Tom Murphy

Stone Renga Tom Murphy

Renga is an ancient Japanese form for cooperatively written poems. In the days of Basho the poems had rigid formal properties. In recent years, the American poet Bob Homan has rejuvenated the spirit of cooperation by as jettisoned the formal requirements.



This renga, in the informal or "American" form, focuses on stones and was created by 60 poets from the United States and five other countries. The subject was chosen by Linda Hogan, Native American poet, novelist, environmentalist and writer, and whose renga starts the collection. As the renga progresses, it becomes apparent how elemental these primitive artifacts are in human existence. Stones offered us our first shelters, temples and memorials. They were our first weapons, and as we are reminded often the pages of this one, they continue to be hurled in anger and ignorance.