2006-10-31

828. Long Gone

first snowfall...
a tuft of feathers hang
on the birdhouse hole

[Notes]

2006-10-30

827. Green & Gold

the golden leaf
of a poplar floats down...
lands on a hosta

[Notes]

2006-10-29

826. Seaside

tidal pool —
glistening pebbles nestle
in a driftwood log

[Notes]

2006-10-28

825. Please Proceed

green light...
a vacant intersection
after midnight

[Notes]

2006-10-27

824. Glacial Turf

first frost —
ice-capped blades of grass
greet the morning

[Notes]

2006-10-26

823. On the Go

swift breeze...
a clump of thistle fluff
drifts by

[Notes]

2006-10-25

822. One in the Crowd

through a cloud
of falling leaves...one clings
to the windshield

[Notes]

2006-10-24

821. Guerilla Gardening

flower box —
a cigarette butt planted
face down

[Notes]

2006-10-23

820. Undecided

small tree...
a campaign poster catches
on a leafless branch

[Notes]

2006-10-22

819. Leaf Catchers

sidewalk...
coloured leaves adhere
to shallow puddles

[Notes]

2006-10-21

818. Meals on Wheels

a crow pecks
at something on the road...
left-overs?

[Notes]

2006-10-20

817. Baking Lesson

apple pie...
playing backgammon
as it cools

[Notes]

2006-10-19

816. Afternoon Wind

mid-day heat —
we sit in the sea breeze
under a palm

[Notes]

2006-10-18

815. Yellow Divider

highway line —
a little paint between
speeding masses

[Notes]

2006-10-17

814. Fall Behind

he waves to me
from behind the falls...
spray and mist

[Notes]

2006-10-16

813. Not Alone

junk yard...
the glint of two eyes
out of a tire

[Notes]

2006-10-15

812. Those were the Days

an old tire
rolls down the hill...
kid inside

[Notes]

2006-10-14

811. Autumn Panorama

mountain vale —
autumn colours reflect
the afternoon sun

[Notes]

2006-10-13

810. Chase Scene

light breeze...
one leaf tumbles,
follows another

[Notes]

2006-10-12

809. Childhood Focus

toy box...
the toddler has more interest
in kitchen utensils

[Notes]

2006-10-11

808. Not Alone

country weekend...
a faint rustling sound
in the walls

[Notes]

2006-10-10

807. After the Storm

rain drops
on a long blade of grass...
early morning

[Notes]

2006-10-09

806. Left Behind

a sunday crowd
crams the italian deli...
olives on the floor

[Notes]

2006-10-08

805. Surrogate

a full moon
bright and clear...above
the flitting moths

[Notes]

2006-10-07

Several toys
emerge out of the snow...
spring thaw.

A butterfly on her nose
closes its coloured wings.

Through the clouds
the sun is sharp and clear -
cool on the eyes.

Dad attempts to whip up
a batch of scrambled eggs.

Autumn lawn...
more leaf mulching
than grass cutting.

The shuttle launch is delayed
because of too many vultures.

First snowfall...
here is a Christmas card
to be mailed, last year.

I lift the sheets and there
within, a little bed bug.

In her new
easy-bake oven she burns
a roast chicken.

This is a three-by-three interlocking renku I call a rubricku. The first stanza starts with Spring and then the poem works through all the seasons in order. The last stanza "easy-bake", is a central component of the poem that links to every other stanza. The season stanzas (hokku) are haiku I have previously written that have been chosen by various haiku on-line "publications", i.e.:

Spring (picked by Edward Weiss, wisteriapress.com):
Several toys
emerge out of the snow...
spring thaw.

Summer (picked by Sondra Ball, sondra.net/al/):
Through the clouds
the sun is sharp and clear -
cool on the eyes.

Autumn (picked by Susumu Takiguchi, World Haiku Showcase):
Autumn lawn
more leaf cutting
than grass cutting.

Winter (picked by Serge Tome, www.tempslibres.org/tl/en/cconv.html):
First snowfall...
here is a Christmas card
to be mailed, last year.

I have prepared a two dimensional representation of this rubricku showing the linkages between stanzas and other renku aspects:

http://members.shaw.ca/vseward/Masago_Rubricku_2007-10-07.pdf

Click the following for some further information about Rubricku including a template for writing your own:

http://haikuworkshop.pbwiki.com/

804. Night Passing

after midnight —
the sound of a car fades
in the distance

[Notes]

2006-10-06

803. Winter Vacation

the bird house
occupied this summer...
now empty

[Notes]

2006-10-05

802. A Veritable Fountain

exotic smoothness
flows from her mouth...
bottle of shiraz

[Notes]

2006-10-04

801. Tough Mama

smoke break...
a red heart tatoo
on her arm

[Notes]

2006-10-03

800. Public Inquiry

words sprayed
on a downtown building:
"Are We Safe Yet?"

[Notes]

The Virtual Za Renku Has Been Completed

The Renku collaboration between Hototogisu and me that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago is now complete! This is a renku-like 36-verse linked poem that was started on August 7, 2006.

Each post is either a two-line or a three-line haiku-like poem in which each verse links in some way to the previous one and goes through the seasons beginning with Summer and ending in Spring. Renku has a long tradition in Japan. We are following many of these traditions but have simplified things in some ways (e.g. Moon, Blossom, and Love references are not mandatory).


The complete Renku appearis in The Virtual Za Blog.

To keep track of seasons, kigo, link types, and so on, we used the following Google spreadsheet:

The Virtual Za Work Sheet.

2006-10-02

799. Resting Place

garage floor...
a maple leaf settles
under a tire

[Notes]

2006-10-01

798. Annoyed Landlord

the upstairs tenant
refuses to pay rent...
cheeky squirrel

[Notes]