The Renku Sessions: Side Show – Week 18

Comments (225)

1. migrant children make
   pinwheels out of trash

   heat shimmer
   on the fuselage

   a balloon escapes
   the arrangement

   a child watches her balloon
   reach outer space

2. correction:
   expired swiffer* coupons
   found between car seats

   ash from incense sticks
   swept by sleeping buddha

   a replacement
   air filter for the car’s ac

   *swiffer duster disposable puffs

3. expired swifter* coupons
   found between car seats

   ash from incense sticks
   swept by sleeping buddha

   a replacement
   air filter for the car’s ac

   *swifter duster disposable puffs

   1. Hi Wendy! Love your expired stiffer coupon one!

4. a hungry water snake
   hunts beneath thin ice

   a tadpole stares downstream
   at its frog self

   a steaming placenta
   beside a nursing mare

   the creaking windmill
   slows as i pass it

   1. love the tadpole verse, a tad more….rob

      1. thank you wendy!

5. still a blow-in
   even after
   thirty years
   Marion Clarke

   the scent of popcorn wafts
   from the nearby stand

   a street artist splashes
   finches on gray walls

   children race bicycles
   down sunlit alleyways

   ice cream drips
   from waffle cones

   1. excellent image, nicely crafted verse! (definitely in my zen-zone)

      a street artist splashes
      finches on gray walls

      Sandip Chauhan

      https://www.pressreader.com/uk/evening-telegraph-first-edition/20201027/281505048717752

      1. . . . but, um – Patricia has called for Spring verses. Good as these verses are, popcorn, street artists splashing paint, children riding bikes in the sun and ice-cream are not indicators of Spring, in my view.
         (i’m trying to be helpful. Sandip might want to submit some other verses, with Spring indicators.. It’s a hard one, I know. Indicators of Spring are not the same the world around. )

6. still a blow-in
   even after
   thirty years
   – Marion Clarke

   reunion event
   became a lively joke

7. still a blow-in
   even after
   thirty years –Marion Clarke

   beach combers
   take their first spring walk

8. all tangled up
   in the maypole

   Diana Ming Jeong

   1. all tangled up
      around the maypole

      Diana Ming Jeong

      I felt it needs an edit.

      1. this edit makes the image clearer to me too Diana…and more fun!

         1. Thank you Clysta! :)

      2. all tangled up
         around the maypole

         – Good one, Diana. The Maypole dances indicate Spring in the British Isles, an ancient rite. And May, of course, in the Northern hemisphere, is the first spring month.

         1. “The traditional May Day dance is also known as the Maypole Dance. It is an ancient festival that was originally a celebration of the changing of the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.”

            https://thehaikufoundation.org/the-renku-sessions-side-show-week-18/#comment-159898

            1. Whoops! This is the url I meant to post, re Maypole, not (duh!) that of THF)

               https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/May-Day-Celebrations/
               —
               … and (duh again) May is the last Spring month in the Nortern hemisphere, not the first.

               Here I am in Victoria, Australia where it is September, the first Spring month. The magpies are singing and mating. The bluebells (Spanish bluebells) are in bloom, and azaleas etc.

               In international renku, it’s always easy to pick those who still adhere to the Flat Earth Theory. :-) Good to see you’re not one of them, Diana.

         2. Thank you Lorin!

         3. whoops! May is the last Spring month in the Northern hemisphere, not the first!
            (I got confused. Here I am in September, the first Spring month in the Southern hemisphere. )

   2. Diana, I disagree with Clysta.
      No-one can be in the Maypole, any more than humans can be in a telegraph pole/ utility pole. (unless it has been hollowed out for some unknown reason)

      Your original “around the maypole” works very well. Not only is it correct, the dancers and the ribbons they hold getting all tangled up as they dance around the maypole is realistic and lively.

9. the sailor
   watches a lark at work

   bated breath
   apollo 13 touches down

   Apollo 13 returns to earth April 17, 1970 after a harrowing 4 days on the far side of the moon.

   1. still a blow-in
      even after
      thirty years

      ~ ~ ~
      mist rolling
      over our house

      mystery of the missing strawberries
      my full tummy

      I am sorry this is so late

   2. totally love the sailor verse, Madeleine

      1. Thanks, Wendy!

   3. https://www.valleytimes.news/news/astronauts-wife-recalls-harrowing-days-of-apollo-13/article_eb9fdc05-08c2-5a3c-b777-951b837f838d.html

      1. * meant to post the apollo 13 link further above:/

10. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years –Marion Clarke

    spring dawn
    on the horizon

    a bear-foot beach walk
    in wet sand

11. spring-lite frogs
    tiptoe into a new pond

    frogs swim in same pond
    some with, some without kigo

    1. These are a delight, Wendy!

       1. thanks, Madeleine
          (hope your distractions are pleasant ones!)

