The Renku Sessions: Way of the Wind – Week 11
I am John Stevenson and I am your guide for a twenty-stanza, nijûin, renku.
The verse that is selected this week will conclude the first half of our renku. We are in the party phase of composition and it’s time to make some noise.
Here are a few of the many offers that stood out for me this week:
prayer flags while still
in the wilderness
Betty Shropshire
images of atoms
painted on tarot cards
Liz Ann Winkler
confident my toolbox
will stay tidy now
Keith Evetts
a scientist-come-poet
explains the cosmos to me
Marion Clarke
citing chapter
and multiverse
Laurie Greer
black hole sipping
on a spiral galaxy
Dan Campbell
to come to a verdict
the judge rolls the dice
Maxianne Berger
to a little bit of luck
add a dash of flare
Ellen Compton
the miracle of a vegetable
that I watered with care
Margherita Petriccione
I only know for sure
my cat is called Schrödinger
Marion Clarke
sitting like a Buddha
in the center of it
Kanjini Devi
to scry or not to scry
is still the question
Lorin Ford
the badlands undisputedly
rich in ore
Betty Shropshire
And here are a some that would have been finalists if we didn’t already have a verse from each of the poets:
roller-skating with two trays
the waitress keeps her balance
Keith Evetts
charting the patterns
in a buffalo stampede
Dan Campbell
a symbol with feathers
in the widening gyre
Lorin Ford
tricycle bicycle Civic
Mercedes wheelchair hearse
Dan Campbell
mould on a petri dish
becomes penicillin
Andrew Shimield
a swirl of gutter litter
from a passing truck
Keith Evetts
voting rights
at risk again
Laurie Greer
The final choice comes down to several offers:
waking up from a bad dream
I realize it was true
Angiola Inglese
Dreams and waking nightmares represent topic areas we haven’t touched upon. And the emotional tone of this verse is at the amplitude we would like to be reaching at this point or soon after in our renku.
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
Alcohol, friendship, reminiscence, and the Greek alphabet; all areas we have touched upon lightly or not at all. And the use of a number allows me to mention the rule that any further use of numbering in this renku would have to be higher than a three.
escorted discretely away
from the blackjack table
Debbie Feller
The suppressed violence of this image would be very welcome here or within the next four or five verses. Also, the implication of criminal activity. My only concern is that our hokku names a color. It will be better, therefore, to avoid naming any further colors, even if the color is figurative, as in “blackjack.”
the big bang
from his Chevy 69
Tracy Davidson
Laugh-out-loud images would also be welcome at this point. With a proper noun in the verse-before-last (Escher) we might want to revisit this later.
an umbrella to ensure
it doesn’t rain
Chis Patchel
And
clean and sober now
knock on wood
Chris Patchel
Both offer new subject matter: umbrella and rain, addiction and recovery, superstition. They both imply a need or desire to establish control over matters that are beyond our control.
Here is what I have selected as our tenth verse:
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
Here is what we have, so far:
Way of the Wind
green barley—
we follow the way
of the wind
Lorin Ford
kids playing pooh sticks
with plum blossoms
Linda Weir
the long day opens
with a chime of pots
on the kitchen island
Laurie Greer
a coin in the cap
of a street busker
Andrew Shimield
summer moon
low on the hips
of the horizon
princess k
mosquitoes know that my wife
has sweeter blood
Dan Campbell
still drawn to him
after all the bumps
along the line
Wendy C. Bialek
queuing up to enter
the Escher exhibit
Carol Judkins
do you think
they discovered chaos theory
by chance
Keith Evetts
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
We will now be moving on to a pair of winter verses. No images that have their own places in a renku should be used here – no moon, no love, no blossoms.
The requirements for verse eleven will be as follows:
- A three-line verse of seventeen syllables or less
- With a winter image (kigo) from the list we are using
- Without a grammatical break
- Linking in some way to verse ten (and in no obvious way to previous verses)
For this renku, we will be using this site (http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html) as the source for our season words and images.
I will be reviewing your offers until midnight on Monday, July 12 (New York time). On Thursday, July 15 there will be a new post in which I will announce my selection of the eleventh verse, comment on some of the other offers, and issue instructions for writing verse twelve.
