THE ROOM OF LEAVES

Sky low
and moody
with summer rain

__down the beach burns
__a torch of fire

fear comes
through the room of leaves —
a blackbird’s eye

__I’m the poison gardener
__he said holding out his hand

root ginger
and green tea
keep us warm

__square by square
__she stitches her friendship quilt

the spot of blood
on her finger
touches the raindrop

__tonight you will turn
__into a horse, small and white

I nuzzle Lizzie’s neck,
breathe in the smell
of peach shampoo

__arms linked, parents follow
__their kids into the maze

in the song
the heart is a lock
that needs no key

__a true impression
__in wax or honey

all I remember
of Miss Mitchell
is her silver hair

__glowing in the embers
__potatoes wrapped in foil

the old couple have brought
all their own jokes
down to the lounge

__where is it that sadness settles —
__around the mouth or in the eyes?

a humming sound
at my back —
my mother’s wheels

__the open window
__startles us awake

primevère —
the nostalgia of mandatory french
on thursdays

__I might take the day off
__walk the swollen stream.

a nijuuin renga in summer
Alnwick Garden, 25 June, 2006

participants

Alec Finlay (master)
Linda France (master)
Patrick Gyger
Subhadassi (master)
Helen O’Neil
Honor Harger
Sue Spencer