          1. Yes, they were Wendy!🥰

12. how breathtaking
    the coming of spring

13. returning over our house
    the geese for a new home

14. A fine verse, to be sure Marion.

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    meadow pipits so proud
    of their enormous chick

    a new robin waits
    on the spade handle

    the beat of swans
    returning to nest

    1. so charming…..Keith!

       a new robin waits
       on the spade handle

       Keith Evetts

       i can see this cheery image
       on a ‘get-well’ card.

15. searching the desert
    for new york pizza

    searching the desert
    for good chinese takeout

    searching the desert
    for my strawberry ice cream soda

    (hope this drives all of you crazy)

    1. downloading DIY recipes
       for fresh herbal toothpaste

       1. whoops….a pesky, participle caught between teeth

          a download of DIY recipes
          for fresh herbal toothpaste

    2. Had me chuckling at New York pizza!

    3. Rob, why am I suddenly hungry!

       frustrated, we make popsicles
       with sugared water

       Diana Ming Jeong

       1. Yummy!

          1. Diana, when our kids were young, we used to freeze their favorite fruit juice in popsicle molds.

             1. Hi Madeleine!

                We did too! It’s a fond memory! :)

16. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years –Marion Clarke

    on a spring noon
    a lakeside picnic

    in the spring dawn
    mountain slopes refreshed

    a springtime
    day moon

17. Birds on the wire, dropping beats from the sky,
    wings flappin’ to the rhythm like a natural high

    From the rooftops they rhyme, droppin’ bars with no shame,
    their flow’s in the wind, no two songs the same.

    1. dan….super…..love the, ‘ no two songs the same’

       reminds me of…. when snowflakes meet Thoreau’s

       “The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best.” – Henry David Thoreau

    2. oooopsy,

       i misquoted….it should be, Henry Van Dyke, (not, Henry David Thoreau)

       dan….super…..love the, ‘ no two songs the same’

       reminds me of…. when snowflakes meet Van Dyke’s

       “The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best.” – Henry Van Dyke

    3. and the robin’s red breast, ( think i’ll hum all the rest)………catchy tune there, Dan

       1. Gracias Wendy!

18. second puberty
    flower arrangement in the room

    —-
    thank goodness
    visiting a nursing home

    —-
    a glass of iced tea for two
    remembering the beginning of dating
    —

19. young tea leaves
    dance in a glass teapot

    we replace the heavy dark tea bowls
    with thin and delicate tea cups

    pale bamboo shows off
    the vibrant tea leaves

    botanical studies
    adorn my delicate teacup

    Diana Ming Jeong

    I was inspire by my conversation with Wendy about tea and dim sum tea and I got to thinking about tea in the spring time in the gardens (Huntington and Descanso here in LA).

    1. diana,
       these are all lovely verses….and having a beautiful tea cup…makes the sip finer.
       so glad you found new in’sip’aration!
       and thank you for sharing the beautiful gardens/art gallery. etc. in L.A.
       i made a visit there without leaving my desk.

       1. Thank you so much Wendy! Yes, a new in’sip’aration! :) Happy you got to experience the gardens! :)

20. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    –Marion Clarke

    repentance and renewal
    six months before spring

    1. This is beautiful, Pamela…causing me to ponder.

21. still a blow-in

    even after

    thirty years
    –Marion Clarke

    her instincts murmur
    spring is here now

    a family flies box kites
    at the heritage site

    the soaring skylark
    pairs up with the west wind

    a lizard’s eyes close
    for however long

    the child’s bubbles float
    through the neighborhood

    the next door baby coos
    as bubbles wander by

    1. These are all so charming, Clysta…hard to figure out my favorites.

       1. thank you dear madeleine….i am taking your sailor watching the lark into my dreams tonight. 🙏🏼

          1. Awww! I hope they will be sweet, Clysta! 🥰

22. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke

    *
    sparrows chatter
    as they gather this year’s nest

    1. I love this one Laurie!

23. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years Marion Clarke

    geese
    on the golf greens

    a life-long resident
    discovers new species

    butterflies
    in the cottage garden

    a chorus of frogs
    wakes up on the land

    1. This one touches my heart, John!

       butterflies
       in the cottage garden

24. easter holidays
    the first cut of the season

    piles of earth
    left by the fledglings

    another twig
    falls from the nest

    a seed packet rainbow
    on the table

    sharpening tools
    for another year

    1. a gem! Melissa

       a seed packet rainbow
       on the table

       —–Melissa Dennison

    2. Yes a good one, Melissa! :-)

       a seed packet rainbow
       on the table

25. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    furtive looks
    from a scurrying blackbird

