Renku Sessions

The Renku Sessions: Timber Smoke – Week 27

renku_300

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.

 

From the mesmerized stupor of a cow in summer heat, we are turned to a similar lack of orientation by:

 

the endless
night of a Las
Vegas casino

Eavonka Ettinger

 

Here the dazed condition is brought on by throbbing lights, shouts and screams and the crowded human propulsion on to what’s immediately next. With no end in sight or for the mind. Day for night, natural for human. A great shift through the link.

I’m glad the lines tumble in an unnatural way, spilling through the line -breaks like rolling dice or a ball jumping from pocket to pocket on the roulette wheel.

The place name i asked for is a perfect fit too; the Super Bowl was just held in Vegas and the reigning Stanley Cup Ice Hockey Champions are called “The Vegas Golden Knights.” Mentioning it here is a way of dating this renku for the decades that follow.

Thank-you, Eavonka Ettinger

 

 

Now it’s back to the present, for the Northern Hemisphere at least. We need 2 lines of wintry seasonality.

Further, i’d like us to have included, before our kasen renku completes at verse 36, an obscure English word, that at least one of us would like to see renewed use of – and also – to include a foreign-language word that would be easily recognizable by an English speaker. I’m not urging you to try for both in one link, but hope you’ll attempt one such inclusion in each of your offered verses.

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

 

stepping from the change room
in her prom gown

Laurie Greer

 

her scent
on the pillow
the morning after

Andrew Shimield

 

some vows
break easier than twigs

Dan Campbell

 

hand-calligraphed
happy new year postcard
smudge and all

Pamela Garry

 

hard to forget the party
and my off-tune singing

Biswajit Mishra

 

a blackbird tapping–
smiles and thanks me for
the seed

Melissa Dennison

 

sewing up an open wound
on the dragon’s flank

Tracy Davidson

 

blue dashers
skim the surface
of a still pond

Betty Shropshire

 

twitching of a cow’s tail
in the shade of an oak

Andrew Shimield

 

the endless
night of a Las
Vegas casino

Eavonka Ettinger

 

 

 

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

John Stevenson

Comments (147)

  1. Thanks to able seaman Barkan R,´-
    on shore leave from Captain Marryat’s
    Peter Simple or Conrad J, The Nigger of
    the ‘Narcissus’ – for introducing a refreshing note
    of masculine realism to our usual
    Kaffee Klatsch of mutual appreciation.
    Rico Petty
    (2nd) Officer
    m.v. The Learnèd Ass,
    off the Canary Islands
    2/28/24

    1. Thank you for watering the flowers around my postbox. It takes a village! So happy to be in your village.

  4. ho ho dick pettit—sail yer talented arse down below decks, our noble captain is harkening at ye!

  5. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    adding a snow spell
    to the grimoire
    *

  6. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    slipping into the gray area
    of a silver thaw
    *

  7. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    caught in the katabolic wind
    of words for ice
    *

  12. ichers lace
    a frozen field

    fresh snow piled
    on a forgotten gambo

    blizzard outside
    rechauffe inside

    too forjeskit
    to feed the fireplace

    a wuthering wind
    flaps the foyer carpet

  17. A stonker, Eavonka.

    all the pelf
    wasted on skiing

    ice crystals bedizen
    the privy door

    pawning the astrolabe
    to meet the heating bill

    1. Hahaha, Keith, I love that I had to look up 4 words to properly enjoy everything you wrote. You understood the assignment!

  18. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    – Eavonka Ettinger

    A keen wind
    carries the throstle’s song –
    Winter is ending

    (throstle = song thrush)

  20. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    ——-Eavonka Ettinger
    .

    an ominous susurration
    from broken river ice
    .

    hibernal bowls of
    long noodles for long life
    .

    rabbit’s foot prints
    on icy Camino de Santiago
    .

  26. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    Eavonka Ettinger

    role o’ sleuthing
    buttorfleoge as Santa Claus

  27. leaving without trying her figgy pudding
    verboten

    ~ ~ ~

    acorn mush
    warming up the long nights

  28. a white out of
    indubitable proportions

    as ceald as the
    winds of December

    { ceald: old English for cold )

    no faeger a snow woman
    in all the land

    ( faeger : old English for fair, beautiful )

  29. congratulations Eavonka!

    the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    ——-Eavonka Ettinger
    .

    Vega crosses the sky
    ashine on the river’s ice
    .

    *Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra; in this case, its name comes from a loose transliteration of the Arabic word wāqi’ (Arabic: واقع) meaning “falling” or “landing”

    2. Hi Jonathan, it was so interesting to read about the translation of Vega, and that it’s from an Arabic word.

  30. serendipity
    the other snow-caked glove

    first ko-ne flakes settle
    on a kansas city goalpost

    a sigh into the wind
    petrichor

  31. Mellifluous echoes of a long-lost serenade
    linger in sepulchral silence

    Quagswagging through vicissitudes
    a fustian journey emerges

    In an accubation of antiquity
    the feckless flibbertigibbet found repose

  32. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    the shining tumble of her
    iced elflocks
    *
    iced elflocks tumbling
    from her stocking cap
    *
    elflocks: tangled hair

  37. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    adding to the chill
    with her eldritch screech

  38. the endless
    night of a LasVegas
    casino
    — Eavonka Ettinger

    still in earmuffs
    “la vie en rose”
    **

    the brouhaha
    of Chopin’s Winter wind
    **

    the quibbling
    of wind and naked branches
    **

  40. snowed in
    feeling scripturient

    (scripturient: having a strong urge to write)

    doubling down
    on his après-ski bellycheer

    (bellycheer: gratification of the belly; gluttony)

  41. a post-prandial gambol
    across black ice

    (post-prandial: after eating a meal)

