Open Door: A Solo Junicho

Good Friends:

Both the Shisan and the Junicho are 12-verse Renga forms. The Shisan is more strucutred; there are four sections, each section following the natural seasonal flow. So if a Shisan begins in spring, the second section should have a summer verse, the third a fall verse, and the fourth section a winter verse. The Junicho is more free form; there are no sections and the order of the seasons does not need to follow the natural flow (this is actually the norm for Renga; the Shisan is the only Renga form I know of where the seasonal flow follows the natural order). Here is a Solo Junicho I recently wrote.


Open Door

Sunday is restful
Among the new leaves birds are
Greeting the sunrise

Clouds gathering in the sky,
And a gentle, steady wind

As the snowflakes fall
The mailman drops some letters
While crossing the street

The cell phone's incessant ring
Interrupts concentration

"Let's do lunch today,"
She says to a new client,
"That new restaurant?"

The magnolia blossoms,
Luxurious and long days

He checks his email --
Why isn't there a response?
Why is she silent?

She likes him, she really does;
But she needs some time alone

Hiking in the woods
On a two-week vacation
The first in five years

Night is quickly gathering
The shadows into darkness

There's no moon tonight
Only the string of street lights
When leaves start to fall

He slowly opens the door,
An abandoned cat walks in


Best wishes,

Jim