Keep up the good work!
John
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://www.thehaikufoundation.org/code-of-conduct/
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three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
——Betty Shropshire
bronze generals
topple into
the withered reeds
as the sun sets
cold sparrows chatter
in the frozen ivy
women
in city garden
dig up turnips
first snow
our hopes
so high
Michelle Beyers
Copyright © 7/12/21
first snow
our voices growing
lighter up the hill
Michelle Beyers
Copyright © 7/12/21
stoking the brazier
as another
pipe dream begins
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
-Betty Shropshire
•
buckshots
ad nauseam
at whatever moves
the short day
her long novel cosy
in her tab
***
first snow
mellowing still on grass
winter night
***
newness with bell
full warmth ringing
close of the year
***
around fireplace
music in high pitch
winter’s spell
***
cold crow
she is strong beneath rug
cozy
**
mandarin ducks
special rhythm
in my ears
rising words
finding new shape
in first snowflakes
Michelle Beyers
Copyright © 7/12/21
Congratulations, Betty, and thank you, John for your continued guidance.
rising words
finding new shape
in first falling snow
Michelle Beyers
Copyright © 7/12/21
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
—
the morning after
my throat’s sore
as a cold crow’s caw
*
consommé of grebe
the acme of
nouvelle cuisine
*
taller stories
told by the imp in me
on stilts
*
their memories
holding water
in a wicker fishnet
photographs taken
with the classic
snowman
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
distant lightning
the background radiation
of approaching rain
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
drifting sea fret
getting lost in the grey
of her past
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
struck match the tang of infatuation
or…
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
struck match
the tang
of infatuation
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
so hard to find
a 4 lb. diakon
dropped in this snow
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
must change this one:
so hard to find
a 4 lb. diakon
dropped in this snow
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
“find” is too close to “discovered” in keith’s verse
to:
how quickly
a 4 lb. diakon disappears
in this snow
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
or:
a 4 lb. diakon
disappears quickly
in this snow
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
or:
a 4 lb. diakon
quickly disappears
in this snow
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
Do you need ‘quickly’ Wendy?
lol!!! how quickly you eyed this one, john h. !!!!
thank you for ‘pointing’ this out to me!
‘quickly’ is not only, not needed…..but, muddies the waters!
btw:
who wrote:
when pointing with a daikon
don’t wear shiny bangles
’round your arm?
i know who wrote:
大根引大根で道を教へけり
daiko hiki daiko de michi o oshie-keri
with a just-yanked
radish
pointing the way
Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827)
translated by David Lanoue
corection and edited, (with help from john hawkhead)
a 4 lb. daikon
disappears
in this snow
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
a little diakon
woke up this greek salad
and detoxified livers
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
if “livers” is too close to “hips”, then:
a little diakon
woke up
this greek salad
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
correction:
a little daikon
woke up
this greek salad
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
yum… will try that 😉
congrats betty on your ingenious verse, and once again, thoughtful commentary from john!
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
snow falls
gently on the relevant
monuments
7/09/2021 by wendy © bialek
a winter shower
cancels the reunion
in the park
bent into wind
wet snow pummels
my umbrella
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
.
Betty Shropshire
.
first meeting
at the new place to hold
a quilting party
Congratulations on your verse, Betty!
…
Verse 1:
…
the hags
casting spells
around the brazier
…
Verse 2:
…
she was hunting
the blind mice
with a carving knife
…
Verse 3:
…
by having a party in lockdown
they were skating
on thin ice
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
.
bedbugs
practicing
secret handshakes
or
under my pillow
bedbugs practice
secret handshakes
.
grandpa was up
at dawn to light
the fireplace
*
foreclosure
sign burning
in the fireplace
*
sipping coffee
by the bakery’s
fake fireplace
*
tossing the
suicide note
into the fireplace
their last gauntlet
idea involves
icicle paddles
.
penalty shoot-out
rules decide
winter games winners
.
glühwein
helps recall
skiing downhill
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
——-Betty Shropshire
swirling smoke
writes a mystery alphabet
above the bonfire
we could talk
if only those winter clouds
would hold still
ice on the rocks
glistens below the lighthouse
as we set off
Thanks for the attention shown to my verse John , congratulations on your choice
***
of course
it would be great
a long Indian summer
***
so fragile
the winter voices
like crystals
***
also around
to a small brazier
you can laugh
drinking irish cream
around a bonfire
singing folk songs
Nice verse Betty!
