Renshi / Renga / Renku - A Poetry Game

The rules for this renshi are as follows:

1) Read all the stanzas before you submit your stanza - we don't want to repeat ideas and we want to be careful about how and when we repeat words (if you repeat words - do it with purpose and with wit).

2) If the stanza before yours is three lines (5-7-5 syllables or less), then you create a stanza with two lines (7-7 syllables or less). If the stanza before yours is two lines, then you create one with three lines (see above for syllabic lengths).

3) THIS IS NOT A STORY. The object is to take the barest thread of connection from one stanza to the one after it. Let's be clever, let's be witty and let's be creative - while sticking to a PG-13 rating.

4) Imagery should be a key element.

5) That's it! Since this will be an ongoing chain I wanted to keep it simple. Because it has few rules, if you deviate from them I will delete your addition.

For more information on Renshi/renga/renku (and other poetry forms), click here:



I will begin with the opening or hokku.