tarantella
an online renga written in March & April 2021 by members of Kibble Scribblers
white hail stones bounce
drumming universal rhythms
our eyes bulge – bright smiles
prattle patter on the tin roof
prayers as fragrant offerings rise
sweating on bikes
spring showers seep to our bones
we like indoors best
holy fires within touch hearts
red clouds twirl tarantella
a piping wren
music bigger than itself
garden scents each note
dragon spitting sparks
gold warmth singes & flares
volcanos breathe rock
epic sky ignites horizon
we rush to the ocean
hearing touching a burnt core
welcomes the cool salty spray
drowning in sadness
the trees bow down to the loch
flip-flop exhausted
after the storm settles
time to slumber in the sun
under blue scorches
green grows to damp brown loam
pink blossom on trees
barefoot on dew-soaked grass
living water & words of earth
taste the bread of life
trickles return to rapids
another goal scored
stretch up then root down
inhale & exhale silence
candlelight shimmers
fills the air with vanilla
mindful spa essence
our shadows dance on walls
our laughter echoes off hills
let’s bottle the moment
split april through march
cracking river ice
we melt diamonds in our hands
squeeze a blessing for summer
participants
James Bollen
Sheila Buchanan
Larry Butler (weaver)
Chris Croft
Debbie Macrae
Anne McNamara
Kay Ritchie
Pete Stuart
Pat Sutherland
John Young
‘Tarantella’ is an on-line renga. It was an illuminating process arising from an end of session writing challenge. I invited the Scribblers to send me up to five lines in prose, or a poem in the style of renga: three lines followed by two lines, using as many senses as possible and invoking the elements. I then wove the words into a renga. It took ten drafts – emails back and forth. Thanks also to Aileen Paterson for her painting.
Larry Butler