A while back, Robert Lee Brewer posted the Somonka Challenge which sparked a tremendous outpouring of collaborative work amongst the poets. It yielded some wonderful imagery and poems. Today, we will delve into a similar endeavor as our form exploration is the RENGA.
Renga, meaning “linked poem,” began over seven hundred years ago in Japan to encourage the collaborative composition of poems. Poets worked in pairs or small groups, taking turns composing the alternating three-line and two-line stanzas. Linked together, renga were often hundreds of lines long, though the favored length was a 36-line form called a kasen. Several centuries after its inception, the opening stanza of renga gave rise to the much shorter haiku.
To create a renga, one poet writes the first stanza (three lines long with a total of seventeen syllables.) The next poet adds the second stanza (a couplet with seven syllables per line). The third stanza repeats the structure of the first and the fourth repeats the second, alternating in this pattern until the poem’s end.
The themes of renga are perhaps most critical to the poem’s success. The language is often pastoral, using words and images relating to the seasons, nature, and love. In order for the poem to achieve its desired goal, each poet writes a new stanza that leaps from only the stanza preceding it. This leap holds both the theme as well as maintains the connecting component.
The form has been used as a tool for teaching students to write poetry while working together; a lesson in cooperation!
Poets are asked to choose partners (or small groups) and compose RENGA poems. (Of course, you can write the chain on your own if you must!)
– See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5788#sthash.hQGQcmVn.dpuf
WALT AND PAULA’S RENGA CHAIN:
LOVE TREADS SLOWLY
Love walks in beauty,
gently stepping into hearts.
A journey two share.
A shared trip around the sun
turns tide and time; hearts are one.
From the fallow ground,
signs of new life have been found.
Love’s new beginning.
In renewal, love springs forth;
a new season to embrace.
Soon, temperate and full,
life with outstretched arms seeks warmth.
The heart of summer.
The fullness of life and love,
a steady passage of time.
Love bears fruit in a
season of maturity.
Beautiful harvest.
Reaping a wealth from our toil,
a trove, more valued than gold.
And in winter’s drear
two hearts that are warmed by love
journey side-by-side.
Two hearts walk in love slowly,
hoping to cherish each step.
Collaboration between Paula M. Wanken and Walter J. Wojtanik
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
The great feature of a good Renga is that we feel there is more to come, even if the theme morphs into something else.
I wrote a renga with three other people once, but one of them was intent on making mischief, and the theme became alarming.
Here is one I wrote with Tillybud, http://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com/. about 3 years ago – an honest collaboration!
Remembrance day Nijuin Renga
Time to remember,
salute those who went before –
vain sacrifice.
Heroism personified
achieved nothing in the end,
yet their names are still
remembered; grateful strangers
honour those long dead.
Freedom has its fee: men and
women fall in foreign dirt.
Time to make a stand:
arms aslope in attentioned lines,
receive the fallen.
Our gratitude is not misplaced:
honour them for what they did.
Shun those who say their
noble deaths are wasteful: each
loss buys our freedom.
Each sacrifice is a gift.
Democracy demands it.
Shun trigger-happy
warmongers, and voracious
business interests
whose greed sends other young men
to do their fighting for them.
Weep for those people
whose dearth of oil makes ‘rescue’
unnecessary –
for every Iraq there is
a Zimbabwe, a Tibet.
Days of long ago
saw brutal ethnic cleansing
in the colonies
to usurp lands, steal assets
with ne’er a twinge of conscience.
Days not long ago
saw brutal ethnic cleansing
by civilised men,
to usurp jobs and assets;
make the economy grow.
Refuse to hear those
politicians’ weasel words
to justify war.
Churchill said ‘jaw jaw not war’
and history proves him right.
Each war is a cheap
Armageddon. Remember
this, if nothing else:
Death wipes his scythe, and smiles: he
knows – men will always kill men.
Amazing piece, Viv. It tells the story of man’s history from the violent side and does it very well. Brava!
Amazing write and terrific ending!
What a perfect collaboration! Wonderful renga.
Ok, who wants to couple up? (that sounds weird, I know)
Take Heart
Take heart, little ones
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream.
a little bit of a grin
laced with much loving within
William: This should catch us up.
