Renga and haiku, linked verse

Hokusai  had 30 pen names, and said  everything that I did before 70 was no good. At 100 I'll be a marvelous artist. He used both his hands to paint.

Both renga and haiku are non-narrative verse. Usually 12 to 17 syllables (17 characters—which convey more imagery than western words, 3 cutting words plus the —ka! The surprise.)

A guest poet opens with 2 or 3 lines. There is a traditional order, or pattern: moon, mountains are mentioned in one haiku. No moon references without a season attached. The seasons: summer/autumn. Unrequited love is another theme.

There's no apparent order of time, except for the images themselves. Time is suspended, drawn out. Thrown out of whack. Some verses need "flower" words, not just peach or cherry blossoms.

Every haiku should include: What Where When, and one of these is a seasonal word. A cue. The very short-lived cherry blossoms are a symbol for spring (mid-April). Others are references for passing time.

There are no logical links. Read only the verse above, and link to the preceding verse by:
season
color
mood
motion
zoom lens (close up)
distance, etc.

Treat it like a pass-around poem, like Pictionary, where you can only see 2 or 3 lines above, and respond. Initial your work. Pass it to your partner.

Monkey's Raincoat
Basho Sarumino
trans. Lenore Mayhead

To what may our life be compared?
the moon is a dewdrop falling from a heron's beak.

Not sure where these notes are from. Perhaps Bob Hass or Pat Nolan?


Pass around poem: write two lines, fold one line back, and pass it on.