THORNS INTO BUDS

21 days into March –
on the shimmering
a polished angle

__the smell of light
__thorns into buds

sharpness lost,
angles become arcs –
a new wave begins

__count to nine
__make a wish

on the warm rockery
a cat curves its back,
yawns into the blue

__young men throw ribboned hats
__into the river

a gentle haze –
What was that song again?
the gate clicks

__dirty knees
__below the rope swing

soft skin
crumbs
in the bed

__straightened sheets –
__kettles boil, teacups rattle

through mist
13 stags
ghost the hill

__another forkful
__for the compost heap

buckle-up!
autumn moon –
chill air

__a fridge in a garden –
__smell of fox

strychnine and offal
around the perimeter of the flock –
small lichens freeze

__toe-curled, cocoa
__bedtime murder-mystery

dawn –
a grumbling
from the engines

__sticky new earth –
__clouds unfurl

the Hens!
the Eggs!
crushed crocuses

__two girls
__in matching dresses.

a nijuuin renga in Spring
Centrespace, Dundee Contemporary Arts
21 March, 2002

Participants

Kevin Henderson (master)
Alec Finlay (host)
Sara Kelly
Luke Heeley
Kathy Watts
Andrew Crichton
Felicity Croydon
Suzanne E. Holland
(MFA Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, University of Dundee)