Article: 261339 of talk.bizarre
From: gaillard@panix.com (Ed Gaillard)
Newsgroups: talk.bizarre
Subject: sun on the mountains
Date: 1 Dec 1995 09:48:57 -0500
Organization: Department of Pointless Activities
Lines: 134
Message-ID: <49n4kp$2ld@panix.com>
Status: O
X-Status: 


(a Renga* for FTS Day by Ed Gaillard, Ilana Stern, and Paul Lord)


sun on the mountains
clouds sharp-edged in the clean air
lightning on the plain

sheltering from thunderstorms,
old friends meet for the first time

americana,
southwest kitsch; many people
opt for the brewpub

beads of moisture on beer mugs
raindrops drum on umbrellas

blood rushes through veins
as lovers join by moonlight
with great revelry

drumbeats echo; many hands
make light hearts and happy feet

shadows shimmying
in the jack-o-lantern's light
"let's have more cider"

huck calls, behind his pumpkin,
to the babes walking beyond

on all-hallow's eve
the trichinosis fairy
leaves a trail of pork

presidents claim otherwise,
but one's in every budget

no money, honey
train wreck comin' round the bend
throw the bastards out

locomotives bound for hell
roll on brimstone and trestle

the train's rumble fades:
the lopsided Easter moon
glinting off the rails

reflecting in a still pond
the stars make the Earth seem small

infant stars on film
fathers croon "twinkle twinkle"
across galaxies

let's sleep here on the hillside
dreaming of possible worlds

civilizations
rise and fall in the space of
one cherry blossom

passions forged for proof eterne
sit silent in the night sky

clever disguise of
being fixed in their courses
lasts until sunrise

the rivers' smooth surfaces
conceal the chaos beneath

crayfish scoot backwards;
goldfish, spooked by reflections,
scatter like marbles

while wedding pictures are posed
at the ornamental pond

long-married couples
remembering better days
drink too much champagne

dehydrated skulls lay down
a truly wicked backbeat

sounding really good
for a month-old college band
playing their first gig

reviewers damn with faint praise
the reunited Beatles

scarab clans gather
nightly in the underworld
to ferry the sun

prodding them from sluggishness:
clear night after heavy snow

skiing in silence
illuminated only
by the silver moon

what, exactly, do you mean
"there's no beginner trail here?"

there's only one path
leading to enlightenment.
"o snail, climb slowly!"

reading, learning, evolving
and avoiding the vultures

kenya on the net
newbies forge newgroups from mt.
kilimanjaro

sun glaring on snowy slopes
a stream swells with spring runoff

opening blossoms
fill the air with the scent of
a new beginning

fail to suck day dawns amid
smiles of anticipation



(* see http://www.ori.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~dhugal/renga.html
   and http://www.lsi.usp.br/usp/rod/poet/uedarenku.html)