Take Heart
Take heart, little ones
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream.
a little bit of a grin
laced with much loving within
Grin within your heart
Let it glow from inside out
That others might see
and you might then be surprised
at the glows that come to you
Thanks, Earl. I suggest we post everything as replies to your original, so they stay together here. I’ll let you decide when you think the poem is finished.
Take Heart
(An Earl and William collaboration)
Take heart, little one
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream.
a little bit of a grin
laced with much loving within
Grin within your heart
Let it glow from inside out
That others might see
and you might then be surprised
at the glows that come to you
or that others see
glowing bright from deep within
your heart, little one
William – To keep the verses even, you should finish this one up.
Thanks for the chance to collaborate with you, Earl. Here is the whole poem, with the ending as it came to me:
TAKE HEART
Take heart, little one
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream.
A little bit of a grin
Laced with much loving within;
Grin within your heart
Let it glow from inside out
That others might see
And you might then be surprised
At the glows that come to you
Or that others see
Glowing bright from deep within
Your heart, little one.
The world has many wonders,
None the least of which, is you.
Copyright © Earl Parsons and William Preston, 2014
This is so lovely, Earl & William.
Very nice work you two. It is seamless.
I’ll play, Earl.
Take heart, little ones
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream
A dream of dragons, flying
Amid clouds of your making.
Take Heart
Take heart, little ones
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream
A dream of dragons, flying
Amid clouds of your making.
Make well, little ones
Once made, your dragon dreams will
Follow you through life
Soaring o’er magic mountains,
Sweeping past troubles galore.
Take heart, little ones
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream
A dream of dragons, flying
Amid clouds of your making.
Make well, little ones
Once made, your dragon dreams will
Follow you through life
Soaring o’er magic mountains,
Sweeping past troubles galore.
Take Heart
Take heart, little ones
Smile at whatever may come
Life is but a dream
A dream of dragons, flying
Amid clouds of your making.
Make well, little ones
Once made, your dragon dreams will
Follow you through life
Soaring o’er magic mountains,
Sweeping past troubles galore.
Hear this, little ones
Keep hold of your youthfulness
Dream forevermore
Grin within your heart
Let it glow from inside out
That others might see
For within your visions fair
You build your warm dragon’s lair.
glad to have found this poetry site… would love to participate… anyone wanna hookup?? ms pie
I’m glad you did too, ms pie. Please explore the site and the special features we include. A good start is the welcome tab in the menu. By the way, Welcome! Here we have two main rules that must be adhered to.
#1 Have fun.
#2 Remember #1
Others have begun with their haiku, ms pie. Grab one and add to it, or begin your own with a haiku. At least, that’s what I did. And welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride. It’s terrific.
thank you for responding Claudsy…. look forward to another day of writing…
I know that feeling, ms pie. I work it to maximum each day I can.
And share a smile heartily
Joy shared exponentially
FYI, I was trying to add the 4th line with Ejparsons line of:
Grin within your heart
Let it glow from inside out
That others might see
Claudsy beat me to it! Love your dragon take on things–wings, fun 🙂
Thanks, Sara. It’s that kind of day around here. One needs a dragon to thaw out. 26 below last night.
HIDE AND SEEK
By Debi Swim and Sal Buttaci
Hiding in sycamore leaves
crimson cardinals
outwit cats below
ally, ally, all in free
he yells, tiring of this game.
A wind gust rustles branches
Bright wings fluttering
Red and green kaleidoscope
a teasing flash quickly screened
childish play of hide and seek.
Gray June skies invite
Frightened birds to soar from trees
Toward comforting clouds
and that is life good or bad
we seek what we cannot see.
#
I keep looking at how this came together and Wow, what a rich descriptive emotive story!
Thank you.
Amen to that.
Thanks! Debi and I work well together. She ranks high on my list of favorite poets.
Thank you, Sal. I have a good teacher.
gorgeous – I see those birds vividly.
Sal & Debi, wonderful renga, beautiful ending.
having all within
clearly kindness knows no bounds
watching wonderful
Mention which Renga you are attaching to, and I can join them into a fluid poem when the chain is done and credit the authors together.. It will keep the string easier to follow and make sense of things! Walt.
Thanks, Walt. I think I may have gotten mine organized. But, never know.
I got sidetracked with a snow shovel (and will again), so I lost track. Several have added to your beginning, and I can’t tell which you think fit what you started to do. I’m going to refrain from further postings in this sequence, therefore.
