnifies
    their blazing amalgamation

  44. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    the snow cover blanketed
    our foreplay

    Diana Ming Jeong

    1. Oops I should quote correctly!

      love bound
      in the hereafter
      of 1001 nights
      –Betty Shropshire

  45. Congratulations Betty!

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    ——-Betty Shropshire
    .

    sparrows in the snow
    twitter about our affair
    .

    out walking
    your eyelashes flecked with snow
    .

    snowlight slips in
    and strokes your beveled hip
    .

    a line of frozen spruces
    guards our privacy

  46. Congrats Betty and thank you Patricia

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    letting her win
    the snowball fights

    our snowman
    wears a sombrero

    building an igloo
    meant for two

  48. death
    is listening

    Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    hearts race
    under the mistletoe

    Diana Ming Jeong

  49. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    honeymooners tell tales
    of travel through winter ice

    wedding bouquet of winter
    camellias and spearflowers

    honeymoon destination
    a winter ski resort

    their harmony exquisite
    in the face of freezes

  50. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    *
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    in their half-frozen mouths
    pet names become palindromes
    *
    icy breath turns a pet name
    into a palindrome
    *

  51. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    *
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    ways to keep the mercury
    up through the cold

  52. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    *
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    their paired tracks
    hidden in the fresh snow
    *
    the engagement settled
    with a promise of ice fishing
    *
    the long engagement strung out
    with plenty of ice fishing

    1. their paired tracks
      hidden in the fresh snow
      *
      whoops–no hiding
      try:
      their paired tracks receive
      the blessings of fresh snow
      *

  53. love bound
    
in the hereafter

    of 1001 nights
    Betty Shropshire
    *
    a freezing error code gets
    the kids out of the house
    *
    we share hot chocolate
    by our hearth fire
    *

  54. death
    is listening

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    all held together
    in chilldhood’s Christmas tales

    The Djinn a pleasant shiver
    as a family snuggles up

    embracing in the cold
    of th’eternal starry night

  55. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    *
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    snow gives them carte blanche
    to carry on as they like
    *

  56. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    their passion
    forever snowballs
    *
    they draw ever closer
    behind the curtain of snow
    *

  57. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    on their winter honeymoon
    free chocolates and condoms

    their solidarity
    encircled with winter greens

    in peace the couple search
    for flowers out of season

    with integrity they stand
    tall among fallen leaves

  58. we share a sesame sub
    and an oversized sweater

    roasting more than his chestnuts
    in front of the fire

    heart-shaped hot water bottles
    in the honeymoon suite

  59. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    ***

    glad she wears bedsocks
    this time of the year

    virgin snow all around
    the honeymoon retreat

  60. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    the colder the more fun
    that’s a poem in my heart

    Nani Mariani

  61. love is bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    Betty Shropshire
    —-

    between tonight and that night
    the cold turns into intimacy

    Nani Mariani

  62. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    —-

    Adam and Eve in the snow camp
    adding new inhabitants to the universe

    Nani Mariani

  63. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights — Betty Shropshire
    —
    our ski instructor
    quite the ladies’ man
    —
    my ski instructor
    cuddles up to all !
    —
    those rugged snowmen
    not so abominable
    —
    how long it takes before
    the iceman cometh
    —

  64. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights – Betty Shropshire
    —
    three kids
    in three years and she’s
    expecting again!

  65. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights — Betty Shropshire
    —
    things warm up in our
    ski instructor’s cabin

    a ski instructor
    invites her to his cabin
    where things warm up

    in the ski instructor’s
    cosy cabin

    1. oops! I thought I’d deleted the two drafts ( the 2 under the first 2-line verse. Can’t fix this mistake now. Duh! (sorry)

      1. actually Lorin it’s an opportunity for some us who are “”late to haiku” to be able to see the working steps of an accomplished poet.

        1. That’s kind of you, Clysta. :-) The truth is I had a concussion event on Mothers’ Day evening and from then I’ve been “a bit slow”. . I have a strong suspicion that my old cat was involved, as he has a bad habit of swirling around my ankles.
          Warning to all: once you’ve turned 70, beware of smoochy cats who like to wrap themselves around your ankles.

      1. they walk hand in hand
        to the snow-covered boxcar

        abandoned boxcar buried in snow
        he lifts her inside

        the snow-laden boxcar he told her about
        fills with their white breath

        they gaze sleepily at the snowfield
        beyond the open boxcar doors

  67. friendly reminder for everyone!
    there is no THE in the last line
    of betty’s verse. please check what
    you copy and paste.

  68. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    thank you Betty, so well-crafted and poetic.
    this takes us to another mysterious and
    metaphysical place.

    a fantastic selection again Patricia. combined
    with love and winter it makes for an exciting
    and challenging week.