.
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
– Betty Shropshire
•
at the pier
the pleasant chatter
of the dabbling ducks
.
at the pier
the pleasant chatter
of waterfowl
.
(waterfowl and wild ducks listed a winter kigo, do we need to use the exact phrase/word? Dabbling ducks are a kind of wild ducks/waterfowl).
We can use close variations of the kigo, though I am less likely to select them in this context. We have only two winter verses in this renku and I will want them to very clearly register as such.
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
next schedule
we will meet again
with our family
Nani Mariani
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
the winter grove
where we found each other
now paved paradise
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
sliding on slick ice
into a whole new
raison d’être
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
—-
the old at table
freeze in the sound
of sneezing
hunting
for the lost tribe
of Lexington
federal agents
freeze mafia accounts
for illicit booze
missing friends
in winter rain
not part of the equation
none present knew
that hermit smartweed
is senryoo
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
bêche-de-mer
wrinkled or not
are a luxury
shock and awe
around the glow
of the hibachi
*
by icy waters
mates for this day
shuck fresh oysters
*
above subway vents
cold sparrows share
the warmth
above the ski trail
a hawk glides
searching for prey
yellow police tape
cordons off bloody
footprints in first snow
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
a small brazier
at life drawing class
chases the blues
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
a shaky brush
with characters
under the influence
Please scratch this one, John. I fear it’s closer to New Year/ first days of spring. Marietta
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
onion soup
leaving us only
half-full
ici
cl
e
*
icicle
tears hanging
from my eyes
*
icicles dangling
from the immigration
office window
*
icicles
make better daggers
than swords
*
melting
icicles make
snowmen weep
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
after that ..
we take pictures
style like a soccer player
Nani Mariani
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
.
Betty Shropshire
.
meeting a friend
of a friend of a friend
beneath the quilts
Or
‘
meeting a friend
of a friend of a friend
among the quilts
Or might be better:
.
meeting a friend
of friend
beneath the quilts
their footprints
a bit zigzag
in the snow
John, snow is late winter, and this verse is one of two winter verses. Does this mean the next must be all winter or late winter, and does the use of snow limit the game playing?
Yes, exactly. The use of a late winter kigo now would mean that that next verse must be either late winter or “all winter.” We have only one more winter verse (the next one) in this renku, so the use of snow as a kigo now will not have far-reaching consequences.
huddled beneath quilts
we wait out electric
failure
on the table
different sizes
of porridge bowls
smoked oysters
skewered with toothpicks
on the brunch table
far too drunk
to skate
on thin ice
or
far too tipsy
to skate
on thin ice
Congrats Betty, and thank you John, for your insightful ongoing guidance _()_
.
plans to crash
a party by the cold lake
thwarted
.
somewhat peeved
only porridge
is served
.
not so easy
to purchase stilts
at such late notice
.
you say
potato and I say
potato
.
nodding off
on the 18th
woolly sheep
.
a frozen piece
of evidence
at the eighteenth hole
.
Congratulations Betty
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
stepping back
in time to when
snowballs were fun
Nice one, Robert. A nod to the master, Basho.
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
*
defeating management
with bargaining clout
and freezing conditions
*
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
*
thanked
for his service after
shoveling snow
*
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
*
braving the sleet
to fight
for the union
*
Congratulations! Great work!
northwind blows
our fake toupets
sideways
*
untold
dreams rising
from a charcoal bed
*
first snow
how we gently slide
to Sandpiper Hotel
*
memories
kindling
by the fireplace
*
secrets
slowly distilled
sharp as icicle
*
snowflakes
our heads sporting
the passing of years
three-martini lunch
with old pals of sigma by
.
winter pledge class
memorizes
greek alphabet
.
coeds digging through
snow-covered paths
to classes
.
