The Renku Sessions: Purple Haze – Week 3
Hi, everyone,
I’m Kala Ramesh from India, and I’m your sabaki for this renku.
We are writing a Junicho – a 12-verse renku (linked verses). The third verse is selected and we are on to our fourth verse.
If you want to read my introduction to this renku, the link below:
Intro: https://thehaikufoundation.org/the-renku-sessions-invitation-2/
1st week – Hokku: https://thehaikufoundation.org/the-renku-sessions-purple-haze-week-1/
2nd Week- Wakiku: https://thehaikufoundation.org/the-renku-sessions-purple-haze-week-2/
Firstly, thank you for the kind feedback many of you have shared.
I was clean floored.
_()_
I received an overwhelming number of offers for this slot. Forty-four poets submitted over 150 poems. You’ve offered such beautiful verses, but many were haiku, written in the two-part image structure. Consequently, I couldn’t accept them.
Many were strong and suitable as intermediate renku verses, but they were set outdoors. A few referenced seasons. None of these verses could be selected. One poet, in her enthusiasm, sent me 33 poems for this slot!
Please remember that only the first verse (hokku) is a haiku. All the others are sentence ku, meaning they lack the two-part image structure of a haiku. Learn to differentiate between them and to write them, understanding the difference.
The late John Carley, a renku master, used to refer to the space between the verses as “white space” – it functions as the ‘cut’ (kire) that we observe in haiku.
The white space between the verses is a game-changer! You will see this as we progress in the renku, how our perception of one verse shifts when it comes into contact with the next. New interpretations evolve!
And that magic is something special to renku.
Revel.
Rejoice!
The shortlisted verses are:
white lace tablecloth
ready for guests
lights up the dark wood
Belinda Behne
at the dining table
I set out pills
beside my plate
Sathya Venkatesh
another painting
by her daughter
on the fridge door
Andrew Shimield
a table
by the window laden
with crumpled pages
Mahua Maulik
up the stairs
and into the attic
to find what is lost
Pauline O’Carolan
silk fabric sliding
over pattern pieces
on the sewing table
V J Green
by the window
curled on an armchair
a cat’s deep snore
Rupa Anand
up to her elbows
kneading a loaf of rye
in the kitchen
V J Green
hovering at the oven door
the crucifix burns
my neck
Richard Greeve
on her desk
a late notice
from the library
susan grant
two net bags
full of groceries
await cupboard space
Laurie Greer
shoes
caked with mud
in the kitchen
Suraja Roychowdhury
sitting by myself
waiting for the results while
the clock keeps ticking
Diana Ming Jeong
After careful reading and analysis, the verse selected for daisan is:
purple haze …
sunlight filters through
jacaranda branches pc
a flight of butterflies
on the wood corral jd
an unmarked key
found at the bottom
of the drawer sa
Renkujin so far in this renku are:
hokku: Pauline O’ Carolan
wakiku: John Daleiden
daisan: Sanjuktaa Asopa
Let me tell you how my mind worked to bring these verses together.
The hokku and the waki should support and buttress each other. They should create a solid opening to provide a strong foundation for the rest of our collaboration.
Do they do that here?
purple haze …
sunlight filters through
jacaranda branches pc
a flight of butterflies
on the wood corral jd
It’s one scene within a frame – above and below. Beautiful. A brilliant start.
Pauline, I added a punctuation in your hokku.
Then comes our first link and shift with the daisan.
on the wood corral
an unmarked key
Yes! The link is done seamlessly.
Now, if you remember, the daisan is a no-season, cut-away verse, and an indoor verse.
See how deftly Sanjuktaa steers the “unmarked key” indoors.
an unmarked key
found at the bottom
of the drawer
Daisan, if you remember, needs to “cut away” from the waki and hokku.
Having finished the 1st part (introduction, verses 1, 2 & 3) of the JO section, we enter the 2nd part (expansion, verses 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9), of the HA section.
How is this “unmarked key” going to feature in this collaborative linked verse we are creating? This task is up to each one of you, as you offer your candidates (only 3 candidates per slot, please)
First:
The schema:
Junicho: a twelve-verse renku (collaborative poetry)
hokku – spring blossom
wakiku – spring
daisan – cut away verse – no season (ns)
4 short – ns
5 long – summer
6 short – love ns
7 long – love winter
8 short – ns
9 long – end summer (monsoon in India!)
10 short – ns
11 long – autumn moon
12 short – ageku – autumn
*Please remember: you need to offer blossom, moon, love, season verses, and so on, only during the specific slots given in the schema.
Purple Haze
purple haze …
sunlight filters through
jacaranda branches
a flight of butterflies
on the wood corral
an unmarked key
found at the bottom
of the drawer
Renkujin so far in this renku are:
hokku: Pauline O’ Carolan
wakiku: John Daleiden
daisan: Sanjuktaa Asopa
The renku is shaping well. Thanks to each of you for showing so much interest in creating, as I like to call it, the masterpiece!
Our 4th verse is:
- Non-seasonal verse of two lines, not fewer than 12 syllables.
Words and images already used in the previous three verses should not be repeated. - Please avoid words like moon, blossom, love, rain, or monsoon, as they will feature soon.
- Remember, the rules of the game remain the same. Renku always looks forward and never back. Each verse connects only to the immediately preceding verse and not beyond. Therefore, this 4th verse links only to the daisan, and shifts away from wakiku and hokku.
4. Introduce fresh and novel topics. Renku is about variety.
Go for it.
And, most of all, have fun!
I’ll wait for your offers. The window closes every Monday, and my selection, along with the requirements for the next verse, will be posted here every Thursday.
Your sabaki,
_kala
THF strives to maintain a safe and friendly environment for our readers and site participants. Participation in our offerings assumes respectful and appropriate behavior of all parties. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason, at any time.
If you see something you feel may violate our Code of Conduct, please report it to the appropriate moderator or the President here.
