A Renga

I'm involved in my first Renga as a member of a yahoo multimedia group. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Rengas since most of my regular readers are more involved in free verse or art.

The official definition of Renga.... is a form of Japanese collaborative poetry. A Renga consists of at least three ku, often many more. The opening stanza of the Renga chain (the hokku), later became the basis for the modern Haiku style of poetry.

While this definition applies to linked haiku, Renga can refer to any type of linked work in the Japanese tradition. In our Renga, the group leader posted a 'seed' haiga. The person following was to take at least ONE recognizable element from the graphic/photograph and incorporate it into his/her new haiga. In addition, as something that's not been tried before, to the group's knowledge, one word from the haiku on the preceeding haiga is also to be used on the new one in this next haiga. An additional rule is 'no doubling back', ie a new haiga can't use elements from earlier ones and words used in previous haiku, other than words such as 'a, an, the , etc' can't be used again either.

We have 15 participants and the Renga circles through the group twice. We're on our second round now.

If you write haiku, it might be fun to do a mini Renga here with the comments. I'll post a beginning haiku. If you're game, follow with a haiku in your comment that uses one word from mine, and the next person takes one from the preceeding and so on. It's fun:-)

BTW I won't comment inbetween haiku added since it'll break the chain.(I've added yesterday's additions here into the main post. Feel free to still add, if so inclined. I thought these were exceptional)

Pris said...
spring planting
a bee sings
in my mouth

Erin Monahan said...
sweet bee-legs tickle
honeysuckle lips
with his vernal kiss

Shane said...
incessant tickle
in my throat -
winter cold

tom said...
incessant snow
old man and dog still take
their constitutional


mouse said...
Snow falls
As I linger
In the deep


Lyle Daggett said...
Moth wings linger
by the window -
touching pale frost