    the neighbourhood cat
    and I meet once more

    over coffee we discuss
    plans for the summer

    another bank holiday
    spent indoors

    morning frosts
    my vest still on

    birds rest in the
    lucent afterglow

    everything looks so fresh
    and zingy

    as the lamps leap
    I avoid their droppings

    a pair of magpies
    chase a fox

    on the farm trying not
    to put my foot in it

    giving way to the goose
    and her family

    in the camera traps
    an endangered animal

    the usual fights
    over territory

    1. Oops typo!

       as the lambs leap
       i avoid their droppings

       True. I am a city girl.

       1. :)

26. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    a bumblebee
    searches for a home

    as the frogs spawn
    plopping sounds

    a line of goslings
    by the canal

    sunning ourselves
    on the church steps before class

    relief at putting
    my wool jumpers away

    stocking up on suncream
    preparing for the summer

    moaning as I am woken
    earlier and earlier

    the clatter of birds
    on the roof

    nest building
    from dawn until dusk

    in the long grass
    mayflies dance

    brain freeze
    the first ice cream of the year

    hill walking
    searching for stanza stones

27. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke

    *
    the young bunny just enough
    to spring the verse

    1. Delightful, Laurie!

28. a twittering
    of conspiracy theories

    the stork brings a baby doll
    in Amazon packaging

    the cats’ lovemaking
    oddly melodic

    my son almost as muddy
    as the mud-snails

29. the surprise of soap bubbles
    in an iridescent stream

    who sent me this stream
    of shiny soap bubbles?

    the boy producing soap bubbles
    has run out of breath

    1. WOW! Marion!!!!!!

30. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years —————–Marion Clarke

    we may never know
    what seed triggered that poem

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years —————–Marion Clarke

    should it matter what
    seed triggered this poem

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years —————–Marion Clarke

    it no longer matters
    what seed triggered the poem

    1. Wendy
       Wendy
       Wendy

       with a twinkle in her eye

       1. so sweet! Clysta!

31. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years Marion Clarke

    high in their swings
    children see the plowed land

    tadpoles
    in the meadow marsh

32. life steps back onstage
    to a welcoming applause

    branches sway like dancers
    to a silent beat.

33. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years – Marion Clarke

    picking four-leaf clovers
    works better than wishing wells

    picking eight-leaf clovers
    in Chernobyl

    roots whisper to each other
    beneath the soil

    the first manuscripts
    were translations of bird songs

    enjoying the fragrance
    of honeysuckle perfume

34. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke

    *
    his tired old jokes
    perking up in the spring
    *
    a daub of fresh mud
    on every tired joke
    *

35. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    ——-Marion Clarke
    .

    an oriole adds its voice
    to our ginkgo walk
    .

    first mosquitoes
    welcome us to lunch al fresco
    .

    a fly consider its options
    at the open window

36. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    ——-Marion Clarke
    .

    murals spring up overnight
    on the border wall
    .

    windows thrown open
    to the meadow’s thrum
    .

    a clap of spring thunder
    enters without asking
    .

    1. These are lovely, Jonathan.

    2. I like this one, Jonathan. Unlike quite a few of the verses on this thread, this of yours isn’t written by a supporter of the “Flat Earth Theory.” This verse works for both hemispheres.
       (There are so many, especially in the USA, who still seem to believe our planet, Earth, is flat. )

       1. whoops: this one:

          tadpoles
          in the meadow marsh

37. using fertilizer
    mutual understanding

    —
    sometimes
    we like one color
    —

38. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years —————— Marion Clarke

    the thrill of a hummer’s
    nest making

39. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years Marion Clarke

    each spring day
    longer than the last

    swallows nest
    in a bluff above rapids

40. we put away the ornaments
    and take out the plastic eggs

    the dollar store
    now carries pre filled eggs

    they still can’t find someone else
    to wear the bunny costume

    Diana Ming Jeong

41. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years ———————Marion Clarke

    steal bread fills baskets
    headed to the duck pond

    unheeded caution sign
    we feed canada geese

    just for display the dolls
    in international costumes

    1. correcting yet another spelling error:

       stale bread fills baskets
       headed to the duck pond

    2. The first two are darling, Wendy! Like the last one, too!

42. thirty years Marion Clarke

    a gift box of condoms
    for the honeymooners

43. thirty years Marion Clarke

    a gift box of condoms
    for the honeymooners

    children playing
    in luscious mud

44. smells from the old country
    waft on the wind

    rain washes new mud
    into a salmon-clogged stream

    windswept rain
    pelts a flagstone wall

    a restless wind
    leaves tiny piles of sand

    1. rain washes fresh mud
       into a salmon-clogged stream

    2. I like these verses, Rob.

45. cowboy outfit
    will be worn again

    —-
    ah! I can’t believe
    I’m already a grandmother
    ——

    I’m waiting
    what’s your gift
    —
    pink shoes
    to meet future in-laws
    —-
    mom’s haircut is cool
    I’m embarrassed
    —-

