The Renku Sessions: Ultimate – Week 4
Here are some of the verse four offers that I found most tempting:
the big snow angels
kiss
Sean Murphy
her mitten
keeps his hand warm
Sean Murphy
a blushing elderly couple next to
a snow-covered barn
Urszula Marciniak
another cold year
reason to stay together
Laurinda Lind
for the cold time
a little blue pill
Richard Straw
on the shortest day
a shared heating pad
Richard Straw
Santa kissing Grandma
after the sleigh ride
Lorin Ford
despite the cold
he lingers at her grave
Christopher Seep
she arranges his prunes
in a heart shape
Pamela Garry
after the snow
her ring fits again
Ralph Matthews
before the blizzard
sweeps through
tuka morris
they meet years later
at the mid-winter carnival
Andrew Pineo
the two watch a wonderful life
as the snow falls outside
madeleine kavanagh
anniversary schnapps
in their ski chalet
Tracy Davidson
their wheelchairs
under the mistletoe
Curt Linderman
still tending the creche
like the child they never had
Laurie Greer
in the firelight
he looks twenty again
Valerie Green
she straightens his tie
under the mistletoe
Valerie Green
he wears her scarf
with traces of her scent
Mike Barrett
matching snowflake sweaters
on their sixtieth
Scott Anderson
still horsing around
in the snow
Pauline O’Carolan
we bank the fire
with practiced hands
Margaret Anderson
Here is my choice for our fourth verse:
a live coal beneath
last night’s ashes
Ralph Matthews
This is somewhat more subtle than the love verses I might choose for a longer renku and might not immediately register as love. But if it only registers as a winter verse on first reading, the implications offer us “something more.”
Here is what we have, so far:
Ultimate
ultimate frisbee
the scent of
sunscreen
Victor Ortiz
each tidepool has
its own moon
Orense Nicod
he traces
her collarbone
with a bit of hay
Belinda Behne
a live coal beneath
last night’s ashes
Ralph Matthews
Here, as a reminder, is the plan for this very short renku:
1 (hokku) three lines, summer
2 (wakiku) two lines, autumn moon
3 (daisan) three lines, autumn love
4 two lines, winter love
5 three lines, spring blossom
6 (ageku) spring
This week, we will be writing a three-line spring blossom verse. The blossom verse often features cherry blossoms but any spring blossom may be used here. I suggest that you avoid anything exotic.
Please submit a maximum of three spring blossom verses. The deadline for submissions will be midnight (eastern US time zone) on Monday, June 29.
Looking forward to your offers,
John
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