(continuing Ms. Pie’s chain)
in kindness, hearts will flourish,
nurture and nature conjoin.
Truth is found within.
Unions of both heart and mind
find a blessed home.
I roped–oops–recruited my daughter to write with me. I explained the rules, wrote the first stanza, and she responded a little differently than what I expected and then just went with it. Not exactly correct form, but, hey, we had fun.
Winter fest
Awaiting with joy the winter fests
Our Mother/daughter
playtime jests.
Mom—Friday night I have a date.
I thought you’d want to know.
But, what about our
fishing fest? Our mittened
shanty? Snowy catfish?
They’ll still be there Saturday.
I’m not ditching you, I swear.
Your father will have a say
in this, young lady, how
we love you so.
Love, shmug. JK. Love you,
too. I’ll bring home some fishy food.
Pass me a pole. Pass me
a flask. I’ll be on the ice
casting for bass.
I love this exchange between the two of you and laughed at the ending.
Thanks! hee hee
I laughed too. Love it.
This is a real conversation piece – a perfect way of doing a renga.
oops it appears just as I was responding to “take heart” I did not refresh and others popped up… but I do appreciate finding a someone who hooked up with me… ms pie
SNOWFALL
As snow flows slowly
across the rolling drumlins,
the land falls silent;
the aura of resting brown
segues to dustings of white.
Gradually, white
upon the land melds with white
in and of the sky
till all about is whiteness
of a uniform brightness
and the land and sky
bear no horizon and bear
but one boundary:
the cusp of infinity;
the edge of eternity.
The creatures all share
in the great silence, aware
of its majesty;
they, too, join in the quiet
blanketing the earth and sky;
they, too, are as one,
indivisible with snow
in this great white world.
Silence is its sepulchre
as its mighty heart lies still.
copyright 2014, William Preston
Love the image of the land and the sky “bear no horizon and bear but one boundary.” That’s about what it looks like out my window.
Oh, sigh…this is heavenly, William…utterly beautiful. As your name is not clickable I have no other option but to ask you here…If you’d like to write a Renga with me send me an email at your convenience. No pressure though. 🙂 hannahballistic@gmail.com
Snow and sky indistinguishable – I love your renga, William – clean, fresh-fallen snow gives a calm mystical quality of suspended animation.
I particularly love, ‘the aura of resting brown/segues to dustings of white.’
“as its mighty heart lies still” William your renga is beautiful.
(To continue Ms. Pie’s):
Having all within
Clearly kindness knows no bounds
Watching wonderful
In kindness will hearts flourish
Nurture and nature conjoin
Truth is found within
Unions of both heart and mind
Find a blessed home
Illumined truth heats heart, rests mind
Only then is true peace found.
(For Ms. Pie’s):
dreamscape will reveal
a wisdom that knows no bounds
wholeness and healing
no ill will be left, no pain
shall we allow to languish.
Finding Bearings…
After the snowstorm
the moon silvers the whiteness
as it peeks through clouds;
a still and quiet witness-
birch slivers on pale parchment.
Cold communicates
across bounds of space and time
with warmth it whispers…
Spring’s subtle call is rising
stirring in bud-node and seed,
even in moonlight;
life, in its brooding powers,
proffers heat to night.
This consuming distant glow,
it’s merely sun’s memory
living forever
as life cycles on and on,
seeding even snow.
Source is nearly audible;
it’s rhythmic in its giving,
music ever flows
from one seed to another,
through eternity.
After storm – still moon moments,
breath and direction are found.
Copyright © William Preston and Hannah Gosselin 2014
[…] INFORM POETS – RENGA […]
Wild applause – I esp. love “seeding even snow” what a lovely concept.
Seasons of the Bride of Christ
Connie Peters and Darlene Franklin
The world wears white lace
Underneath a steel gray sky
Speaking the Lord’s grace
Icicles weave silver thread
Winter’s gown for snow-cleansed bride
Bright colors abound
Life bursts forth in trees and fields
Air quickens with sound
God’s love spears bridal prism
Rainbow shards contagion spread
Earth, water and sun
New growth and activity
Labor, joy and fun
White no longer, earthen arms
Toil ‘til every tongue sings praise
Mature red orange leaves
Beauty adrift on light wind
Patiently the ground receives
Creation slumbers, the bride
Keeps watch. See! The King is come!
how simply beautiful these all are…. bright with so much hope… sigh