Article Contributed on: 11/17/2007 9:13:51 AM
Blogger's note: If you can help out a girl with her homework, she'd appreciate it. I'm turning in a project for one of my classes -- this is one of the poetry prompts I've created for the project. If you would like to help illustrate how this prompt works, please add to the renga in the comments box below by Nov. 27. Thanks.
The renga is a Japanese form of poetry that pre-dates the haiku. Many people feel it is easier to write than haiku. Traditionally, one person wrote three lines of a poem and sent that poem to another person, who wrote two more lines, utilizing the theme or ideas of the first three lines and sent all five lines back.
The first person wrote another three lines, building on the last two, and returned the poem to his/her collaborator.
The form is traditionally 5 syllables/ 7 syllables/ 5 syllables/ 7 syllables/ 7 syllables, but feel free to create lines that are somewhat short instead of 5 syllables or or somewhat long instead of 7 syllables.
Possible subjects include video games, graphic novels, comic books and movies. You may utilize the art of the found poem by using material found in a film or other text - direct quotes transposed into renga pattern.