    2025 calendar
    as a gift for her sister
    —

46. This Post Has 95 Comments
    Biswajit Mishra
    September 14, 2024 at 12:03 pm
    this Saturday morning
    as puzzling at sixty-three

    Hello, Biswahijt Mishra. What does sixty-three refer to in your post? The only numbering I see is on you post, # 95. If you want me to understand you will need to refer to the post by date and time. Otherwise I am no atble to locate it. –John Daleiden

    1. I take the ‘sixty-three’ as referring to age, and that the world remains as puzzling as it ever was. It isn’t within the guideline about spring seasonality, though: “a two-line spring verse”

       1. Keith and John and Biswajit….
          one can see age 63
          one can also see 63 pieces….puzzle pieces
          the list can go on and be open ended

          1. Hi Wendy,

             Thanks for the comment. Yes, you are right. There is no end to the list and sometimes the words also surprise the writer later as this poem does to me now.

             1. Biswajit,
                i can relate so much to what you say about the writer’s words: “sometimes the words also surprise the writer later as this poem does to me now.”

                words are quite powerful and the activity of writing poems
                seeing them spill-out in front of ones face, uncensored, is revealing when we are in a ready state to receive them.

                soon as i read your poem…i felt the ‘moment’ …the spring awakening was infused in them.

                i felt that a change/ a sudden, unplanned shift had occurred
                that opened the space and slowed down time enough to
                use a new set of eyes….to see, and feel the serendipity of an unplanned moment.

                when it happens to me, i call it the zen-zone.

                even if it is triggered by a traumatic event…i welcome this creative outlet and am always enlightened by it.

                Please keep on writing….i am moved by your words, you have contributed much humble joy to renku and it is just
                the tip of the iceberg.

             2. Thank you for the kind words Wendy.

          2. This one (me) can understand that something is as puzzling at age 63 as it was at some other age. But what is the something that’s intended, here? It can’t (logically) be “this Saturday morning” since “this” indicates the present Saturday morning, not any past or future Saturday morning.

             But then, I’m a fairly ordinary person ( though reasonably well-read and with a first class Honours degree in Eng. Lit.) and have never seen words spilling out in front of my face. Not even once. I suppose one could do that with a mirror and a faulty printing machine, though.

       2. Dear Keith,
          Thanks for the comments. You are right. That’s what I was referring to. I might have missed the “spring verse” part although metaphorically, it is a stage of regrowing in my life where I am taking a fresh look at everything.

    2. Dear John,

       I was referring to my age. I don’t know what #95 refers to; it probably is the number of comments where my comment was when I posted. Did I post it wrongly? Yesterday (Saturday) was one of those weekend days when you wake up unsure what to do. I had to brush up on some poems, submit some, and attend household errands. In addition, it is the general uncertainty that surrounds me at this point when I am reconciling to getting over my ambitions and making sense of what’s left.

47. this Saturday morning
    as puzzling at sixty-three

48. Canada geese return
    to our lake
    .
    Canada geese return
    to the golf course
    .
    migrating warblers
    pass through our marshes

49. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years Marion Clarke

    we wait for dry
    weather to sow the crop

    over spring plowing
    a dust cloud

    a stranger
    walking from town to town

50. Congratulations Marion and thank you for adding blow-in to my vocabulary

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years – Marion Clarke

    buds must ache
    before they burst into blossom

    waiting in line
    to re-fill the viagra prescription

    wearing a zebra striped bowtie
    at the nudist camp

    1. Thanks, Dan!

51. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    –Marion Clarke

    just delivered red wrigglers
    for the compost bin

    1. Hi Pamela,

       This is very interesting. It took me a while to figure out you might be talking about “mosquitos”.

       1. More likely it’s those red-coloured earthworms that reside in the compost bin over Winter, Biswajit . I bet you have them in the soil, too, whereever you are.

          I have them. They’ve always been there is the soil in my yard, but if one uses a bottomless compost bin, they’ll come in and breed there, so are easily seen..
          They’re in the soil the year around, though. Having some delivered probably means the person is ready to do some planting in Spring, and wants the worms to work the soil.

52. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years – Marion Clarke
    —
    local Dads get up early
    for the Snapper runs
    —

53. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    *

    the swallows return
    with maps in hand

    the wolves catch
    up to their howls

    hair, mussed
    just enough

    1. Lol, these are great, Curt!

54. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    —
    first white sails painted
    in kaolin clay

55. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    the last snowmelt
    as spring begins

    Jehovah’s Witnesses
    knock on a warm day

    a storefront chapel on
    the street with churches

    a rara avis at the
    backyard feeder

    the Wimpy Kid at the
    Valentine’s Day dance

    one child’s empty
    Easter egg basket

    the flea market’s last
    Velvet Elvis collection

    1. These are very nice, Richard., especially the last verse.

56. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years Marion Clarke

    cats in love
    at the court yard

    spring puddles
    on the tarmac

    in mud-soaked fields our
    machines shut down

57. the fork in the road
    not the right one

    the swipe of a new Tesla
    in front of my old Subaru

    out-of-date calendar
    still on the bathroom wall

    1. Hi Biswajit! I love ‘the fork in the road’

       1. Thank you Pamela.

58. Thank you Patricia for including mine in the final eleven.

59. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years Marion Clarke

    late to the party,
    trapped in spring mud

60. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    as real as life in
    thin glass vases

    plastic bouquets for
    a drive-thru wedding

    an antiques dealer
    eyes a plastic chair

    an ugly duckling gets
    the cold shoulder

    Buzz and Woody look
    beyond their differences

61. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    a sample of the local fare
    at the spring farm market
    *
    chickens in the thick
    of their spring molt
    *
    fresh dusters for spring cleaning
    after the molt
    *
    a thorough spring clean
    with dusters from the molt
    *

62. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    again dazzled by dapples
    beyond compare
    *
    the dazzle of dapples
    doubled by twin fawns
    *

63. What a lovely surprise, Patricia! Thank you.

    It’s only after reading the comments posted that I have come to realise that the term “blow-in” is not in usage outside Ireland. (I considered myself a blow-in when I lived in a small town in the south of England for thirteen years!)

    Around these parts—County Down, on the north-east coast of the island of Ireland—it is often uttered with the tongue firmly in-cheek for humorous effect. Depending on tone, it can even be considered a mild term of endearment. Here, a “blow-in” almost always refers to a person who has moved from another town or city in Ireland/Northern Ireland, rather than from another country. In the eyes of some locals, even those newcomers who hail from a neighbouring town and have been resident here for decades are still a blow-in!

    1. Thanks for the explanation, Marion. That helps. I interpreted it a little differently, as if in a relationship that I was thinking of with respect to my marriage. Congratulations.

       1. After looking up the term myself, I see it can also be used as a verb that simply means to arrive unexpectedly, Biswajet. Thanks for commenting.

          1. “After looking up the term myself, I see it can also be used as a verb that simply means to arrive unexpectedly . . . ” Marion
             —
             As in, ” Look who’s/ what’s blown back into town!” ???

    2. “I have come to realise that the term “blow-in” is not in usage outside Ireland. ” – Marion

       Marion, it is in use in Australia (as I mentioned a while back in this thread) but (as I said) its origin is in Ireland.
       Don’t forget that many of the ‘convicts’ exported from English jails to Australia were actually Irish, “Blow-in” became part of the Australian lingo very early on and is still current.

       1. Ah yes, Lorin. So I guess that would mean those Irish were double blow-ins, arriving first in England and then Australia! 😄

    3. I lived for ten years in northern Maine. There the natives referred to us out of staters as ‘flat landers’. My youngest daughter was born in Maine. One day when a Mainer asked where she was from, my daughter answered that she was a Mainer, having been born there and only lived there. And the Mainer replied: ‘if a cat crawls into an oven and gives birth, do you call them biscuits?’ Now my daughter identifies partly as a biscuit!

       1. Hahahaha!

    4. Marion,
       Around here we call ourselves “imports” since we weren’t born where we live now (going on twenty years). Having said that, many will have lived in the next city or township (a few miles away) and then move here and claim that they don’t come from here. When asked where, they’ll proudly say the name of the other place is only three miles away.

       From now on, I think I may call myself a blow-in even though I have lived in the same state in various cities throughout my life.

       1. Thanks for sharing your experience, Nancy. Yes, I’d say imports means the same thing. I like blow-ins, as it makes me think of dandelion seed heads floating on the wind! 🙂

64. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    ants to make the picnic
    official
    *
    the perfect storm that makes her
    a spring chicken again
    *

    *

65. 16
    n the time machine
    we chart a different course
    17
    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    18
    Welcome to the Spring Fête
    Mister…….

