THESE FRAGILE THREADS - Part II
Marjorie Buettner
Hugh Bygott
yet at autumn's end
the swiftness of the river
flowing
endlessly
the sear'd leaf and wither'd hand
we cannot turn back again
for as Goethe says
only troubled guests are we
on this darken'd shore
still the dawn light of the new
dispels ragged shapes of fear
while in each bird-cry
a secret language revealed
bourn on a wild wind
across the face of a world
fearful against the unknown
this pilgrimage
when in the blind time of night
metamorphosis
yet greening bud to flower
is not change the path to beauty?
and somewhere still
in the quick dust of petals
a sweetness and light
of hopes that have come and gone
"Death the mother of Beauty" *
now host of regrets
once the sound of your footfall
no longer heard
that night in silence we as one
saw the moon rise above the lake
this meditation
when the space between each breath
becomes full of song
the paradox of our lives
in speech silence yet unsaid words
beyond answers
the language of the soul's
longing for light
that comes through our duality
our rich senses to intellect
body's alchemy
this elixir's gold is gold
amaranth
against her purple silks
her form and eyes immortal
our inheritance
when absence is a presence
that fills and fills
changed forms from primeval life
until at last the new mind
dark clouds parting
over a full, clear moon
this crystal night
how love can ebb away and
how full of pain this life can be
but why is the wave
jealous of the rolling sea
through which it passes?
are not all the things which change
longing for the constancy of truth?
Chuang Tsu
is it a dream within dreams
human-butterfly?
clinging to reality
essence that rings true
at the precipice
how can we not look at
the face of death?
this dark abyss cannot call
to break the bonds of loving
even Orpheus
with his empty heart still sings
of love unending
Eurydice's perfect'd form
lifting him to higher states
this consciousness
a window opening to
new worlds
as the stars light-trace the dark
so this covenant revealed
five-points
the pith of a poplar branch
a Golden Flower
within, a higher self;
un ami est comme un deuxieme soi
(a friend is a second self)
full moon in zenith
reflected in a still pond
this night sky
there is here a loneliness
the beyond against the now
echoing thunder
from the edge of the lake
then circling
the endless cycle of events
each moment forever past
heavy snowfall
covering the frozen ground
in forgiveness
time the healer of all things
cold wound the cruelest hurt
O Felix Culpa!
only when the heart shatters
can knowledge come
and wholeness from sorrow's crystals
as darkest nights yield to dawn
diffusion
from the center of snowflakes
the moon caught within
spreads the light on silent snow
soon crimson'd by this first spring dawn
field of fragrance
how each blossom carries
new hope!
the darken'd stem now bursts forth
this light greater than shadows of fate
after the storm
this rainbow of silver rain
deep into the woods
as I now retrace my steps
she to the darker shadows
gathering night
cry of the loon carrying
all mysteries
I walk in plains under starry skies
the Divine spark our spirit's guide
*Wallace Stevens
**Aristotle
INSIDE THE ARMOIRE
Penny Greenwell
Betty Kaplan
Max Verhart
falling snow -
last night's footprints
fade
slowly p/1
"catch a snowflake on your tongue"
I was once a little
child b/2
the long gone taste
of grandma's apricot pie -
still
remembered m/3
inside the armoire
smell her vanilla
scent
p/4
gathering truffles
the moon lights the pig's way
through the
forest
b/5
hidden in the fog
my
destination
m/6
on the home altar
in the blind man's house
a candle
burns
m/7
all along the Via Delarossa -
the paving stones worn
smooth
p/8
the old bridge still stands -
he is waiting
I cross
over
b/9
on the water-bus
a wedding
party
m/10
imagining her face
the veils of purdah
slip just a
little
p/11
Coney Island Sideshow
Zenobia, the bearded
lady
b/12
silvery moonlight
a cool breeze makes her hair
reach out for
me
m/13
how the sunbathers
avoid each other's
shadow!
p/14
she steps over
sidewalk cracks, does not go
under
ladders
b/15
saved by the rope
the mountaineer
dangles
m/16
spring thaw -
I place a daisy chain
on the baby's
grave
p/17
the robin's blue eggs
nestled in her
nest
b/18
with the sunrise
the children
on their Easter
hunt
b/19
at the edge of the clearing
three men with
rifles
m/20
angry again!
aiming for the soft spots
I spit my
reply
p/21
William Tell's son -
knowing the bow will
snap
b/22
his frozen fingers
mother has to help father
unbutton his
coat
m/23
early winter-
all the tree limbs newly
bare
p/24
he could not give me
clothes and jewels
it was his heart he
gave
b/25
this Valentine card
who does it come
from?