    OR

    what bêtise to gambol
    around black ice

    (bêtise: act of foolishness or stupidity)

  42. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    Eavonka Ettinger

    skimming through stars
    a jilly-hooter’s shadow

    (jilly-hooter: old English for tawny owl)

  43. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    Eavonka Ettinger

    snatching a kiss
    at the cookie-shine

    (cookie-shine: old English for tea party)

  44. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    Eavonka Ettinger

    looking for northern lights
    we lollygag in the snow

    (lollygag: spend time aimlessly)

  46. twitching of a cow’s tail
    in the shade of an oak

    the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    offers

    Winter wyndes
    through the snow-stacked tables
    of a sea-front caff

    “Lost all tha brass !
    a cold Christmas coming
    for thee an’ thine!”

    black trees
    line a long hill above
    the frozen lake

    – link! be wintry! & find some useful old word –
    too much for me, this time, noble captain.
    I’ve used 3 lines, as
    the endless night
    of a Las Vegas casino ‘
    (evocative as it is) is only two.
    But they can easily be reduced.

    2. hi, Dick. Y’er right. Whereas the previous link was a 2-liner drawn out to 3, i can certainly compress one of your offerings to two. Could you accept: wyndes level the snow-stacked tables
      of a sea-front caff ?
      Thanks, Marshall

  47. twitching of a cow’s tail
    in the shade of an o

    the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino

    offers

    Winter wyndes
    through the snow-stacked tables
    of a sea-front caff

    “Lost all tha brass !
    ‘ts a cold Christmas coming
    for thee an’ thine.”

    black trees
    line a long hill above
    a frozen lake

    – link! be wintry! & find some useful old word –
    to much, this time, noble captain.

  53. took awhile for me to appreciate this one, eavonka. at first i said so what, and then all the goings-on of a las vegas casino came rushing in because of your phrase ‘endless night’—time blurs and hours dissolve when a customer is blowing their savings trying to rack up a win.

    marshall thanks for taking a gamble on this one, it hit the jackpot for 27.

    1. That means a lot to me, Rob. I did worry that I was trying to fit too much into too few words.

  58. Congratulations, Eavonka! This is such a fantastic verse. I feel the excitement in the air…it’s a perfect change of direction for our renku. :) Marshall, thank-you for choosing this delightful poem for our renku! And I enjoyed reading your commentary.

      1. Eavonka, this is so true. We lived in Reno for a while. So easy to forget both cities are surrounded by such beauty.

  59. I love haiku I all bedridden and love all the submissions and the love of words I hope you don’t think I am a haiku stalker I would like to try omg
    Frost bites the skin of water
    Aqua vitea the water of life hardens

    Wind rides vanilla crystals
    The season lores a white out for the first spirits
    I know form verbose and not there but I am trying thank you for your time and the happiness the. Haiku foundation brings may everyone grab the joy may blessings reign

    1. Welcome Claire. Lol! I don’t believe any one thinks you are a haiku stalker! :) Perhaps a haiku lover…if I may be so bold, like myself and everyone else here! I enjoyed reading your verses. I hope you continue to submit your poetry here!

      1. Oh Pamela thank you for your reply I must sat how wonderful it is to fall in love with haiku so soothing breath give and breathtaking omg trying and studying form etc I wish the haiku foundation all blessings and all of the poets and I mean all the gratitude for sharing their work and teaching a new way to observe and the creative mercies all have shared. May blessings reign on staff and poets and in the words of my grandma may heaven smile on everyone

    3. ditto on madelaine’s and pamela’s comments
      to claire
      nice poetic words, claire…you came to the right place!
      i began my haiku adventure early in life, while
      convelessing in bed….it kept me healing in good,
      therapeutic company and never left my side.

  61. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    —Eavonka Ettinger (love it!)

    atop the frosted fence
    squirrels frisk in apricity

    (Betty, I love that you chose apricity as well. One cold winter day my daughter challenged me to haiku with this word and it led to a haibun.)

    1. So much fun, Pamela, word challenges with family members that lead to a haibun! Both yours and Betty’s poems are delightful, with completely different inferences! :)

      1. Yes! Thank you Betty! And my youngest 14 yo grandson shared his super weird photo so I could haiga with him! I love creating and learning with my Renku family!

  62. Congratulations, Eavonka, on your verse

    the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    –Eavonka Ettinger

    the snowman and I sneeze
    –gesundheit

    the boy and his snowman sneeze
    –gesundheit

  64. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    coming to fisticuffs
    after the snowball fight
    *

  66. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    a bout of seasonal
    affective melancholy
    *

  68. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    dreaming of a lexicon
    with every word for snow
    *

  71. flabbergasted by
    bun fights in the commons

    Reference to recent debacle over Gaza ceasefire vote in Parliament

  72. Thank you so much, Marshall, for your edit and delightful commentary. You captured it all so well, and I am so glad you got the Golden Knights in their too.

    Thanks also to the entire Renku Sessions community for being such fun to read every week.

    1. *there

      Here are my verses for this week:

      after a long siesta
      the bears roll over
      ***
      gadzooks, sixteen
      more inches of snow

  77. the endless
    night of a Las
    Vegas casino
    *
    Eavonka Ettinger
    *
    dancing widdershins around
    memories of snow
    *
    tempting fate by dancing
    widdershins through the cold
    *
    asking where is the snow
    of yesteryear
    *

  79. love it eavonka and marshall!
    i also enjoyed eavonka’s link
    of meadow….since las vagas means in spanish “the meadow”

          1. yes…madelaine, one of the joys, for me, of doing renku is guessing or finding out what the link is. the shift is apparent. both reveal so much about the mindset of the writer and the almost endless possibilities of playing the party game.

Comments are closed.

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