Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Curiosity 87: Kasen renku, pt. 2

A couple of weeks ago I had an elaborate post about the poetic form kasen renku, and mentioned that my two writing buddies and I were embarking on an attempt to create one. Well, here it is. I don't know how "good" it is—i.e., adhering to the rules, flowing, wabi-sabi—but I do know that the moon and blossoms got inserted at the appropriate spots, and I think people we miss waft up throughout. It was a joy to look each day for our GoogleDrive document, see what had been added, ruminate on the very different, and yet at the same time similarly striving, lives each of us three lives. Appreciation! Celebration! I love our little howler pack. (The stanzas here go SL, AC, KSR, ... I would include the designators, but lining things up in HTML is crazymaking.)

It has no title. Yet.

setting sun weaves
orange, pink into blue sky
blanket for chilled night

a tapestry of birdsound
fills the morning gloom

under the rainbow
she drives for vaccination
upcoming travel

giant heron wades in river
peeks at paddling

gutter drips after rain
each plop
sparkling in the moonlight

waking her heavy from sleep
sore arm preventing any more

contented snores from
the hospital bed, even
exhales, inhales, rest

rumpled sheets
long orange cat

cumulus clouds lit
within, some glow, some glare
puddle reflections

hummingbird rests
beak points to gray sky

climbing the Eiffel Tower—
the Seine a silver ribbon
through prickly humanity

rust patinas metal
heating in noonday sun

waxing crescent with
earthshine, a footprint of our
light cast on the moon

three pairs of boots and a saw
lay the fallen redwood to rest

and you, father, rest
on a brutal hoarfrost day
deer-guards raise their heads

tender heart watches
cold strange world

old hand, veined and knobby
inspects child’s palm
for ancient lotus wisdom

mysterious winds cyclone
dry leaves and limbs in the air

grown daughter reassures dad
jet engine drones
  What?
    I’ll tell you later.
  What?


the luxury of three seats
on a transatlantic flight

shama pair sing-song
in iridescent dress
then cat stalks by

circle on a riverbed rock
cat naps in sun

round mirror reflects
flickering candlelight
shrouded in silence

palm fronds ripping in the wind
another system leaving detritus

red niners jerseys
roller bags
gray clouds
white dog peeks around corner

white dog surveys the street
in the dark in the rain

change of wind brings
a few foreign leaves into
the garage; welcome

the last leaf waves
flexes endurance

tireless, the moon pulls
the ocean, long waves
of liquid energy

big ‘ol male turtle basking on beach
one eye slowly closes

sun insists it’s still with us,
gives warmth, light,
hold on Spring is on its way

the treefrogs yell up a racket
delighted by the rain

finally blue skies
just in time for downy chicks
hatching from mōlí eggs

bridges stretch from Kentucky to
Indiana from Ohio River to gray sky

by the echoing footbridge
two frilly blossoms
promise sweet blackberry juice

morning tea disrupted by night
ginger perfuming thoughts of day


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