m/26
red lipstick
on his shirt collar
our first
kiss
p/27
around with painted smiles
the horses on the
carousel
b/28
both in and out
the fortune-teller's tent
I find
moonshine
m/29
under the changing leaves
a bum offers me his
bottle
p/30
the flash in the pan
of an abandoned field -
goldenrod
p/31
these moments so precious
the years are
unfolding
b/32
a look on his watch
and the stylish commuter
starts
running
m/33
she's too busy to notice
her wet purse on my
paper
p/34
strewn over the ground
of the rain swept orchard
apple blossom
petals
b/35
this spring morning's sky -
brightly today
emerges
m/36
started november 28th 1999, completed december 15th 1999
CHRISTMAS TREE FORT
Carlos Colon
Alexis K. Rotella
Christmas tree fort
the icicle trail
from yours to mine.
Holly berries light up
the snow.
One hour late
pizza delivery truck skidding
past the driveway.
He's smooth all right
the skating champ.
Instant replay
the referee pockets
a wad of cash.
A lottery ticket
next to Jesus.
Out of my mouth again
your name
in vain.
Another babe in the woods
found pummeled.
Hatpin stuck
in the back
of the butterfly.
Making wind sounds
the tea kettle.
Like a frazzled
fright wig
this weeping willow.
Job's tears with nori
for breakfast.
The owl
night before
the mammogram.
Face of an angel
but his name is Clarence.
Shy woman
planting
pansies.
Taproot
uprooted.
Pokeberry salve
pulling out
the tumor.
Faith healer palms
a chicken liver.
Lifeline
running
out.
911 operator
donut in her throat.
The expert
on magnet therapy -
a used-car salesman.
Spare key under
the front bumper.
Bright red
SUV driven by
an SOB.
His and her
gun racks.
Rev. Falwell—
his power animal,
the fox?
My shadow growing
darker.
Blackberries -
a string of them
around my neck.
Two feet off the ground
pair of cowboy boots.
Mercury retrograde -
can't find
his silver spurs.
Cold snap turning
into pneumonia.
I shovel her
from the pond -
goldfish "Marilyn Monroe."
Updraft tickles
my leg hair.
Fat dove
motionless
by the waterfall.
Removing the shot's sting
a cherry lollipop.
A bee
in the apitherapist's
bonnet.
Masked man mowing
down the dandelions.
SCATTERED CHICKENS
Ruth Yarrow
Carlos Colon
dark cloud -
leaves flash
their undersides
a ripple of waves
through the ivy
rounding the corner
my umbrella
snaps back
scattered chickens -
weathervane rooster
spins in circles
cottonwood seeds
thicken on the screen
her voice louder
the sound of the wind
not blowing
THE KITCHEN WINDOW
Alexis K. Rotella
Carlos Colon
A sailboat
inside the kitchen
window.
Blue marlin arcing
over the fireplace.
Net filled
with starfish -
solstice heat.
Twenty-three stitches
on the 10-year-old.
Raven feather -
I reach out
and take it.
Under the barber's chair
green curls.
My palms pressing down
on my head as she tries
to pick my brain.
Your smashing work
no one smashing it.
The world's
sexiest man -
his ashes given to the sea.
Transplanted
heart broken.
The don juan wills
his penis
to science.
Sheriff's auction
the smell of cigars.
Draped over
the rocking chair
rat snake.
Bottom of her swimsuit
the wrought-iron pattern.
Drought -
after midnight
sound of a garden hose.
Behind a thin white cloud
the sun sunnyside up.
He says he has
to see me before
tomorrow's eclipse.
Video tape
of his cataract surgery.
Just before
passing on she squeezes
my hand.
The tunnel at the end
of the light.
White hydrangeas
so pure
and white.
Pureed peas
the plans we had together.
Like school buses
our four new koi
line up.
Science class ecosystem
dead toad among dead crickets.
Aunt Maggie
who died last week
sitting on the radiator.
From the ceiling below
broomstick message
Asking angels
to help me pass
the national Boards.
Predator teacher
grading on the curves.
No call
of congratulations
from my "best" friend.
Blond trophies
the Ryder Cup wives. *
Answering
the door to a
woodpecker.
Recycle can filled with it -
campaign litterature.
[literature is misspelled on porpoise.]
Aren't you
ever
Sirius?
Hollywood agent hitches
his wagon to a star.
The haiku pioneer
motorcycles
cross-country.
Blowing bubbles
the bride and groom.
