This Way
by Ron Moss, Tasmania
Peggy Willis Lyles, Georgia
Ferris Gilli, Georgia
One of the great pleasures of being active in the haiku community is that one might be very fortunate and get to write linked verse with friends and mentors. Ferris and I began writing rengay early this year, and in June I suggested that we invite Peggy to join us in this wonderful genre. Peggy immediately responded with her usual warm and openhearted commitment to share with her fellow poets. The rengay progressed quickly with lots of fun and laughter, until all too soon the last verse was upon us. This also marked the point of Peggy’s declining health and her admission to hospital. Two months later we got the shocking news of Peggy’s passing.
Ferris and I wanted to honour Peggy and her writing spirit by finishing the rengay. This from Ferris: “I’m so very glad we had that great time with her, a profoundly special experience.” I’ll second that!
road trip
the car and mother
begin to boil rm
fingernail clippings
in the rest stop sink pwl
souvenir market
a painted sign announces
THIS WAY TO THE EGRESS fg
repeated orders crackle
from the drive-in speaker rm
country church
we bury my sister’s
ninety-six cows pwl
a monarch butterfly drifts
in psychedelic mushrooms fg
