The tan renga challenge – usually the Friday feature on CDHK – has become one of my favorite writing exercises. Usually we are given a “hokku” (a haiku by another provided to build off, creating a tanka. This week ouir host, Chèvrefeuille, threw a little extra challenge into the challenge asking us to build off the hokku into a tanka and then continue on with two more tanka, to form a chained triplet. I’m sure he explains it much better in the original post here.
(From the original challenge post)
The “hokku” (the opening verse) is the following (with preface):
Today we have the first day of spring in spite of the day.
has spring come
or the year gone away?
second last day
© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
(Now my addition.)
Daffodils peak up teasing
Signs of new life unfurling
Snow has retreated
Warm showers taking its place
Greening everything
Sun shine forth more each day
Is winter finally at bay?
Temperatures drop
Suddenly- seems February
Fickle seasons tease
Awaken to a hard frost
Before Mother’s Day all can be lost
© Greg Wolford
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Thank you, again, Chèvrefeuille for another fun, stretching exercise! While I’m normally a 5-7-5-7-7 kind of poet (but not necessarily always and definitely not a stickler for all the “normal” things/subjects found in haiku or tanka, this piece opened me up to feel free with the words and images, something I really enjoyed!
Potholes in the Road of Life 
I was reading back into the history of Carpe Diem and ran into this challenge. This renga you have created from the haiku by Basho is really awesome. Sorry for being this extreme late with commenting. This month we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Carpe Diem … feel free to visit and participate again.
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