fratenity brothers
add icicles to
the hairy buffalo
for fun:
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
– Betty Shropshire
•
wild ducks among
other colorful fowl now
stuffed and mounted
my father knows
that it does snow
in Hell sometimes
Congratulations Betty. Nice choice John.
deep tracks
through the snow
in the hunters wake
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
—
on Greece’s shore
a huddled mass around
a small brazier
—
feeding
a few vanities
around the bonfire
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
togetherness..
is the most expensive time for us
cheers “
Nani Mariani
Congrats Betty and thank you John for another fun and creative week
*
vegan snowman
with a carrot nose
and turnip eyes
*
family
sharing a sliced turnip
in their soup
*
poets have to
use stirrups in
couplets about turnips
*
roast turnips
and then add garlic
and thyme
*
retirees
eat turnips
on Thursdays
*
hail in Juneau
is the size and color
of turnips
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma my
Betty Shropshire
a few to many
snowflakes on the window
sophomore pranks
a hot barley
in the pungent air
on the waterfront
—–
how many tears
preparing the stew
with onions
———–
the smell
of the morning air
so cold …
the smell
of the morning air
so cold …
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
*
a bonfire regenerates
that militant
zeal
*
Wonderful job, Betty! And thanks John, for mentioning one of mine.
trying to create
snowflake ornaments
all different
******
cold sparrows huddle
around the frozen birdbath’s
blurred reflection
first snow
fills the bottle she left
on the bridge
*
checking in
to the cheap motel
with free bed bugs
*
among withered reeds
we bury
an old enemy
*
skipping coffee
for no-strings fun
by the fireplace
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
growling at the waitress
who blew on our porridge
till it was just right
when reminded
his nickname was turnip
even he laughs
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
*
the chatter of crows
across a withered field
whoops
should be 3 lines
*
the chatter of crows
carries across
a withered field
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
**
war is over
we once dreamed of eating pizza
gun on waist
Nani Mariani
returning late
to the office warrants
a cold frosty stare
a double dog
dare to try
the blow fish
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
—
bamboozled
by a few Greek characters
in a horse
how to ski
the expert slope
mansplained
Thanks John for choosing this verse from so many others! I especially look forward to your commentary and am so happy to have had other verses mentioned as well. And, thanks to everyone else…it’s an honor to be included. 😊 Betty
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
.
the waiter
smirks as we order
the fugu soup
.
Nice link from the Physics class somewhere in the 20th century to the booze-up get-together with fellow ex-students in the 21st. 🙂 Congratulations, and well done Betty.
Exactly, Lorin. I wasn’t sure if others would see that.
Congratulations Betty!
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
our rescue kitten
dizzy from catching
snowflakes
it’s high time
to finally take up
snow kayaking
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
wolves
in relentless pursuit
across the frozen tundra
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
—
news of 007’s arrest
leaves HQ shaken
but not stirred
Oops – delete that one please, no kingo (what was I thinking?)
Thanks to John Stevenson for mentioning my verse. Kudos to Betty Shropshire and everyone who plays with us.
Fun one, Betty ☺ .. and thanks for pausing on mine, John .. so here goes for winter partying!!
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu .. Betty Shropshire
**
our wink-eyed
ice sculpture
too risqué for the dean
What a terrific set of contributions. I loved Chris Patchel’s
“an umbrella to ensure
it doesn’t rain ”
Well done, Betty!
—–
three-martini lunch
with old pals from sigma nu
Betty Shropshire
—
for the hell of it
fugu hazing rituals
leave a few zombies
—
even the nandin
shivers when I tell its berries
of the past year
[[ notes, just in case – Japanese folklore about the all-winter kigo ‘nandin berries:’ many keep the delightful small shrub, nandina domestica, the “heavenly bamboo”, close to their door, for it is believed that you may rid yourself of a nightmare by telling it to the nandina. We have three….
And the fugu or blowfish has to be specially prepared as sashimi/sushi, for it contains tetrodotoxin. This toxin from the blowfish was advanced as a candidate for zombification in Haiti by the ethnobotanist Wade Davis in “The Serpent and The Rainbow”]]