    This

66. the lay of the land
    from the top of the swing

    tadpoles swimming
    in an old mason jar

    porting a quart
    of old Colt 45

67. Good health, John. Great selection, Patricia. And thanks for your thoughtful link, Marion!

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    an invasive species
    smothers the locals

    an explorer’s trash
    found in melting ice

    an old bumper sticker
    that shouts “NATIVE”

    a drinking fountain
    with faded signage

    Desert Fathers and Mothers
    celebrate the Paschal Triduum

    “Nobody goes there anymore.
    It’s too crowded.” (Yogi Berra)

    1. Thank you, Richard.

68. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    fascinating verse marion–someone charted
    a new course decades ago, so why don’t they
    feel at home? it’s a mystery. are you telling
    your own story?

    special thanks to you patricia, wonderful choice….
    and to robin for the upload. best wishes to john.

    1. It’s more of an observation about about life here on the island of Ireland, Rob. in some small towns, people still have very parochial attitudes and ‘strangers’ in town remain just that for a long time. In my hometown it’s used more for humorous effect, especially when teasing a friend who isn’t originally from here.

       But yes, it’s partly my own story too. I was a blow-in myself when I lived in England for over thirteen years. However there, I was sometimes referred to as “a Paddy” (even though I’m from Northern Ireland which, although geographically is in Ireland, is currently part of the UK—all a bit confusing and enough to make one question one’s own identity! 😄 )

69. Congrats Marion….very cool addition to our renku, wonderful pick, Patricia
    (i too, needed to google, ‘blow-in’ thanks Marion for expanding the new words to my vocab.)

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke

    serene with a sip
    of sweet-touch-nee tea

    1. Nicely done, Wendy! I love the “s” sounds!

       1. thanks, Madeleine!
          yum….madeleines with sweet touch nee tea

          1. Lol, Wendy! :)

    2. You are welcome, Wendy. Thanks for commenting.

    3. Hi Wendy!

       I didn’t know what this sweet-touch-nee tea is so I looked it up.

       https://www.bromleytea.com/products/swee-touch-nee-tea

       Should it be “Swee-Touch-Nee Tea”?

       1. yes, Diana, it should be ‘swee’
          Bromley was not the original company for this tea.
          imho..and is no way the quality, taste and culture of the original company. may i suggest this article for reading
          to understand the historic value in my verse as this article goes into great detail the origins of this tea and how it originally came, sold in a tin can which illustrates the travel trunk of immigrants

          https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/why-so-many-american-jews-grew-up-drinking-swee-touch-nee-tea/

          1. The history of this tea is so interesting Wendy. Like Diana, I had looked it up too. (I am going to ask my daughter to order some!:) Looking forward to reading yours and Diana’s links… and to my first cup!

             1. enjoy, it sometimes ‘blows-in’ at your local supermarkets, too around the jewish holidays because it is a certified kosher tea.

                Madeleine, i loved hearing about your family’s plight from Japan….sounds like you may have been too young to recall them or have any memories of life in Japan.
                i always secretly wished i was born there….surrounded by
                Japanese wallpaper, lamps and a very zen-like, cultured, mother in our one bedroom, Brooklyn, NY apt.

             2. Thank you Wendy:) I will look for Swee touch nee tea in the stores. We left when I was very young. I do have some memories and the memories my mother shared with us…it sounds like you had a wonderful childhood. I love dim sum and oohlong tea, as well!

             3. Wendy, I am sorry I am so late in my response. I have been distracted these past couple of days. How delightful to be surrounded by Japanese wallpaper and lamps growing up. It makes a lot of sense. (It’s very obvious that you are quite cultured too.) And I love that Diana grew up drinking Chinese tea at dim sum:)

          2. Thank you for the link, Wendy!! I had no idea. It’s always cool to learn. I grew up drinking Chinese tea at dim sum!

          3. Thank you for the link, Wendy!! I had no idea. It’s always cool to learn. I grew up drinking Chinese tea at dim sum! 🥟

             1. diana, i love dim sum too, and various, oolong teas.
                my parents exposed us very early, to as many gourmet experiences that they could. i continue the habit and philosophy of being open to all tastes of the world.

70. Congratulations, Marion. :-)
    —
    Ah, Eavonka, you’ll have to go back to Keith’s budgie-smugglers for Aussie slang. Australians do use the term ‘blow-in’ but that’s because our ancestors, the settlers from the British Isles, brought it here. Marion is Irish, and I think the expression originated in Ireland.

    https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blow-in
    “blow-in (plural blow-ins) (Ireland, Australia) Someone who has only recently arrived in an area or community; a newcomer. “

    1. Ah, thanks, Lorin.

       I was hoping you’d enlighten us about its usage in Australia. 🙂

       (And yes, Keith’s budgie smugglers verse was very funny!)

