Simply Haiku: Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry ~ Renku

Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry
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Winter 2009, vol 7 no 4

RENKU

Into The Infinite Sky: Half-Kasen

into the infinite sky the solemn air radiates Mt Fuji	Shinku Fukuda
a sleeping top in an adamant whirl	Shokan Kondo
green pine laver may be good as relish for sashimi*	Karin Noborizaka
a new first-grader sparkling white collar	Kikuyo Sugiura
opening sale brought overflowing crowds the misty moon	Ryo Uchiyama
watching mime forgetting time	Mami Orihara

Shunkan's* tattered hem blown in the waves and wind	Tateshi Tsukamoto
down a capital's main street showing off courtship	Yoshiko Robbie
sexless couples and male couples now so common	Karin
in the evening shower smoke from burning rape pods*	Shokan
the fragrance of a fresh rush mat endless dreams	Yoshiko
hostages in Lima no sign of improvement	Rvo
sit'n wait moon the earth's other side in deep silence	Kikuyo
autumn equinoctial week even a cat in a car	Karin
not to miss the shutter chance at a woodpecker	Mami
for promotion of a village brewing local sake	Karin
pulling down the shroud from the statue blossom storm	Tateshi
golden week* crossing over whirlpools	Shokan

* pine laver: dried and processed seaweed (nori), cut into pine-needle-size
"Raw sashimi and raw fresh youngster-a fresh green harmony." (S. Goldstein)

*Shunkan (1142-1179): a tragic monk exiled to a southern island for attempting the Heike clan's downfall

*burning rape pods: season word for early summer, pods are burned on the spot to make fertilizer
"Yes, the mixtures of positive and negative — in the necessary burning, there is freshness and mixtures — all necessary." (S. Goldstein)

*golden week: a week of National holidays in the beginning of May

composed January 4, 1997
at the Demings, US Deputy Ambassador's Residence

led by Shinku Fukuda
translated by Shokan Kondo
with
Karin Noborizaka
Kikuyo Sugiura
Ryo Uchiyama
Mami Orihara
Tateshi Tsukamoto
Yoshiko Robbie

The above is from page 8 of the renku anthology 'Wind Arrow'
published by Association for International Renku (AIR), 20 November, 1999
edited by Eiko Yachimoto,

Reproduced with Eiko Yachimoto's permission and the following note:

"I asked myself if I have the power to give you the requested permission. It is broadly acknowledged here that a sabaki has the ultimate right to a completed renku poem. Prof. Fukuda, the sabaki of 'Into the Infinite Sky', passed away several years ago... He was very thoughtful in his last days and gave me permission to publish another which I was involved in and I think I can extend the discretion to this
half-kasen you kindly chose.

He would be very pleased had he been alive.

sincerely yours,
eiko yachimoto"
Japan

Related item in this issue of Simply Haiku: 'A letter from America: Fond Memories on 'Wind Arrow' and…' by Kristen Deming.