early laughter-green
grows between a warm change
time never walks past love
it is written in the skies
a heart shaped moon in your eyes
I think of your eyes:
like the winter sea, and shape
my heart by the moon…
sirens wake to crashing waves,
eerie melody haunts me.
heartstrings cut shorter
the distance of your voice
alluring in charm, bliss
will I know, upon some far,
galactic shore, surfing still
nights I write away
damp smudges sealed in bottles:
puckered fish in nets;
the loss is too much to bear,
floating behind hollow eyes.
weaving from afar
is how we travel through dreams–
koi in silver lakes
________________
the darkening sky
carries the promise of rain
with each shade of gray,
the sun shines from the center
of a wounded cottonwood
wrapped around hands,
one finds rings of promise
broken tree bark;
skin wrinkled and creased with age
releases bountiful seeds
buried deep,
seeds take root and stretch,
circling a pond
February snowstorm drips
concentric rings, wheel of life
lonely morning fish
ripples the quiet pond,
breaking sunlight
________________
chasing jackrabbit
tan mongrel trots through sagebrush
following its scent
the seeking can offer more
peace of mind than the finding
cave bear hibernates
two cubs spring from her loins
February birth
cycle of life continues
once again, all life reborn
fresh perspective
between gnarls of trees, sieves of leaves
sunrise meets the lake
________________
heavy snow, strong winds
just last week the smell of spring
winter packs a punch;
thawed dreams of black-eyed susans,
restless thoughts of wanting more.
dreams of longing
tucked under lashes and lips–
words run towards margins,
black and white letters jump off,
mind stops — scrambles to make sense.
following signs (blindly),
racing around cul-de-sacs
the mind, unnerved
reaches for a sense of peace,
silent shelter from the storm.
faint rainbow
storm leaves the sun in its wake
upon the relieved brow;
blue sky streaked with rainwater
prism changes everything.
________________
vernal equinox
morning freshness through the soul
sunburst in our eyes;
New Moon, stars out of hiding
blink across the Milky Way.
tangible yet far,
fantasies pinned on a star
like spilt milk…
crying for what has been lost,
yearning for that yet to come.
________________
dark and overcast
day before the holiday
a lawnmower growls;
clouds perch on the horizon
wanting nothing more than rain
storm clouds tease us
passing through the jeweled trees
on this side of life –
nothing taken for granted
will stay with us very long
cool sun at midday
life is full of suffering –
followed by moonlight
but then comes the promised dawn
when life is full of wonder
________________
black cat sleeps on couch
shadows fall near the full moon
eyes droop with the weight–
these heavy bags
that the heart carries
sun hides behind gray
burdens are what we make them
dark hinges on light
a forty watt sun
brings only hues of comfort –
false hope arises;
100 ways of seeing
the unpaved roads less traveled
on this journey
I collect many sticks and stones–
all for a bonfire
trailing in the wake of stars
yet untouched by human hands
on a stargazer lily–
a mantis praying
to the sun…
is it that I am not worthy
enough to touch the heavens?
winter sun–
snow angels catching
the snowman’s tears;
drops glisten, Icarus wings
doused by the cries of children
________________
opaque midday moon
creates halo above earth
yet darkness falls fast –
what’s lurking in the shadows?
Fear numbs, leaves no time to dwell.
fierce wind starts and stops
returns cold and leaves no doubt:
summer is over;
biting frost wilts the Spirit,
reflection ignites new spark.
by the fireplace,
the candle and I
dance to pages in my notebook —
letters expose obscure words,
teach me to read between lines
_______________________
haiku, senryu, tanka, & renga
Year two of our Daily Haiku explored the intimate connection between haiku, senryu, tanka, and renga. In gratitude to all who participated, we wanted to post the year in renga. Renga is a form of collaborative poetry, written in community.
