ripples ~ a renga

touched by a moonbeam
tranquil lake shivers silver
~ripples reach my ears
listening closely, I hear
lowest hanging clouds murmur

hanging clouds murmur
mischief firing up some fun
~pillow fight follows
sudden unexpected kiss
below falling down feathers

falling down feathers
caressing cherry blossoms
~April rain showers
shivering streams of silver
matting our hair as we dance

as we dance all night
starlight splattering on souls
~ summer sighs softly
as time’s tender tendrils tug
temptingly towards autumn

autumn always clicks
photographs in sepia
~ I’m thinking of us
thoughts flurry in photographs
like snow in the negatives

a flurry of snow
when wayward winter winds whoosh
in a gust of glee
off-grid up in the mountains
renga partnership on pause

partnership on pause
winter ice and summer sun
~ melt to meet again
rivulets rush rapidly
flowing freely together

rushing rivulets
rumba in rugged rhythm
~ rapture on the run
grrrowling in utter delight
bear cubs wrestle on the banks

wrestling bear cubs laugh
catching snowflakes as they fall
~ into each other
mama bear splashes nearby
~ looks like fish for lunch again!

splashes nearby
squirrels run helter-skelter
bushy tails must dry
skittish fawns sip crisp water
wise doe eyes big mama bear

fireflies flitter
festive forest fairy lights
fire up furry friends
finches flip-flapping for fun
friendly ferrets frolic forth

tickled by a prank
hedgehogs roll over laughing
spraying pins on pines
distracted by silliness
they struggle with their renga

waterfall of words
wrapping wild winds of wonder
~ nature’s poetry
animals caper through falls
painted rainbow by the flow

through the waterfalls
fireworks of colour sparkles
rain rainbow showers
blue bear cubs, scarlet squirrels
dance with dandelion deer

delicate dewdrop
settles on slumbering sloth
~ waking up can wait
while white rabbit rushes by
LATE for an important date

bouncing up the slopes
bubbly bunny spots his date
boldly beckoning
brown-eyed doe awaits white buck
brunch first, followed by breeding

calling all creatures
crickets rub their wings in glee
commotion ensues
rabbits get separated
date delayed by disturbance

wild winds whirl westward
sweeping willow off her feet
~ bending all the rules
long leaves largely lie lengthwise
tree trunk uprooted and torn

snow white owlet wakes
perches high on broken branch
eyes wide open now
violet voles, mauve mice hide;
lavender lizard makes haste

slowly the skies clear
streaming sunbeams serenely
soothing nature’s soul
silence, anticipation,
shall subsequent stanzas soar?

soaring beyond skies
on the wings of a whisper
~ imagination
carried beyond the Kármán line
dreams softly sparkle in space

dreams softly sparkle
stardust scattering magic
enchanting angels
hallowed halos humbly heal
humanity’s horrid hate

healing human hearts
slowly soothing seething storms
~ a drizzle of peace
people, awash, cleansed with love
regret’s tears flow into rain

flowing into rain
forever flees to freedom
time watches…silent
wet mist sprays eternity
from infinity’s grand stage

infinity sighs
ripples shiver fleetingly
water wonders why
touched by familiar moonbeam
tranquil silver lake of time shimmers

lake of time shimmers
stars stop a second to swoon
night skies reset clock
Chronos begins once again
Aion amused to no end

gods of time giggle
shuffling seas, stars and seasons
~future presents pasts
ribbons bright are pulled undone
miracles beneath the lid

miracle makers muse
cherry blossoms spring open
~ unwrapping present
beckoning futures contract
floating out on sparkling dust

beckoning futures
baby buds blithely blossom
into tomorrows
pollination’s powerful
potential persevering

preserving prayers
paradise plants seeds of hope
in every dew drop
daffodils drawing diet
from damp delectable dirt

holding on to earth
daffodils reach for the sky
stretching all that’s real
twisting tesseract appears
folding nature on itself

tesseract unfurls
new seeds of infinity
merge in a moment
seconds conceived so quickly
multiply into minutes

minutes make magic
melding my memories
melted in moonlight
mystical meanings emerge
manifesting magnetism

mystical moorings ~
toes of trees dig into earth
arms reach out to sky
the unanchored tilde floats
through lush branches to the sky

lush branches start life
swinging  on maybes
earth and sky await
syllables swing down from above
seeking new bough to rest upon

syncing syllables
songbird stumbles on poetry
simply profound
peeping, warbling, chirruping, trilling
chirping to own beat

birdsong in the breeze
winds in my heart howl
Hush! I know the lyrics
flows chamber music, full of soul
feathers settle on music sheets

feather-note on keys
hushed hymns float over forest
soothing baby’s breath
steady syllables soften
sleeping suckling’s disquiet

dusk draws the day’s drapes
softening sounds of sunlight
~ a lullaby yawns                         twilight nestles newborn in
night transformed by tender tunes

a tender night hums
fireflies mimic starlight
dreams drift on ~ seeking
Polaris paving phantasms
projecting paths pellucid

pellucid pathways
ferrying northern lights
to the astral lighthouse
Great Nebula clouds starbeams
Argo Navis sails off course

a cloudburst of stars
concocting constellations
coruscating skies
Orion shoots from the hip
Sirius guides arrows bright

horizons hold hands
rainbow star travels all night
on a trail of light
tranquil lake shivers silver
rippling with dissolving star

a touch of starlight
waking up wanton waters
~ earth and sky mingle
wrangling, willful water witch
wrests wish from wild elements

wild elements whirl
winds dance to songs from heavens
joy begins new day
dreaming gives way to daydreams
wish washed away by real world

sun spins out of hand
real world tries tethering stars
~ fortune flashes by
forgiving fortuity ~
foredoes foreboding fortune

universe aligns
shards of time tessellate
unfurling presents
~ all united, sharing tea
time for long conversations

evening sky blushes
curling pink whispers of cloud
into silent words
cirrus clouds spell I LOVE YOU
for juicy peach setting sun

sighing so softly
trailing tender tremors
my soul surrenders
touched by thin, teasing tendrils
you’re sweetly, softly seduced

***

Ripples, a renga, is a collaborative writing journey of David of The Skeptic’s Kaddish and me of Mindfills. David’s words, completing the tanka, are in Italics and in bold. What started with this haiku is now a renga of 50 verses 🙂  You can read all about it here.

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