    (and i’m grateful you shortlisted my offerings)

  69. Congratulations, Betty! :-) . . . and a great choice on your part, Patricia. :-)
    A linkage from a personified death verse to a love verse seemed a very difficult thing to get right to me until I read this verse of yours. Sudden enlightenment! It stood out for me on first reading.

  70. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    Beautiful!!
    Congratulations Betty
    ❤️

  71. Betty love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    Beautiful ..
    Congratulations , Betty
    ❤️

  73. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    how tall they stand
    beneath the winter moon

    not even snow pellets
    obscure their fierce oneness

    their pledged duty
    a refuge from winter nights

    ensconced in unity, they
    steer through streets of snow

  75. the dog’s ears
    prick up
    before the doorbell

    Keith Evetts

    death
    is listening

    Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    from the arrow
    springs forth the archer

    Diana Ming Jeong

    1. Aha! :-) A reference to the poet, Kahlil Gibran’s, work? His famous poem about children? Nice link! :-)

      1. Hi Lorin,

        Thank you! But haha no I haven’t heard of this poem! 🙈

        I was trying to write something clever using references to myths as the link and to write about winter love.

        Arrow = Cupid = Eros

        Eros being one of the fish in Pisces. The other fish is Aphrodite.

        I was born in December. I am a Sagittarius… An archer.
        The archer is Cupid. Hence Eros.
        I was conceived sometime in March. Under Pisces.

        From the love of my parents in March, I was born in December.

        from the arrow
        springs forth the archer

        I have now read the poem. Ah! I love it! Thank you, Lorin!
        https://poets.org/poem/children-1

        1. ah, yes: “your children are not your children . . . ” Anyway, now you have heard of that poem. There is another popular one by Gibran, if you’re interested. Easily found.

          I didn’t know about Eros being The Fish.

          1. Lorin yes what is the name of it? I’d like to read it.

            Here is more info about Pisces from Wikipedia.

            According to one Greek myth, Pisces represents the fish, sometimes represented by a shark, into which Aphrodite (also considered Venus) and her son Eros (also considered Cupid) transformed in order to escape the monster Typhon. Typhon, the “father of all monsters”, had been sent by Gaia to attack the gods, which led Pan to warn the others before himself changing into a goat-fish and jumping into the Euphrates. A similar myth, one in which the fish “Pisces” carries Aphrodite and her son out of danger, is resounded in Manilius’ five-volume poetic work Astronomica: “Venus ow’d her safety to their Shape.” Another myth is that an egg fell into the Euphrates River. It was then rolled to the shore by fish. Doves sat on the egg until it hatched, out from which came Aphrodite. As a sign of gratitude towards the fish, Aphrodite put the fish into the night sky. Because of these myths, the Pisces constellation was also known as “Venus et Cupido”, “Venus Syria cum Cupidine”, “Venus cum Adone”, “Dione” and “Veneris Mater”, the latter being the formal Latin term for mother.

            The Greek myth on the origin of the sign of Pisces has been cited by English astrologer Richard James Morrison as an example of the fables that arose from the original astrological doctrine, and that the “original intent of [it] was afterwards corrupted both by poets and priests.”

  76. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    no longer adrift like snow
    now we’re together
    *

  77. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    Congratulations to Betty Shropshire!!! You are so clever! 💞 I didn’t know the story of 1001 nights but I am familiar with Arabian Nights song by Siouxsie and The Banshees, and Sinbad The Sailor from watching Popeye cartoons 👀, and Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves also probably from cartoons.

    Thank you Lorin for explaining this in the comments that these stories I heard of is from “One Thousand and One Nights”.

    “Death was certainly on the cards in the framing of all the collected stories in ‘The Story of 1001 nights’. The emperor had ‘wives for a night’, women who would be killed the next morning, until one clever woman found the way around the problem: she told him cliffhangers, so was spared night after night because he wanted to hear what came next.

    Death was ‘listening’ for all of those ‘wives-for-a-night’ . For the heroine, Scheherazade, too, but she cleverly found the way to delay being killed, night after night, for a thousand and one nights. (By which time the king either trusted her or had died, I suppose.)”

    This is a perfect link back to

    death
    is listening

    Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    Thank you Keith for the link back to the story so we can all read it.
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34206/34206-h/34206-h.htm

    This is one of the reasons why I continue to participate. Even though I feel like I don’t really know anything, I know some things from my tiny life here in big Los Angeles, and in turn I learn more things from other people, so I continue to write and submit my offerings. I feel like I need to experience a lot more in life but it’s ok to experience them in books and here too! Thank you all so much! You continue to amaze me.