At the beginning of the year, the poetry leaned toward haiku, senryu, and tanka; renga was slow to develop. By year’s end, the renga spanned weeks, and the trend moved to longer strands of poetry. For that reason, we are dividing a year of renga into two posts, in the order they were written. Part 2 will follow this week.
You can find helpful links, definitions, and read more about the relationship between the poetry forms in haiku 2 (one-a-day). Deep bows to Natalie and Clark. And to the poets who visit red Ravine, and help keep poetry alive.
It is with some embarrassment that I admit to not having read any of the one-haiku-a-day posts after the initial comment period. I spent lots of time this morning reading the haiku, senryu, tanka, and renga and found the writing so wonderful. QM, you have done a wonderful job nurturing these art forms and the people who comment are the best. Look forward to the next post (Part 2).
Teri, how was Clark Strand’s book that you bought?
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Neat! Reading all of this brought back memories! I’m so glad to have participated in last year’s series of renga we’ve done together. It’s been a fruitful journey actually, and I’ve enjoyed it! I can’t wait to do more renga and to see Part II of this entry! 8)
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Bob, thank you. I appreciate your comment and that you took the time to go back through the comments on that post. It’s quite long! When I was going back through the renga last night, I realized that the journey through the year documents the seasons, the nature of haiku. I love doing something, some kind of practice, every day for a whole year. It’s rewarding. I learn so much about myself, especially about my resistance.
Bob, I have to tell you, I thought of you today. I was packing up a box to be shipped to St. Joseph, MO. And there you were in my mind’s eye.
A~Lotus, it’s been wonderful to have met you here. And to see the growth in your poetry, haiku, tanka, renga. You’ve really been a dynamo with the poetry on all of your sites. And I appreciate your visits here. Hope you’ll come back and join in this year, too.
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I, too, admire the way you nurtured this art form, QM. It wasn’t too long ago that I took the time to read the comment thread from the top down. I smiled when I thought about how the year started with the delightful and surprising haiku contribution from Clark Strand.
I tried to participate some, and when I did join the renga, it was gratifying. I’ve done a form of writing that we called “exquisite corpse” in our writing group, whereby someone would start one sentence or two, then pass the paper to the next person who would pick up the thread. This would continue until all the writers contributed to the piece. We’d generally have as many pieces as there were writers, and each one was a hodgepodge of writing.
Mostly these pieces were funny when read out loud. Some people would intentionally make them go in a goofy direction, and sometimes they were hilarious all on their own. When writing your sentences, you weren’t supposed to read all that had been written already but rather only that written before you (the last sentence instead of the entire passage thus far).
Whereas the exquisite corpse pieces were silly, the renga pieces in your haiku post were serious and in some cases downright poignant. I enjoyed participating in one or two instances, but mostly I’ve enjoyed watching them blossom.
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Just did a year’s worth of poetry reading. Wow! I forget the haiku plus string is there. But it’s a lovely way to pass a winter’s evening.
All those words, stacked against each other so carefully.
I had to suddenly grab my gratitude journal and write “I am thankful for words”. I am grateful that I can read and write. And with no censoring. I am so accustomed to these abilities and freedoms, I forget not all are so fortunate.
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ybonesy, thank you. The visit from Clark Strand was quite the surprise at the beginning of last year. Part of what makes blogging fun is that you never know who’s going to stop by. I can’t believe a whole year of haiku has gone by again. Time is really flying. I enjoyed hanging out with whoever stopped by. I find the yearly posts gratifying in their continuity and in the practice. They teach me a lot about process.
Bo, your comment is so kind and elegant. Thank you for taking the time to go back and read the year-long post. I love what you are saying about words — words are so important. And the ability to write and read. Hope you make it to the Twin Cities this year!
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[…] II of community poetry — the nature of renga. Year two of our Daily Haiku explored the intimate connection between haiku, senryu, tanka, and […]
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[…] we continued the practice with haiku 2 (one-a-day), adding the poetic forms of tanka and renga, and creating a community haiku practice that would span two […]
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