The Renku Sessions: Timber Smoke – Week 17
Greetings and welcome to The Haiku Foundation’s current Renku Session entitled, ‘Timber Smoke’. I am Marshall Hryciuk of Toronto, Canada and I will be leading this session through a 36-link kasen renku.
Welcome back, renku fans! We return with a blossom verse link. And a beautiful one it is:
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
When we left, the tide was coming in, a beneath-the-surface motion that is invisible as to its increments but inevitable. This link announces a natural, above-the surface activity opening out in a kind of exchange that links with the human beachcombers but one that involves the frenetic whirring of wings, barely visible because they’re moving so quickly. It’s not the throat of this bird that hums but its wings. Its beak, where we’d expect sound, is instead, in anticipation of fresh nectar, helping a new flower open in its glorious colour.
I enjoy that it has the ‘haiku element’ of needing to be read twice to be fully understood; our first response being, ‘how does a hummingbird unfold?’ Reading it a second time we realize the verb, “unfold” is not reflexive but transitive and transfers its energy to the first line “a morning glory.”
Reading it a third time, we can further realize that finishing the poem returns you to its beginning: “unfolds/ a morning glory”. It completes a cycle within itself; a marvelous inclusion in the relay of our renku energy.
Thank-you very much, madeleine kavanaugh
We need now another verse of spring seasonality. No birds, no flowers or blossomings but insects and human activities of this season are possible so long as they’re not traditions whose spring associations are specific to the northern hemisphere.
Happy linking
Marshall
Timber Smoke (so far)
nothing dimmed yet
timber smoke scent
sifts into the house
Marshall Hryciuk
one by one
I pick plums off of the ground
Alfred Booth
a file of cars
overtaking a tractor
on the mountain road
Keith Evetts
drawn out deer notes
echo in the coolness
Betty Shropshire
even paler
than the clearing fog
day moon
Mary White
handprints and crumbs
I would miss them
Pamela Garry
giving pollen
a lift
on the bicycle bells
Laurie Greer
the tiffany blue
of 3 eggs in a nest
Eavonka Ettinger
scattered spores
following a random trail
through landmines
John Hawkhead
attempted murder
by the morality police
Rob Barkan
next door’s dog
barks
at our snowman
Carol Jones
the mailman’s breath
faintly white
Keith Evetts
Jacques Brel singing
“in the port of Amsterdam”
on the radio
Alfred Booth and Marshall Hryciuk
a whirligig of leaves
sweeps the deck clean
Wendy C. Bialek
evening begins
with a gift of opal
moonlight
Marion Clarke
beachcombers trade shells
as the tide comes in
Jonathan Alderfer
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
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Comments (105)
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a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
———-madeleine kavanaugh
.
without a care
i let the sun warm my face
.
an young farmer
tills furrows until sundown
correction
a young farmer
tills furrows until sundown
whatever you might be celebrating or not let me wish you peace and love
somehow
ants find the breakroom
on the 23rd floor
oops should be a two liner
somehow ants find the breakroom
on the twenty third floor
This is very nice, Michael.
It’s an absolute joy to read all these beautiful poems!
Congratulations, Madeleine. Glory and unfolds are lovely together.
we open the windows
to let the winter out
stepping out
with a new umbrella
Thank-you very much, Debbie!
Debbie, these are very delightful poems.
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
———-madeleine kavanaugh
.
leaping clear of the world
a trout and its rainbow
.
rising up
the sound of the forest floor
.
the oriole in the orchard
sings only in the present tense
.
showers of soft vowels
transform the meadow’s face
.
toad in the rain
soaking it up
Your poems are great, Jonathan!
the smushed butterfly
in a boy’s opened fist
making pinwheels
out of old magazines
the kids running with kites
when there’s no wind
years of the Sunday paper
resurrected as mulch
the smooshed butterfly
in a boy’s opened fist
I really enjoyed reading these poems. They are full of imagery!
dirt pile on a bare patch
down the hole
one miner bee
from the just turned
compost pile
earthy steam
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
fresh humus tracks over
the clean mudroom floor
*
floor of the mudroom
slippery with humus
*
muddaubers make a home-
sweet-home of the mudroom
*
the stranger within
the cockleshell
Congrats Madeleine – a perfect blossom verse!
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
.
.
slipping from silks
in the butterfly garden
.
Thanks, Princess k!
That’s lovely of you to say!
This is a beautiful poem, Princess k.
a fledgling beauty
changes with botox
I love this poem and its message.
Thankyou madeleine for your lovely comment
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
— Madeleine Kavanaugh
dung-beetle’s breath
in the Milky Way
burying fresh cow dung—
beetles brooding in Spring
burying fresh cow dung—
beetles brooding
burying fresh cow dung
dung-beetle broods
Pamela, these poems make me smile and they are so interesting! I looked it up and this particular dung beetle uses the Milky Way’s light. Thank-you for posting!
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
stepping from the changing room
in her prom gown
*
hi Laurie -could we change “changing room” to ‘change room’, so to avoid a double participle line?
And thanks to everyone for your kind words concerning my comments.
