The Renku Sessions: Salmon Run – Week 11
Hello, renku friends. I am John Stevenson and I will be leading you in a brief, twelve verse renku before Kala Ramesh starts her session in February.
For verses that require a kigo (formal season word or phrase) we will be using The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words: https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/items/show/821
Here is my short list for the eleventh verse:
laughing
in a downpour
of cherry blossoms
Belinda Behne
azalea buds
as small and pale as
infants’ toes
Richard Straw
the dogwood
almost conceals the smell
of fresh asphalt
Sean Murphy
red plum blossom
lines the borders
of my new home
Tracy Davidson
the cherry blossoms
are the same
as always
Urszula Marciniak
a hint
of cherry blossoms
fills the air
Diana Ming Jeong
seeing through
the haze of cherry blossoms
into the bright blue
Pamela Garry
one
cherry blossom
in my hair
Sharon Ferrante
my ruthless
mowing
of the dandelions
Pauline O’Carolan
making
a crown out of
plum blossoms
Martina Matijević
our beginner’s mind
full of nothing
but blossoms
Laurie Greer
an early spring
snowfall of
camellia blossoms
scott anderson
lilac
bending to the
left & right
Curt Linderman
a thicket
of wood roses
through the morning fog
madeleine kavanagh
blossoms
at the migrant
centre
Melissa Dennison
blossom wind
covering some benches
uncovering others
Orense Nicod
do the birds know
that those blossoms
foretell cherries?
Debbie Scheving
partial sky
through clouds
of cherry petals
Rachel Greve
i get all fuzzy
in front
of the peach blossoms
wendy c. bialek
It may have seemed daunting to link to the previous verse, with so much of it “redacted.” You rose to the challenge beautify, primarily with verses focusing on something hidden or, in contrast, something revealed.
Here is my choice for the eleventh verse:
lilac
bending to the
left & right
Curt Linderman
While the previous verse suggests irreconcilable political differences, our blossom verse replies, “there are no politics in nature.”
This bending to the left and right (or back and forth) is also what each of our renku verses does.
Here are some of the other verses from my short list that I would like to comment upon:
azalea buds
as small and pale as
infants’ toes
Richard Straw
The previous verse talks about reducing something to the point of rendering it nearly meaningless. Richard Straw’s answering verse reminds us that small things have the potential of growth and great meaning.
a hint
of cherry blossoms
fills the air
Diana Ming Jeong
Though other creatures may have a vastly more sensitive sense of smell, we still have enough sensitivity to know that a scent, when first coming to us, is likely to become more intense.
my ruthless
mowing
of the dandelions
Pauline O’Carolan
The urge to “redact” what we don’t value in nature…
Here is our renku, so far:
Salmon Run – A Twelve Verse Renku
a brief rest
before the rapids
salmon run
Sally Biggar
crescent moon
clearing the fence
Orense Nicod
a ghost light
keeping the stage
alive
scott anderson
the echo
of slave chants
Abigail Friedman
snowflakes fall
on the shredded stalks
of cotton
Milan Rajkumar
love at first swipe
on the dating app
Laurie Greer
he shoplifts
her favorite perfume
for her birthday
Kristen Lindquist
bloated tick
on a fawn’s ear
Margaret Anderson
a confession
the priest
would rather forget
Tracy Davidson
the (redacted) of the
(redacted) States of (redacted)
Michael Henry Lee
lilac
bending to the
left & right
Curt Linderman
This week we will be writing a two-line spring verse. This verse must contain a spring kigo from our list, but not a blossom or plant image. The final verse of a renku (ageku) does not have the quality of an ending. It is simply the place at which we depart from the work. It should have a sense of lift and on-going possibilities.
Please use the submission box, below to enter up to five of your verses. Submissions will be closed at midnight, eastern US time, on Monday, January 26. My selection of a twelfth verse and instructions for a final wrap-up and feedback posting will appear here on Thursday, January 29.
Looking forward to your ageku!
John
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