    2. That’s what I get for trusting my Google search. D’oh!

       So great to read Marion’s actual meaning (and finding out where she’s from).

71. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    the world turns green
    while a butterfly hovers in the air

    Diana Ming Jeong

    1. Your verse is lovely Diana.:)

       1. I don’t know if it works … maybe “as” in place of “while” or something else… 🤔 but thank you Madeleine! ☺️

          1. Of course, DIana:) Your Welcome! I am not sure, either. I hope you don’t get discouraged…I took liberties and hope Patricia doesn’t mind that I reprinted her introduction to this week’s session, below: It’s very encouraging:

             “Hello, Everyone—Thank you all for your offerings this week. It’s getting much harder to write, I know, with all the prohibitions. I think some of you know that to write freely, it’s best to ignore the prohibitions and just write wherever inspiration takes you. Then after you finish writing, you can screen for the prohibitions, or you can let me do it. I like seeing your work.”

             1. Thank you Madeleine! I looked up “while” vs “as” and I will keep it as is. :)

                the world turns green
                while a butterfly hovers in the air

                Diana Ming Jeong

             2. Lovely, Diana! 🙂

72. Congratulations, Marion, and thanks for introducing me to some Aussie slang!

    Thanks for including my verse, Patricia! I can’t believe how quickly we are approaching the end. I don’t feel ready.

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    after a long nap
    the bears roll over

    ***

    warm enough to welcome
    the return of bees

    1. Eavonka,
       I love the bears! So cute!

       1. Eavonka, I agree with Diana… your poem’s a delight.

          1. Oooh, how sweet of you to say so, Maddy! Just trying to get across the change in season and also the sense of time in the previous verse.

             1. 🙂

       2. Aww, thanks so much, Diana!

    2. Thanks for commenting, Eavonka. Following comments here I looked it up and understand that it’s a term used mainly in Ireland and Australia. I’ve never been to Australia but my son is living in Melbourne at present, so he’s a blow-in down under! 😄

       No doubt Lorin will fill us in.

       1. What an amazing coincidence! I’ve learned so much participating in this renku, and I’m thrilled to discover this new term (Irish and/or Aussie). Whew, your son lives sooooo far away from you. No quick visits, I fear.

73. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    we scatter our seeds
    unsure of feast or famine

    I saw that “blow-in” was of Irish origin. That brought to mind the damned famine nearly 200 years ago!

    Also, I am not a fan of some extremely brief verses. I thought renku writers were unafraid of 17 syllables in three line verses and 14 syllables for the two-liners. Perhaps Patricia can clarify. Thanks!

    1. Hi, Dan–Yes, one could write a renku in the more traditional (and therefore more formal) form of seventeen-syllable three-line verses alternating with fourteen-syllable two-line verses. And that might be interesting to try here sometime. However, I actually think that in this forum with such a wide variety of participants freeform works better. as a vehicle to accommodate such a wide array of voices and styles.

       1. So, the traditional 17 / 14 syllables are neither vice nor virtue – only a flexible “maximum” per line. Thanks for your reply!

74. more naive comments
    from the backbenches

75. Congratulations Marion and everyone on the long and short list!
    Patricia, thank you for including me!
    Marion, I had to look up “blow-in”… I had never heard this before but now that I know, it’s very intriguing and so true to fact! Your verse is perfect! This goes to show how being here opens our minds and we learn new perspectives and ideas. :)

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    butterflies
    flutter by

    Diana Ming Jeong

    1. I’m pleased you think so, Diana. I had no idea the term was only used here in Ireland!

76. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    musty band uniforms
    aired out for commencement
    *

77. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    the eternal student
    at last flips a tassel
    *
    a sudden squall
    of de-tassled mortarboards
    *

78. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    —Marion Clarke (as someone who moved from the Bronx to northern Maine, I can relate and enjoy! Thanks Marion!)

    a cat giving birth in the oven
    does not a biscuit make

    1. Pamela…”a cat giving birth in the oven” …this verse is so sweet and such a vivid example of life’s quirks! :)

       1. Pamela, the same sort of thing happened to a family member when she relocated…yet her husband who had been born and raised there, was accepted with open arms!

