Walking Festival 2008 - Renga Poetry

Renga is a 1000 year old form of Japanese shared writing. One of the walks was a dedicated to this art form and produced some memorable verses, some of which are reproduced here:-

The Standing Stone

standing stone: myth or marker
or man turned to stone?

caramel beetle
the sun on a red milk crate
old leaves warming up

mossy old stone
in its flank, an oval hollow
female opening

plane noise overhead –
it’s St David’s Day

standing stone covered in moss –
you still have most of your hair old man!

following frolicking leaves
to a place of peace –
the dog is getting bored

small rocks at the foot
of the standing stone
gather to ask the way

The Old Tree and the Bridge

the tree seen so much missed little
old though strong
wide and sturdy

tree big
me little

roots in the air
cracked and torn

waking branches
grasp the sun
and draw it in

beware of loud noises!
poets writing on a bridge

poets on the bridge
peer into the river
searching for words

who’d be a bridge
on a widening river?

twisted grandfather
leaning on his stick
bundled veins
holes punched by the woodpecker

game of twigs stone and water
two or more players
where am I?

the tree has a new best friend –
a 200 year-old bridge

people writing heads bowed
dog barking up right tree

50,000 haiku interrupted

Crickhowell Walking Festival Number One, St David’s Day 2008

Renga walkers: Sue Ball, Chrys Blanchard, Mike Bosley, Freddy Edmunds, Graham Hartill, Jeremy Langworthy, Hilary Llewellyn-Williams, Tracey Melhuish, David Nicholls, Claire Trask and Star! the Sheepdog.