We’re doing great -Marshall
Marshall–Yes to the change.
and thanks
*
*
stepping from the change room
in her prom gown
*
or
she steps from the changing room
in her prom dress
*
Fuller’s Earth
your thumb print next to mine
joy
as first shoots emerge
opening my window
to free the first ladybird (or ladybug)
the city child cries
when the older lambs leave
the bite of a horsefly
bothers more than the horses
crows pecking fast
her windows’ show
into the fields
butterfly ‘s first flight
dawn glows
housewife’s chanting tune
crow’s cawing
her balcony’s rehearsal
window screens
patiently waiting
her fingers deep in dirt
setting tender seedlings
chrysalis opens
metamorphosis of life
first concerto of frogs
swells into open window
first concerto of frogs
swell the night air
Should be:
first concerto of frogs
swells the night air
This is beautiful Carolyn. I wanted to say that I think your kimono haiku from the last session is breathe taking. :)
Thanks Madeleine! I appreciate you saying that!
:)
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
dance of the fly swatters
ending in a coup de grace
*
Congratulations Madeleine, that is a wonderful verse.
Thank-you so much, Melissa!
opening shutters
the ants emerge
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
— Madeleine Kavanaugh
another ant parade
on Mother’s Day
the ants parading
another Mother’s Day
Pamela, “the ants parading” really resonates with me. It’s great.
*
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
caterpillars wrapping up
their first acts
*
caterpillars entering
their change of life
*
caterpillars disappearing
into their second homes
 *
flees lurking
in dark corners
or
lurking in dark corners
flees
blades set high
grass gets its first cut
A beautiful Madeleine. What a way not only to herald in Spring but the day too, with “morning glory”. It is like showing one is many as if every element is a gestalt in itself. That’s without talking about the metaphoric hint of the flower.
I would like to tail it with:
she shortlists recipes
for the kids’ school break
Thank-you very much for your lovely words, Biswajit :)
strawberry leaves
cup reflected sky
playing hopscotch
around rain puddles
.
a game of jacks
played by jills
Nancy, the first poem is wonderful and the second made me smile!
bees seek last year’s
favorite spots
A lovely poem, Debbie!
Congratulations Madeleine! What a wonderful way to come back to the renku! Thank you, Marshall, for steering us along!
Thank-you Debbie for your lovely words!
1. another twig
is woven into the nest
2. the air is full
of honey and wings …
Oops no birds! Alternative….
3. seeds are broadcast
across the earth
These are wonderful and full of imagery, Melissa!
congratulations madeleine, a very lovely verse!
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
———-madeleine kavanaugh
.
windows thrown open
to the meadow’s thrum
.
first mosquitoes
welcome us to lunch al fresco
.
open window,
a fly considers its options
Thank-you very much, Jonathan.
Awesome verse Madeleine!
Love it’s subtlety.
Very wonderful to hear, Carolyn!
evening begins
with a gift of opal
moonlight
beachcombers trade shells
as the tide comes in
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
1
a binman stirs the rubbish
the rustle of Spring
2
first warm day of the year
a parade of new clothes
3
the town’s Art Shows display
accumulations of clutter
love this one madeleine, most ingenious. marshall your best write-up yet, wonderful explanation.
Thank-you Rob! Very happy to hear that.
a welcome warming
for the bee’s return
This is delightful, Eavonka.
Thank-you Nancy! That means a lot to me.
Thank-you Marshal, I am absolutely delighted! And I enjoyed reading your commentary which adds so much to the haiku.
So delighted your marvelous verse was selected, Madeleine! Congratulations!
Thank-you Eavonka. That is so lovely of you to say!
It means a lot!
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
Madeleine Kavanaugh
worker ants
dash off the afternoon
freeing the ant leg
from the water bill
a garter snake held up
by an amazon package
These are darling, Wendy!
wonderful pick….and commentary…marshall!
KUDOS>>>fantastic flower bloom haiku madeleine!!!!
how fortunate to have have morning glories bloom
in spring….(the last three years…here…the hummers have to wait
for summer to unfold them!)
Thank-you Wendy for the kudos! :)
:) Too cute, Wendy. Something to look forward to in summer!
Welcome back, Marshall, and congratulations, Madeleine!
+++
the slow tick
of a school clock
a skipping rhyme
on the playground
a colored egg
in dewy grass
the garden shed
in morning light
Thank-you, Richard!
Lovely poems, RIchard! I remember that slow tick! :)
Congratulations, Madeleine a captivating verse and very visual.
I enjoyed reading the comments by Marshall.
Thank-you very much Carol for the compliments! :)
Carol, I am sorry for missing your message yesterday.
Madeleine, it happens :)
The vision of your verse is stunning.
Awww! This means so much to me, Carol!
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
in the hoven
an egg white omelette
with nettles
A glorious haiku verse! Congratulations and thank you Madeleine! And thank you Marshall for the ongoing wonderful lessons!
a giggling ladybug
gathering sunshine
from Madeleine’s porch
Awww, Pamela. Thank-you for your lovely comment! Your haiku is absolutely darling! I am giggling! (lol:)
*
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
falling down dizzy
from the Maypole dance
dung beetles rolling balls
of fallen autumn
*
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
the garden begins again
with a stone buddha
*
nothing but a stone buddha
in the garden
the zip of boys
on their bicycles
.
pumping legs higher
on the swings
I love the imagery Nancy!
Thanks for this enchanting verse, Madeleine! So glad to be back at this.
*
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
madeleine kavanaugh
*
cleaning out the dust
of moth wings
Thank-you Laurie for the lovely comment:) It is so good to be back!
I love your poem, Laurie!
Fabulous verse, Madeleine.
a morning glory
the hummingbird
unfolds
Madeleine Kavanaugh
children uncover
Easter eggs
.
Easter egg hunt brings
squeals of joy
Thank-you Nancy, for the lovely comment!