       2. Oh, Pamela’s verse made me smile too, madeleine!

          I don’t know how much you know about the band Oasis, but I’ve been reading so many conversations online about the Gallagher boys’ identity. One one person commented that if a cat born is in a barn, it doesn’t make it a cow! Both the musician’s parents are Irish but the boys were born in Manchester, and spent much of their childhood holidays with family in Ireland. It’s been interesting to follow the comments, particularly since our son was born in England and holds a British passport while his sister’s and ours are Irish. ..but I digress! 🙂

          1. Marion, I am embarrassed to say I know nothing about the Oasis…Thank you for filling me in. I understand both yours and Pamela’s poems better and appreciate them even more. It was very good of you to share some of your background. If you don’t mind me saying so, it’s so interesting. I was born in Japan and when my father’s military service was over we headed back to the United States. My mother used to say it was an unsettling experience for all of us… it took quite a while to adjust to our new surroundings. :) I appreciated that you digressed! 🙂

    2. Ah, so you know all about it, Pamela. I was a blow-in when I lived in England for over a decade. When our first child was born we returned to live in my hometown here in County Down, Northern Ireland. My husband is definitely a blow-in as he’s from County Antrim and has only lived here for twenty four years!!

79. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    a mild breeze billows
    the jacket Batman style
    *

80. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    tad poles
    spring up

    1. a light mist
       the robin chuckles

       1. a light mist
          the robin tuk tuks

81. Congrats Marion, I like the humour that you have brought. 😁

    1. Thank you, Melissa. Your wonderful time travel verse set me off thinking about how time can change in perspective. As a very nervous flyer, five minutes on a plane feels like half an hour for me. To some locals here, thirty years is nowhere near enough time to lose the title of blow-in! 😄

       1. I am glad I inspired you Marion. 😁
          Time in a curious thing, as a child I remember that a week felt like a lifetime and yet now it just whizzes by!

82. timeworn plough shares
    slice through the soil

    1. Beautiful verse, Carol!

       1. Thankyou Pamela. Your comment is appreciated :)

83. Marion, there is so much mystery and depth in your verse. I too am intrigued by the word, “blow-in” and needed to look it up. Thank you Patricia, it fits beautifully into our renku. Your guidance and suggestions are always very helpful. The short and long list…all the poetry this week has been a joy and so much fun to read.

    1. Thank you, madeleine. It seems a blow-in is a lot less common than I believed.

       1. 🙂

84. Congratulations, Marion, on your verse. I am glad to read that I was not the only one to research the term blow-in.

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    –Marion Clarke

    shorn sheep shiver
    in the breeze
    .
    lambs shiver
    in the spring zephyr

    Admittedly, I wrote these prior to learning the meaning of blow-in. Back to the drawing board…

    1. These are beautiful Nan! I like the way you connected them.

    2. Thank you Nancy. Do you know, I also looked it up after reading the comments as I suddenly doubted myself!

85. Congratulations, Marion. I had to look up the meaning of ‘blow-out’ a very subtle verse. Nicely done, and a delightful choice.

    1. Thank you, Carol. Your comment made me smile—it’s a blow-in rather than a blow-out! 😄

       1. “I have come to realise that the term “blow-in” is not in usage outside Ireland. ” – Marion

          Marion, it is in use in Australia (as I mentioned a while back in this thread) but (as I said) its origin is in Ireland.
          Don’t forget that many of the ‘convicts’ exported from English jails to Australia were actually Irish, “Blow-in” became part of the Australian lingo very early on and is still current.

          (and a “blow-out” is the frustrating thing a car’s tyre does while you’re driving a hundred miles from nowhere.)

       2. Oh, my goodness :) Made me smile also, Marion. There’s eagerness for you.

          One of those ‘beam-me-up-Scotty moments :)

86. Can’t say it better than Laurie did. Marion all of your verses !

    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    –Marion Clarke
    *
    native lore avows
    spring brings green
    *

    1. Thank you, Clysta!

87. FYI, someone else’s verse was accredited to me. Lovely, but not mine-
    ‘first day
    on
    the beat’

    1. Hi, Pamela–thanks for alerting me to my faux pas, and apologies to madeleine kavanaugh. I think Robin, bless her, will be able to fix it.

       1. No worries, Patricia…a stellar job being done here. So appreciative of what you and Robin do for us.

88. still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years

    Marion Clarke

    fried zucchini flowers
    for the potluck party

89. *
    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    the feel of home
    in a sack of mulch
    *

90. Marion–what a wonderful verse–and thank you for teaching me a new meaning of “blow-in”! So much amazing work last week; thanks to Patricia for the tips on navigating prohibitions, and for the care and attention and spirit that have seen us through these weeks.
    *
    still a blow-in
    even after
    thirty years
    *
    Marion Clarke
    *
    hopes pinned on a sprig
    of plastic
    *
    hopes pinned on a spri(n)g
    of plastic
    *
    a fool for a sprig
    of rooted plastic
    *

    1. Thank you, Laurie. Yes, I was in the company of some very fine verses, so I am delighted about Patricia’s selection. 🙂

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