*golf tournament
TULE FOG
George Knox
Lesley Einer
Elizabeth Knox
mourning doves alight
at dusk in a leafless tree
fused in tule
fog
gk
early sun dissolves the mist
water lilies edge the
pond
le
heavy rains falling
and no prospect of abatement
the river
rising
gk
valentine's day
my heart overflowing with
love
le
band-tail pigeon
thin white ring on his neck
under pre-dawn half
moon
gk
waking up to bright sunshine
breakfast on the
patio
le
half a quail's eggshell
under the yellow hop bush
Eolic off'ring?
gk
maybe a capricious fairy
or mischievous blue
jay?
gk
who is he
showing off his new baby
black? white? male?
female?
le
successive blackouts often
leave the body
affected
gk
as a rule yes
but, then there was Lazarus
came back good as
new
le
Eugene O'Neill gave the tale
Some ironic twists
indeed
gk
nothing like humor
in a grave situation
wouldn't you
say?
le
rare red-legged frogs court females
swamped with full moon
desire
gk
(This was George Knox's last link in this renga. He died
shortly after writing this. His wife, Elizabeth sent the renga back to Lesley
and then the two of them decided to continue the poem together.)
indistinct
'neath saguaro skeleton
shadowed horny
toad
le
eyes stay so gently closed
against the moted beams of light
ek
emerging
from its cramped chrysalis
resplendent
le
the bright orange lantana lures
swallowtails back, then
again
ek
summer dust devils
lift off baked macadam
and then dance
away
ek
on TV this old movie
Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse
le
the winter garden
nut grass nuts wait to pop up
with beets and
spinach
ek
bowls of steaming borscht
listening to troika
music
le
the beat is set by
balalaika and hand-claps
dancer whirls and
sweats
ek
ring tail lemurs wage a stink war
never a
fatality
le
walnuts and pecans
smashed to bits from the drop
crows swoop down to
feast
ek
date with no mirror image
don't ask him for a
drink
le
ghouls at my doorstep
the jostle for pomegranates
parents wait by
gate
ek
only six seeds eaten
six months of each year of
winter
le
the moon obscured
with dirt driven in the wind
the world's
detritus
ek
ten days until Y2K
and the new
millennium
le
writing Christmas cards
my heart aches for dear friends
dusting off
memories
le
three persimmons sticky sweet
left for the new next
thousand
ek
global warming!
fifty years after "Silent Spring"
they
listen
le
damp blackened branches budding
in afternoon
overcast
ek
then with the sun
a profusion of pink petals
from death,
rebirth
le
the red balloon soars higher
the long string untethered
ek
January 1998 - February 2000
THE SPIN OF WORDS
Jacques Verhoeven
Silva Ley
Written in the new Court of Justice in 's Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Designed by the Belgian architect Charles Vandenhove, this stately building is
the largest in the country with the grandeur of a palace. The authors spent the
day wondering around seeing the rooms and art works which make it seem to have
the air of a museum of art as well as observing the normal activities of
justice.
The spin of words
promenades along the laws
palace of justice
blocks out of deep grooves
contradictions resisted
the marble shines
dancing floor for principles
waltz of getting right
the direction indicated
to a fight between quadrants
a plea in columns
files full of in-betweens
spotlights everywhere
return in full speed
swallow, grit the teeth
the swaying blossoms
the first view outside
new, empty years
leave the fiery flush
colour the white bands
opened or closed
doors part the distance
lunch time in an hour
footsteps to the courtrooms
fresh rolls in the fist
the muddle of no-yes
meeting around the ashlar table
the holy oak replaced
locums of sacrifice
nerves and transpiration
theater of toga's
codes of salutes
completed with pistols
pompous in shirtsleeves
secrets, mobilophones
building styles flirt
pastiche of the angora
the game never changed
decors of tapestry
woven parts of truth
exalted distance
barristers and passers by
look neither right nor left
rolling skaters in the square
view through a thousand windows
a full paper basket
a balcony for the emperor
symmetry of power
the concrete colonnades
neutralized emotions
the body in balance
the spirit practiced
in silent cloisters
coffee cup under the bench
at home now, nearly conquered,
echoes, wall to wall
in vertical designs
free from every verdict
books closed, chances valued
the session postponed
hands shaken
feelings wrapped up
high gates of leaving
loads of arguments
the rumors disclosed
REINCARNATION
Giselle Maya
Mari Konno
the newborn baby smiles
dreaming of his old friends
who smoothly move their fins
azure all around
clear sunrise
constantly changing
the mind moves
a slight shifting of the eyes
early spring world never seen
I embrace
some sixty trillion cells
enclosed in each
a minute metropolis
deep silence in water
profoundly
this illusive pine body
mind-heart at ease
each cell holds the secret
of the unfolding flower
under blossoms full
teens are wondering dully
on this earth uneven
I am at a shady loss
seeing boys inside myself
out of the garden
we remember how to dance
wisdom before the fall
planting in the dark soil
seed mythology from clay jars
after the long sleep
of a thousand years
ginkgo trees are alive
sending us green shoots
just as to archaic people
white camellia
germination of ideas
the tea room empty
exposing the heart's center
to the bare tips of branches
whisking a bowl of tea
Chanoyu
digging deep to find