    Thank you Patricia for include me in the long list and for your praise for my verse. I didn’t think I could pull it off but in writing and saying it to myself, I thought I would give it a try.

    😊

    Healing prayers to John Stevenson whom I am delighted to see has participated in Haiku Dialogue! So hopefully that means he is recovering successfully!
    https://thehaikufoundation.org/haiku-dialogue-going-for-a-walk-on-top-of-the-world-mountains-long-list/

    1. Diana, I haven’t read ‘The 1001 Nights’/ (‘The Arabian Nights’ etc.) either. I knew the story of ‘Aladdin and his Magic Lamp’ from somewhere in childhood and the story of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ . Somewhere along the line I read of the framing story of the collection,the story of Scheherazade.

      I agree with you that Betty’s verse is a superb link to the ‘death’ verse and am very pleased that Patricia has chosen it.

      1. Oh yes, Lorin! How could I forget Aladdin! :) But the story of Scheherazade is new to me. Very well done Betty!

  78. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    the wedding quilt still good
    for a generation–or two
    *
    melting the ice with the warmth
    of their vows
    *

  79. I hope you continue to feel better, John. Thanks for making another wonderful selection, Patricia. And congratulations on your lovely, spellbinding link, Betty!

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire

    arm in arm
    in the snow

    mitten grips mitten
    on a skating pond

    two on a fast sled
    down the steep hill

    a golden anniversary
    on the snowy moor

    spelling “l u v y o u”
    in the alphabet soup

    the snowman peeks
    at the snowwoman

    fingers touching
    at the tissue box

    one sneeze out-
    does the other’s

    a pair of owls asks
    each other’s names

    a pair of ducks alone
    on the iced-over pond

  80. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    they unite as one bulwark
    against beginnings of snow

    they fend off first snow
    with dedication

  81. Congratulations, Betty! I so love your allusion to The Arabian Nights.

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    snuggled together
    by the fireplace

    hot cocoa
    warms them both

    the taste of snow
    between their lips

  82. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    –Betty Shropshire

    grandparents build snow
    hippies sonny and cher

  83. Congratulations , Betty, and thank you, Patricia, for leading us on!

    eyes meet
    beneath hats and above scarfs

  85. each snow man and woman
    anatomically correct

    a coy exchange of his
    and her snow-globes

    mulled wine by the pitcher
    at the bridal shower

    both snug as
    a bug in an Inuit rug

  86. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights –Betty Shropshire

    neither sleet nor rain
    curtail their pledge

    commitment to each other
    in spite of icy roads

  87. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    –Betty Shropshire

    couples march in icy winds
    to regain all their rights

  89. Congrats! Betty, on your selected verse, a great literary ref. that links so well to Barbara’ verse, and speaks to modern, moral themes of today’s gender equality issues.

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    –Betty Shropshire

    we return to snap
    more pictures of the kiss
    in ice

  90. love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights

    her snow white stockings hung
    by a leather garter belt

  91. Congratulations, Betty! A beautiful poem full of romance and adventure. Thank you Patricia for a wonderful choice.

    1. love bound
      in the hereafter
      of the 1001 nights
      –Betty Shropshire

      wrapped in a blanket
      the two kiss at the ceremony
      ~ ~ ~
      wrapped in her blue blanket
      the couple watch the snow
      ~ ~ ~
      the young couple kiss inside
      her wedding blanket

  92. Great selection! Congratulations Betty!

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights

    Betty Shropshire
    ***
    mitten swapping
    and matching again

    clouds of steam
    from their clasped hands

    at shoulder height new pilling
    as they walk

  93. Congratlations Betty and thanks to Patricia for her insight.

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    we code our calendars
    for loads of “us” open time

    1. love bound
      in the hereafter
      of 1001 nights
      –Betty Shropshire

      we code our old calendars
      for loads of together time

  94. A lovely, fun verse, Betty! Thanks again, Patricia, for all the comments and advice.
    *

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire
    *
    they fall together as they
    slip on the ice
    *
    together again as they
    slip on the ice
    *
    they hold fast to each other
    as they’re held by the ice
    *
    as many proposals
    as diamonds in the ice
    *

  95. Congratulations Betty on your lovely love verse. And continued thanks to Patricia for all the enlightenment as you select beautiful links.

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    holding hands
    in a mitten

    1. Oops/ Betty’s verse should read:

      love bound
      in the hereafter
      of 1001 nights
      –Betty Shropshire

  96. Congratulations, Betty, for the lovely verse.

    love bound
    in the hereafter
    of the 1001 nights
    –Betty Shropshire

    they hold hands
    as snow angels are made

    the entwined fingers
    of two snow angels

    snowflakes melt on cheeks
    when they kiss

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