A CUP OF LIGHT

Lorry bleep bleeps
already hot
though the radio says it’s early

__one million soldiers
__glad of a breeze

soft leaf shadow,
tea grains
in a cup of light

__NO DIVING FROM THE PIER —
__splash!

the swans spend all day
breaking the edges
of the ice

__in the Meat Packing District
__fat piles of snow

cranes make
deep excavations,
flats for petrol stations

__how long have I been collecting
__these tokens?

pinch-punch
first of the month —
he yanks my hair

__under the microscope
__the cells multiply

a free wormery
from Tower Hamlets,
there’s no excuse

__if anti-aging cream worked
__i’d buy it

a golden parachute
for the CEO —
tree of heaven

__hot ashes land
__on my wooly hat

tractor’s home,
the axe is stuck
in the log

__red ants trace
__my sockline

out of frustration
he walked from one coast
to the other

__you can tiptoe
__even on grass

strelizias
pierce the sky
draw in elsewhere

__people talking
__in the garden.

a nijuuin renga in summer
Interdependence Day, Royal Geographical Society Garden,
1 July, 2006

Participants

Anne-Marie Culhane (master)
Alec Finlay (master)
Jo Salter
Subhadassi
Michael Culhane
Alexandra Culhane
Amanda Culhane
Jenny Robinson
Andrew Ray
Lisa Gormley
Eleanor
Cathy Bryan