nothing but this heart
and the cosmic air
early spring
angels incarnate
for a brief span hover
among the green-white buds
of cherry trees
Sakura blossoms
a faint pink
exuding shadows
of life
and death
tiny creek shrimp
ancient creatures
alive under rocks
hidden in the waterbed
of the rushing spring
springing up
when discovered
as though an idea
came up to the surface
of the blue unconscious
microscopic image
of a meristem
coral flowers in a dark sea
awed by what is unseen
I know that I don't know
handed down again
metamorphosed
numerous times
here I am
a fragment of the Paleozoic
particles of time
incarnate in this gift
of a single rosebud
and the syllables chanted
by May pond frogs
sounds echo
throughout a field
of the Mesozoic era
waiting for the next form
of metempsychosis
shell-colored dawn
swallows nest under roof tiles
tending their young-
evolution of intricacy
the yellow columbine
waving in the breeze
a tiger lily shows itself
on the spring slope:
memories of ancient days
swaying deep in the sea
after a long rain
morning glory tendrils leap
higher on the bamboo pole
from the painted fan
a breath of wind
unwound dreams
of last summer evening
now hidden in snow
empty rooms aglow
with winter sunlight
color of iris
seedlings pierce the earth
corn and beans planted
a clay shard meets my hand
long hidden in the dark earth
huge footprints
fossils of hollows
are going away
to the riverside
treading on leaves
green sparkling lizard
a rustle among dry leaves
prehistoric horsetail
the glow of the late sun
enlightens the ivy path
OTHER RENS
Book Two: ghost, coast, toast, boast, post, most
Francine Porad
Kris Kondo
Marlene Mountain
ghost
fp three year old ghost of Christmas present each wrap torn and taped
kk shudder to remember how my soul candle was snuffed out
mm uncle sam says january third we widows get a few bucks raise
fp art auction first image shows through aquamedia layers
kk our house has quiet neighbors three farm families' grave sites
mm not what it used to be a mind of my own
coast
fp no resting on laurels in the air the scent of pine and holly
mm off the coast in these worn mountains
kk a freckle-faced kid skims the valley in brand new rollerblades
fp from ocean to ocean the same scary news terrorists
mm the bad curve a car sails across my drive into the bottom land
kk idle enough to open my eyes and mouth to spring rain
toast
kk a bottle of pink pokemon chanmery to toast the holiday season*
mm even better than 39 40 and 50 i like being sixty
fp magical double digit years and tonight's bright solstice moon
kk black sesame paste spread thick on warm bread
mm a fortune for this run-down house anywhere near toasty
fp 34 degrees outside action under two goosedown quilts
*a Japanese soft-drink-imitation of champagne
boast
kk quirky aquarian self-confidence so often taken as boasting
fp 'I love me I love me my picture's on the shelf'*
mm as if they're suited to be talking 'bout stuff talking suits
kk gift for his 'disowned' daughter 'best vest in Boston'
fp ...and what happened to my flat flat stomach and graceful hands
mm yes i can i can eat more chocolate than you
* flapper era song
post
mm hard drive crash in a space unused solstice greetings hang
fp midnight a mailbox stuffed with tardy holiday cards
kk somewhere between Japan and Seattle some stranded sumi sprites
mm around here they say: dumb as a post
fp caryatids support the porch ceiling art through the ages
kk dream of horse trotting rhythm between tight legs
most
mm except in my mind moon in perigee not even almost seen
kk midnight valley clouded sky nearly all back-lit
fp Seattle skyline from my deck the view I love the most
mm utmost in tv hype anything beginning with e
kk New Year's singing contest the reds battle the whites
fp the restaurant can hold one hundred drunks max
Started 12/21/99; ended: 12/24/99
TAN RENGA
Carol Purington
Larry Kimmel
finding no one
at home we loiter
about the grounds
the colors of marigolds
put out by shadows
_________________________
long afternoon
sketching the tortured twist
of the skeletal oak
a bullfrog's gulping
echoes around the green pond
______________________________
voices of softball players
the fading light
across the railroad tracks
a flickering neon sign
Bar & G ill
______________________________
knowing it will
have to last for a long long while
the farewell kiss
wishing fast
but the shooting-star fades out
________________________________
gargling
with undiluted
vinegar
emergency prayer -
childhood words come to mind
__________________________________
alone with the farmhouse
a tango of mice
are you sure
this is how Mickey Mouse
got his start
___________________________________
retrieving
the right gray suitcase
from the airport
which shell hides the pea
watch closely now
__________________________________
leaving the carnival
fingers sticky
from cotton candy
also a lasting shock
to the imagination
__________________________________
Hawaii postcard
that friend who never has time
for a visit
morning-glory tendril
at the window
~*~
POURING IN
David Rice
Ebba Story
whenever I drink
I leave a little in the glass
an odd habit
offering a sip
to spirits I can't see
in palmetto shade
a weathered doll's arm
on an old grave site
the dank air thickly
enters my lungs
car campground
a mutt pulls a boy
toward the water spigot
his loud radio
keeps the forest away
nearing midnight
african idols
crowd her altar
was that my heart beat
or some primeval drum?
