Reflections from a Dim Lantern in a Dark Mind
I
Chinese lantern
the brightness within
a bee
you sting my heart and then leave
stealing the nectar from me
II
barbed wire
the best berry bushes
double-thorned
your love so sweet like berries
comes at the price of my life
III
in foggy moonlight
blackberries float in cream
her nails are blue
such a delusional mind
she could never be pretty
IV
flowers by the door
nameless except for the color
of these blue days
blue fading ever to black
flowers fade in the graveyard
V
late summer grasses
above their roots the seeds
nearly touching
they wind and twine anywhere
not giving a thought to me
VI
sheaves of grass
water that does not break
flows in ripples
a heart broken too often
becomes hard and cold as ice
~Jane & Cie~
Notes:
The hokku (three-line stanza) of these renga were created by Jane Reichhold (1937 -2016). The dark and depressing ageku were penned by me in a dark garret in a depressing town where everyone probably died of the plague.
