Jane Talbot

Adventure 352 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 18]

/ intrepidjane

The renga field is wide open today, leaving today’s renju, Caroline Johnstone, lots of options. She could carry on with autumn (still one more verse allowed!), or she could go for winter, summer, love, travel, dwellings, mountains or shores.

Caroline actually went for  7-7 on love, and this is what she came up with :

Love hearts freeze-frame memories :
Wind under wings; let it go

Caroline says : “The kigo word is love. I have two favourite symbols. The first is butterflies – symbol of change – hence, the “wind under wings” which links to Leslie’s butterflies rising. It also links to the leaving because if you were to leave, knowing you would never return, you would freeze-frame memories so you had them forever.

The second is hearts – hearts matter, hearts can change, be broken or opened or frozen because it can seem easier to not feel. But then you freeze out the good too – and you aren’t real.”

Hmmm… so you remember the Love Rule, right? Because Caroline started the theme of love off today, it means that it’s all hearts tomorrow too 😛 .

You can watch today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 351 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 17]

/ intrepidjane

After yesterday’s third (and final) compulsory verse on autumn, today’s renju, Leslie Marsh, had plenty of options. She could have continued with another verse on autumn – or gone for love, dwellings, travel, mountains or shores.

She went for a 5-7-5 on autumn and came up with this :

Monarch butterflies
rise, kissing silent goodbyes:
reeds wave in return

Leslie says : “The Kigo is the monarch butterfly, a creature closely associated with september. Once it has made its change it has to migrate. The seeds of the butterfly’s change has released it from the cage of its cocoon. Once this is done it must,as Persephone did, say goodbye to all it has known and go on into the future changed forever. Continuity is provided by the echo of Persephone’s mourning in the butterfly’s good-bye. A change of direction is provided by the movement from the image of a cage to the freedom of rising.”

You can watch today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 350 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 16]

/ intrepidjane

The third (compulsory) consecutive verse on the theme of autumn is served up to you today by renju Stephanie Johnson. It’s a 7-7 and here it is :

Persephone mourns harvest :
cage sustained by ruby seeds

Stephanie says : “Continuity is provided through a  reference to Persephone – she is the daughter of the Harvest Goddess, Demeter. I also offer a further fruit reference (the ruby seeds are those of the pomegranate.) The kigo word is “harvest.” The cage refers to the skin of the pomegranate, also to the kidnapping of Persephone by Hades. When Persephone eats the pomegranate seeds she seals her fate and is bound to Hades forever. She is mourning the harvest because she must go underground and be dormant for the winter…”

Hmmm…. we are certainly getting ourselves an education, aren’t we?! I wonder whether tomorrow’s poet will continue with autumn – or whether they’ll change direction. What do you think?

You can watch today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 349 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 15]

/ intrepidjane

With Flemming invoking the Moon Rule yesterday, today’s renju, Betsy Anderson, had no choice but to continue with the autumn theme. Here’s the 5-7-5 she came up with :

Ashen skies contrast
hues from Fouche’s Pomona :
ripe fruits fall softly

Betsy says : ” I take Flemming’s grey smoke and turn it into ash to provide continuity between verses. Pomona was the Roman goddess of gardens and orchards and fruitful abundance ; she is  depicted in Fouche’s painting in vibrant autumnal colours. So I’m continuing with the theme of  autumn but I’m also changing direction by setting warm vibrant colours against Flemming’s reference to grey.”

So, that’s two verses of autumn in a row. And, if you’ve been following the development of our poem, you probably have worked out what’s coming tomorrow already! (Yup – we gotta stay in autumn for at least another verse!)

Here’ today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 348 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 14]

/ intrepidjane

With spring done and dusted, and yesterday’s summer climax, today’s renju, Flemming Funch, had lots of options! He could have continued with summer, he could have done a verse on winter, love, travel, dwellings, mountains or shores. Or he could have invoked the Moon Rule – and that’s exactly what he did.

Here’s his clever, creative (and just a little bit irreverent) 7-7 that starts off autumn :

Serene is the sudden calm :
grey smoke rises to the moon

Flemming says : ” After yesterday’s passionate climax, it’s time to cool down a bit, and smoke a cigarette. So, there’s a change in tempo, and temperature : the remaining heat leaving just smoke. I introduce autumn in the form of the moon.”

So, we’re on autumn and that means only one thing for tomorrow’s poet : it’s autumn again!

