Renhai Studio Archives

A Collection of Renhai by members of The Renhai Studio

Paths of Curiosity

A Renhaibun by Zhanna P. Rader (zh.r) & Vaughn Seward (vs)

It is a cool summer day. The creek nearby trickles and gurgles under overhanging branches. Light wind sways an oriole's nest on the other side. I decide to investigate further, pushing through brush, stepping on stones... Suddenly I am face to face with a bear. It immediately rises up on two legs and terror floods my being. My first instinct is to run but I remind myself of everything I have been told to do in these situations. See what kind of a bear it is, for the tactics are different for black bear and for grizzly. This one is a relatively small black bear. It looks more curious than aggressive. I know better than to look the beast in the eye. "Oh, that's you then. Well, hello there. You are a beauty." With these words it drops back on all fours. I intend to hold my ground but the branch under me snaps and I loose balance tumbling backwards into the creek... Just then a flock of loud-crying geese swooshes into the sky, diverting the bear's attention. I regain balance, duck under the over-hanging branches and squeeze through, back to the other side.

A high-flying jet
leaves a trail, just under
the day moon. /vs

Grass tips nearly touch — /vs
a garter slithers through. /zh.r

Coal dark night —
with only three of my senses,
I search for a way back. /zh.r

Archive Id: 139
Zhanna P. Rader: USA
Vaughn Seward: Canada
Written:: March 25 - April 8, 2009

Theme: Close encounters; Overhanging
Season: All Season
Kigo: n/a
Verse Form: Free
Process: Forward

Links 1/2: Long and thin (Jet trail / Snake); Up high / Down Low.

Links 2/3: Grass tips touch / Sense of touch.

Links 3/1: Day / Night; Moon / No moon;
Sense of sight used / Sense of sight is not used;

Notes: The above is what we are calling a Renhaibun. It is similar to a haibun in which a short narrative precedes a poem (Haiku). In this case it precedes a Renhai. Haibun are normally written solo and so the narrative is written by one writer. For Renhaibun, however, it makes sense to take turns writing the narrative. The following is meant to show who wrote which sections: the bold lines were written by Zhanna, and the normal ones by Vaughn:

It is a cool summer day. The creek nearby trickles and gurgles under overhanging branches. Light wind sways an oriole's nest on the other side. I decide to investigate further, pushing through brush, stepping on stones... Suddenly I am face to face with a bear. It immediately rises up on two legs and terror floods my being. My first instinct is to run but I remind myself of everything I have been told to do in these situations. See what kind of a bear it is, for the tactics are different for black bear and for grizzly. This one is a relatively small black bear. It looks more curious than aggressive. I know better than to look the beast in the eye. "Oh, that's you then. Well, hello there. You are a beauty." With these words it drops back on all fours. I intend to hold my ground but the branch under me snaps and I loose balance tumbling backwards into the creek... Just then a flock of loud-crying geese swooshes into the sky, diverting the bear's attention. I regain balance, duck under the over-hanging branches and squeeze through, back to the other side.