death's presence
palpable in the room
it slings me to the edge
of a distant meadow ...
I boomerang back
cleansed by weeping
I turn skyward
the vast expanse
between me and the stars
comes pouring in
MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD
Alexis K. Rotella
Florence Miller
My whole childhood
spent looking
for violets.
A nosegay presented
to Great Aunt Titania.
Pies cooling
on the stump
by the pond.
A haiku floats
into the apple tree.
The turtle rests
before returning
to the sea.
Honeymoon couple
rescued from the reef.
Next to the spider
old main
repairing nets.
Around her ankle
ouroboros tattoo.
A white horse
steps off
the merry-go-round.
Swarm of bees
disappearing.
Guest room -
in an abalone shell,
pomegranate.
Crushing garnets,
Benares healer.
In Scarsdale
salutation
to Lord Surya.
This week she diets
on cabbage soup.
Polka music
coming from
a pine grove.
Resin on my fingers
in the middle of the night.
From the cemetery
a voice
cries out.
Valentine face
of a snowy owl.
Nothing comes back
from the one
I love.
Sad woman siphoning
my chi.
After the mastectomy
he sucks
her other breast.
The drag queen admires
his cleavage.
Cat -
one side yin,
the other yang.
"Next time, Mommy,
you be the little girl."
Ship waiting
as I fall
asleep.
Golf ball
down the rabbit hole.
A horse-faced
duchess -
the doctor's assistant.
The acupuncturist's mane
brushes my lips.
Sunshine Avenue -
a mural
of chalk.
Kids no longer
playing grown up.
Silicon Valley -
the high-school
millionaire.
Vultures waiting
on Route 17.
Train station -
the only visitor,
wisteria.
Anna Karenina
left on the wooden bench.
At the ball
woman in a pumpkin
dress.
Aunt Pauline finds
the shoe I lost.
April 3, 2000, Arnold, Md.
MOON ON WATER
John Turner
Ross Bolleter
Stephen Hobson
intently
a moth seeks
moon on
water
jt
young girl's nipples
avoiding my
eyes
rb
another birthday
another year of
aftershave
sh
scent of lemon gum
the day warms
up
jt
rising up
black mountains of my bed
butter
moon
jt
on backyard coal heaps
a hint of
frost
sh
in the cemetery
a cross of crocuses
spills
over
jt
cheek in freezing pillow
storm clouds gusting through
rb
outside
in the lightening
her new
scarecrow
sh
startling a mopoke
jarrah explodes in
flame
jt
puffing up out of the
valley dusk - thud thud -
my heart? thirsty dusty kangaroo?
fb
across the old garden
red tomatoes ripped
open
sh
picking slugs
off the silverbeet
by the
moon
jt
hip pain's cold spill jolts her
mouth wide night light blazing
rb
on the gray pond
autumn rain becoming
winter
rain
sh
alone her name rings
with the
bellbirds
jt
morning glories
purple trumpets
pink
throats
rb
dozing, waking through
the Resurrection Symphony
sh
the inevitable
final note
I can't breath
in
jt
silence towers
a warm slow
wind
rb
in mid autumn
I pick up the phone
for no
reason
sh
a wooden boat rots
in the cow
paddock
jt
one day later
even my toothbrush
tastes of
kippers
rb
mint flowering
where the garden
was
sh
late sun
hits granite outcrops
shadows
grow
jt
throat - angry sinews
mangroves of
sadness
rb
down in the water
where a man drowned
a hub-cap
gleaming
sh
light from stars
long
extinct
jt
the black phone
unplugged
glints with the
moon
rb
still dreaming
dreaming
dawn
sh
