Carpe Diem #1665 Tan Renga – “Miscanthus bud”
asks us to use a haiku by Matsuo Bashō (in blue)
to be used to create a tanka.
another year is gone
a traveler’s shade on my head,
straw sandals at my feet
Bashō
journey of inspiration
in lessons learned from strangers
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
from Yoshitoshi’s Hundred Aspects of the Moon
late summer
alone on the beach
with only tracks
© Jane Reichhold
leading away from the shore
to unknown destination
journey continues
following unknown footsteps
with new direction
traveler seeking answers
absent for many seasons
beyond falling leaves
lessons learned in falling snow
blossoms come and go
wind whispers in drying grass
all revealed on reaching home
The challenge for Carpe Diem #1664 Tan Renga Hineri “only tracks” is one with a twist (hineri). A haiku by Jane Reichhold (in blue) is to be followed by two lines, as usual. These must be followed by another haiku, and then another two lines – with the optional challenge of adding another haiku and two lines. In effect, it’s almost a solo renga, except for the first haiku by Jane Reichhold. As with renga, the last stanza (ageku) should lead back to the first (hokku).
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
(Wind Blown Grass Across the Moon, by Utagawa Hiroshige)
Sea shells on the ground
White sand is so beautiful
I look at the sea
It is so very endless
And blue, sparkly, and gorgeous
(unknown)
seashell found on shore
beauty of color and sound
listening to waves
precious shell now in my home
sea sounds go on forever
The prompt for Tanka Splendor – Sea Shells is to write a tanka
inspired by one written by an unknown author (in blue).
Image source: unsplash.com / Gregory Culmer
Carpe Diem #1663 Tan Renga – snap of an icicle asks us
to use a haiku by Kim Russell (in blue) to create a tanka.
muffled and silenced
the snap of an icicle
engulfed by fresh snow
© Kim Russell
new snow melt dripping from eaves
rabbit tracks passing beneath
Image source: unspalsh.com / Harris Malik
Carpe Diem #1662 Tan Renga – Watching a Snail asks us
to use a haiku by Chèvrefeuille (in blue) to create a tanka.
I bow to my master
Matsuo Basho told me the way
to watch a snail
© Chèvrefeuille
while hearing its silent voice
and nodding in agreement
Image source: The British Museum (cropped here)
Carpe Diem #1661 Tan Renga – Beginning of Autumn asks us
to use a haiku by Jane Reichhold (in blue) to create a tanka.
cricket silence
between scraping sounds
autumn begins
© Jane Reichhold
cooler nights and breeze of change
bringing sound of rustling leaves
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Maples at Mama, by Utagawa Hiroshige
Carpe Diem #1660 Tan Renga – wisteria asks us
to use a haiku by Yosa Buson (in blue) to create a tanka.
In the moonlight,
The color and scent of the wisteria
Seems far away.
Buson
its absence haunting my thoughts
even as the pale light fades
Image source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Swallow and Wisteria, by Utagawa Hiroshige
