(Excuse cross posting, please.)

Back in February of this year, I mentioned renga on this site, and some
volunteers stepped up to 'have a go'. As a kinda Christmas gift to y'all,
here is our completed 36-link renga. Not perfect, and you will have your
likes and dislikes with various links and sections, but it is a grand
example of collabarative work between five poets.

If you'd like more info about the poets, I suggest looking up their Web
sites. (Don't approach mine until the New Year. It's a bit stale at
present.)

So, here's the poem. The last link was a submission by all poets, and then
a voting system. For the Americans in the audience it may be interesting to
note that I set up the voting system, I counted the votes - and I won! Not
a lawyer in sight ... Although I concede the stakes weren't as high as
'ruling the world'.


I'd link to thank my fellow linkees for their patience with my various
lapses, and for their very creative input. We'd like to hear your reactions.

Andrew



LATE AFTERNOON SUN
a renga compiled over the Net by
Andrew Burke, Chris Drake, Gerald England, Peter Howard and Jill Jones.
(Begun 10 February 2000, and completed 13 December 2000)


ab
late afternoon sun
new plant wears
a jaunty husk

cd
two nearly naked humans
whisper, weave air with their hands

ge
the beach at low tide
suddenly the sound of hooves
racehorses training

ph
bookmakers already scent
turf, hot muscle, money

jj
grass turns white
with the year's shadow
cool evening

ab
kids racing leaves
down a gutter

cd
a line of geese
curves around high steam above
the nuclear power plant

ge
spewing fire, ash and lava -
new island from the cold sea

ph
eyes light up
she scrabbles for
her mobile phone

jj
a plane shudders above
sighs from the bedroom

ab
in dark streets
ambulance sirens and cop cars
from glowing windows

cd
below sidewalk grating
distant music and singing

ge
buskers in the mall
play "away in a manger" -
cold shoppers join in

ph
a mother blows her son's nose
and he sneezes again

jj
pale cold skins
contracted under grey clouds
and thick hunched coats.

ab
white pigface flowers
on smooth dunes

cd
bits washing in:
shoes, cushions, cups, photos
of valentine's day

ge
in a low husky voice
coaxing cacti to bloom

ph
sunlight catches
gold leaf on a book's spine
in a dustless room

jj
new wind strips old leaves
the buds wait

ab
foreplay
of fickle forces
before -

cd
watching their tiny bodies cross
the glacier far below

ge
seagulls -
ferry on a millpond
seagulls flying

jj
feet jarring sand
the heavy tidemarks of play

ph
the beach deserted
newspapers blown down
empty streets

ab
papier mache-ing
parliament house

cd
marchers dance
the capital, sway to
the country

ge
live classical concert
an electric fan buzzes

ph
the wasp head-butts
the window pane
more feebly now

jj
cold air from the south today
leaves rattle in the yard

ab
ice cream vendor
heads home early
to rake lawns

cd
the smell of moon
from a bare spider web

ge
november morning
the dog sniffs stale smoke
is off her food

ph
next door's window clatters
then opens stiffly

jj
breeze salt
welcome sting
through open doors.

ab
zinc cream on his nose
he paces the birthing suite


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Andrew Burke                 Copywriting
[log in to unmask]     Creative Writing
http://www.bam.com.au/andrew/    Editing
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