green dragonflies: haiku from the third PurdyFest 2009

The third PurdyFest was a haiku festival at my ZenRiver Gardens retreat. Before the arrival of haijin Terry Ann Carter and Claudia Radmore a group of us visited the nearby Zenforest Buddhist retreat, presided by master monk Thay. Upon our return Terry Ann and Claudia led the gathered poets in a renku writing workshop, the gentle waters of the Moira River whispering encouragement. My UK friend Weed sent me these long lost haiku recently, so I decided to post them in happy memory of that delightful afternoon.

  
"green dragonflies"
(composed in bed, Monday morning, Aug. 3/09)

cliche frog
plops into
Master Thay's pond


ZenRiver Gardens
summer plump
with mushroom tents


much summer rain
the river's voices
louder this year


from poem to poem
guests wander the sumac maze


oldest camper
alone enjoys
millpond currents


while poets compose
river voices refuse
to slow down


courtly renku
even Basho's rules
slowly relax


below the flet*
green dragonflies flit
above lily pads

*an elven tree stand platform


beautiful guests
iridescently robed
serve drinks


fresh peaches
fine hairs invite
the bite


the hermit's beard
can't hide the smile
for his new girlfriend


2 crows caw thru:
another dam poetry reading


mushroom tents packed
into beetling cars
our guests depart


party over
drunken haijin wane
sober full moon



Chris Faiers/cricket 


Many thanks to Ayaz Daryl Nielsen and his furry co-editors at bear creek haiku for republishing two of these haiku (much summer rain/the hermit's beard) in: 

bear creek haiku - poetry, poems and info
Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

 





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