BLACKSMITH & IRON

Our pond’s first
waterlily – too many
petals to count

__dragonflies escaping
__from monstrous shells

silver reflected
amid the dark waters
rippling without wind

__high clouds accelerate
__beyond a soft horizon

he drives as if
his red Porsche
is immune to ice

__switching the lamp on at four
__to confound the shadows

is it a half-smile
a part-grimace –
or just a trick of the light?

__both are blacksmith and iron
__at this old forge

I practised kissing
on a wobbly doorstep
wishing

__the dryness of the well
__sucked moisture from the air

plums on a dish
boasting
their pregnant bellies

__frogs disappear
__beneath the lazy leaves

the amber moon
sits well
on my finger

__the edges between things
__blurred, illuminated

the flash of a magpie
bringing black
showing white

__on her worst days
__the television answered her back

shape-shifter beware
you move too fast
silence

__a baby in the hairdresser’s
__wore a hat like the pope

trailing my hand
through bluebells
I catch their scent

__living a dream
__or dreaming a life.

a nijuuin renga in summer
Langley Woods, Northumberland
3 July, 2005

Participants

Linda France (master)
Bridget Everett
Tim Ford
Rosalind Normandale
Sue Pine
Pauline Ralph
Subhadassi
Christine Taylor