You can watch today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 347 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 13]

/ intrepidjane

As Cara submitted a third spring verse yesterday, today’s renju, Alan Millar, had plenty of options! He could have gone for a fourth verse on the theme of spring (up to five consecutive verses are allowed), he could have invoked the Moon Rule, or gone for love, winter, summer or any of the peripheral themes (travel, mountains, shores, dwellings).

The thirteenth verse is important in our renga as it marks the turning point for us. Alan did not disappoint and chose to write a mid-renga  5-7-5 verse on the theme of summer :

Oh thunder solstice
of warm long sensual showers
and roses climax

Alan says : ” I continued the suggestion of powerful human emotions evoked by Cara. I tried to give a shape to her ‘erupting’ , hinting at a more specific human narrative, diffused within the language of nature.  I moved the imagery on, following the natural course from spring into summer. Oh – and the thirteenth verse is – is the half- way point  and significance of this evoked by the solstice. My kigo word is “roses”.”

Ooooh! The thread of imagery over the last couple of verses has been rather “hot” 😛 . I wonder what will happen tomorrow … ?

You can catch up with the latest episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 346 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 12]

/ intrepidjane

By now, you probably know all about continuity rules, right? And you’ve probably already realised that today’s 7-7 just had to be about spring – and that today’s renju, Cara Wilde was squashed right into a renga corner!

This is what she came up with :

Skylarks dancing, air delights :
hidden desires erupting

Cara says : ” The season word is skylark – it’s a Japanese classic kigo for spring! Continuity is demonstrated by continuing the anticipation and potential of the last stanza, and crescendoing into celebration of new life in spring. The last line is the result of building anticipation :  new life being called to grow from within the Earth.”

So, with three consecutive verses on the theme of spring now complete, the renga game now opens up again!

Watch the latest episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 345 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 11]

/ intrepidjane

Yesterday saw the arrival of spring via the traditional kigo of “cherry blossom”. This meant that today’s renju, Stephanie Johnson had no option but to continue the theme of spring (the Flower Rule states a requirement to continue the theme of spring for at least 3 consecutive verses).

This is what Stephanie came up with for her 5-7-5 :

Buds yawn and stretch out,
anticipate, quivering :
cloying amber stain

Stephanie says  : “My spring kigo is “buds”. I build on the image of yesterday’s blossoming of the trees and flowers. There’s an allusion to oestrus and sexual awakening too. There’s a clear contrast within my verse too –   between anticipation and action. The image is of pollen being powerful and overwhelming –  and it is not entirely positive!”

Woah! That’s some 5-7-7, right? I wonder what tomorrow’s poet will come up with. We know it has to be about spring, but how are they going to handle the issues of continuity and directional change?

Get your daily dose of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 344 ~ The Big Renga Project [10]

/ intrepidjane

With Janet laying down a verse of winter for the first stanza of the second page, it left lots of options of today’s renju, Lisa Holden. Lisa could have carried on with winter, or opted to invoke the Flower Rule, the Moon Rule or the Love Rule. Summer , dwellings, mountains, shores and travel were also options too.

Lisa opted for the excitement of starting off spring and this is what she came up with :

Ambling to a pause, awake :
above cherry blossom, sings.

She employs the classic spring kigo of cherry blossom to start the new season off and continues the movement of Janet’s small animals in the previous verse with the use of the word “ambling”. The sleepiness of winter is now replaced by the awakeness of spring.

Catch up with the latest episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here:

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 343 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 9]

/ intrepidjane

There’s a rumble of excitement in The Big Renga house today 🙂 . Verse 9 heralds the start of the second page of the renga. The second page will have 14 verses. The Moon Rule and (wait for it!) the Flower Rule (that starts off spring) must both be invoked on this page.

Today’s renju, Janet Dowling, had plenty of options. She could have composed a final verse on the theme of autumn (a maximum of 5 consecutive verses is allowed); she could have invoked the Flower Rule; or she could have written a verse about love, winter, summer, places, dwellings, mountains or shores.

Janet plumped for winter and this is what she came up with :

Exquisite members
traversing the dormant plain :
running, sweeping low

In her accompanying commentary, Janet says ” My kigo word is dormant, being the sleeping land of winter. My link to the previous verse is the sense of small animals making their way through winter. “Members “running , sweeping low” is all about creating the idea of limbs in motion.”

Hmmm… so what will happen, tomorrow? The renga field is wide open again!

Get your daily dose of the Big Renga Round-Up in today’s video.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT