Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #71, Basho's "borrowing sleep"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First I have to apologize for the delay of this new Tan Renga Challenge. And second I have to apologize for something else ... I have asked several of you if I may use their haiku for our Tan Renga Challenge, but I have forgotten to write them down. So my apologies for that too. Would you please be so kind as I have asked you for permission to use your haiku to write that in the comment field of this episode.

For this episode of our Tan Renga Challenge I have chosen a haiku by Matsuo Basho, one of the big five classical haiku-poets. I think this haiku by Basho can inspire you in a lot of ways to write a second stanza to the Tan Renga as id the goal of this feature. That second stanza (two lines; 7-7) makes the Tan Renga complete or will continue the scene depicted in it.

borrowing sleep

from the scarecrow's sleeves
midnight frost

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

And here is my second stanza:

borrowing sleep
from the scarecrow's sleeves
midnight frost                      (Basho)

the abandoned little girl

left alone without grief         (Chèvrefeuille)

A very sad continuation, but in those times girls weren't always welcome in a family and in a lot of countries nowadays that's still reality ....

This continuation is inspired on a Dutch special week "The Week of the Forgotten Kids" which is now. Even in a country like The Netherlands there are abandoned children left alone on strange places. For example several months ago in one of the major cities a little child was found in a waste-bin.

This episode of our Tan Renga Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until next Friday at noon (CET).