Renga

I ran across an article about renga in Writer's Digest and thought it would be an interesting exercise for us all. It's a series of poeetic stanzas written in the style of haiku, with each person going in turn.

The stanzas alternate between three lines (5 syllables, seven and five) and two lines (each with seven). Traditionally, 36 "links" are written and each one is initialled by the poet.

There are a lot of rules, but we don't have to adopt them all. The most important thing is that the poem should be about our fetishes and desires and paint a vivid image.

The rules:

1. You cannot move backward in time. If the renga starts in mid-summer, you cannot go backward to spring.

2. You can't repeat anything. If a dog appears in a stanza, no other stanza can have a dog in it.

3. the renga cannot get too rowdy, too romantic or too personal until stanza 12. (Originally, rengu were written at drinking parties, which is why they start out serene and then get a little crazy.) It should end on a quiet note.

The neat thing about renga is that you can use it as a sort of journal. Imagine writing two stanzas every day while you're on vacation at the beach. Or writing a stanza after every scene or fantasy.

Finally, here's an example:

gray shadows begin
their daily walk past planters
filled with begonias

the early morning sun
partly obscured by some clouds

I'd propose dropping #3....

Here's how I'd start

tightly wound body
ropes carressing every curve
she struggles for me

Anyone care to add on?