first year
without grandma
we drive far away

from the memories
left behind

Naomi Klingbeil & Alissa Kanturek

long Thanksgiving table
stretching to reach
grandma’s hand

warm
to the touch

Randy Brooks & Alissa Kanturek

newborn
watching us put up
the Christmas tree

the lights
in her eyes

Jenesi Moore & Alissa Kanturek

fresh coffee
he smiles
i get the creamer

“we should talk”
he says when I turn my back

Mary Callaghan & Daria Koon

I enjoyed the story these links made. When I first read Mary’s haiku, I picture a happy couple enjoying breakfast together in their home. The husband’s smile is genuine, and it is evident he loves his wife by the way he looks at her. However, when I read Daria’s link, the story transformed in my mind. The husband’s smile is forced, and he is trying to soften his wife up before he hits her with an argument. They have been having marital troubles, and the husband has had enough. Afraid of divorce talk, the wife tries to avoid eye contact by getting the creamer. Emily Sullins, Fall 2018

moonlight bends
i hold your hand
you pull away

a mourning dove coos
from the bare tree

Hannah Ottenfield & Daria Koon

This was my favorite tan-renga. That haiku is one of my personal favorites of my own haiku, so I appreciated that others enjoyed reading it and got to add onto it. I think this was such a good link, the mourning dove representing the loss of love that I was expressing in the original haiku. The imagery of the bird in the bare tree has that sort of desperate hope in it that I think is conveyed in the haiku. Overall I was really excited that Daria chose to expand on this and I think she did an excellent job. Hannah Ottenfeld, Fall 2018

the glow of fairy lights
for once
I read a book of my own choice

power flickers out
there goes that dream

Isabella Spiritoso & Daria Koon

senior prom
only member of the group
without a date

I put on a smile
as they slow dance

Haley Vemmer & Emily Sullins

I love this because the addition completely twists the haiku. The first three lines seem sweet and loving. A sweet Saturday morning between a loving couple. You can almost feel the love in the air in those first three lines. Then instantly his smile was forced once you read the fourth line. There’s something about those three words that just bring a cold feeling to the haiku. I really loved the addition! Naomi Klingbeil, Fall 2018

asleep on the couch
warmed by the glow
of a freshly decorated tree

she dreams
of a white Christmas

Isabella Spiritoso & Emily Sullins

Christmas Eve
we huddle around
“A Christmas Story”

marshmallows swim
in our hot cocoa

Daria Koon & Emily Sullins

cobblestone porch
the dream
we used to have

the storm door
rattles in the wind

Hannah Haedike & Haley Vemmer

a beautiful garden 
lies behind
a brick wall

piece by piece
she lets him in

Rachel Pevehouse & Haley Vemmer

I love this Tan Renga because it details an experience that I have gone through. I envision the beautiful garden being all the beautiful and wonderful and sensitive and creative and cherished things about a woman. But she hides all of this behind a brick wall and has a hard time letting anyone really get to know her because of negative experiences from a bad breakup. It broke her heart, so she hides her true self behind a brick wall for protection. With the added link, it is signifying that she has found someone that she may be able to trust. And slowly, very slowly, she removes some of the bricks from the wall for him. Being cautious but beginning to be free to love again. Jenesi Moore, Fall 2018

I loved this tan-renga because it created such beautiful imagery. I could imagine someone taking down the wall brick by brick, slowly letting this new person into their life. I also really liked the addition to the original haiku because I never would have thought of adding in the element of a relationship. I thought the idea was very clever, and it worked out to make a gorgeous tan-renga. Sophie Kibiger, Fall 2018

airport layover
the old couple
sipping black coffee

businessmen complain that
their flight is delayed

Logan Bader & Haley Vemmer

running
down the lawn
ice cream truck

. . . I trip
over rocks

Emily Sullins & Hannah Haedike

I loved this tan-renga because life as a whole is like the situation in it. Sometimes I feel like I have really good opportunities lined up, but I sometimes mess things up. I felt like this tan-renga captured that feeling with a very innocent situation in which a child was running for ice cream. I really like the switch in the last two lines. Zach McReynolds, Fall 2018

brother’s girlfriend
a new
big sister

missing my place
by his side

Isabella Loutfi & Hannah Haedike

I like the addition to this haiku. When I first read the original haiku by itself, I only saw it in the positive light of the author gaining a new family member. However, I hadn’t considered what that might mean for the relationship between the author and her brother as he enters into a new stage of his life. I like how this addition doesn’t undermine the positive side of gaining a “sister,” but rather goes on to explore the feelings of longing that come with change. Isabella Spiritoso, Fall 2018

muffled music
I fix my hair
in the restroom mirror

smudged lipstick
and spilt beer

Sydney Rudny & Hannah Haedike

not even remembering
the reason I said
I hate you

i type out
"i'm sorry"

Hannah Haedike & Hannah Ottenfeld

rock bottom
i turn to the moon
for advice

she has nothing
to say

Alissa Kanturek & Hannah Ottenfeld

I appreciate how the additional two lines emphasized the original haiku’s feelings of loneliness. In the original haiku, I enjoy how she personifies the moon as her last resort for a confidant. It almost seems mystical. The additional verse slaps the reader back into reality (the moon cannot talk) and ends with a bold sense of finality. It takes an unexpected and tragic turn that does not turn the whole original meaning on its head, like other tan-renga. Rachel Pevehouse, Fall 2018

refund check
deposit on Wednesday
I get to eat

I buy ramen noodles
and easy mac

Sophie Kibiger & Isabella Loutfi

wilted flowers
next to your photo
one year

next year
I can throw them away

Rachel Pevehouse & Isabella Loutfi

ringpop
playground proposal
forever and ever

twenty years later,
a new ring

Jenesi Moore & Isabella Loutfi

I really liked this tan-renga because it was very sweet and simple. Both the first haiku and the link provide a situation of innocent love. It is funny to see this concept carried on through childhood and then finally into adulthood. I really enjoyed these two links. Sydney Rudny, Fall 2018

cleaning our apartment
so many 
socks under the couch

one snowflake sock
from Mom’s last Christmas

Zach McReynolds & Isabella Spiritoso

break up
he hides
the ring box 

in his back pocket
still hope

Emily Sullins & Isabella Spiritoso

I enjoyed this nice twist on the original haiku. When I was reading it, I in no way imagined this ending. I imagined the guy that had the ring just letting her walk away from him, watching as she left. I imagined him pulling out the ring after she was gone and just looking at it for a great amount of time, thinking about all of the times that they had together, and knowing that this breakup could not be changed. A similar thing happened to my best friend in high school. He had purchased an engagement ring and had plans on proposing, it was just a waiting game at this point. However, his girlfriend who is also a great friend of mine decided that they were over, and he had to return the ring to the website for a refund. I think this is the reason I saw no good circumstances coming out of this haiku. But in the Tan-Renga version, it displayed a nice shift to hopefulness, and the faithfulness in the forgiving nature of love. Logan Bader, Fall 2018

brother’s girlfriend
a new
big sister

toilet paper stuck
to her boot

Isabella Loutfi & Randy Brooks

concrete ocean
sailing to yet another
feast

his fork claims
the last piece of ham

Zachary McReynolds & Randy Brooks

all my relatives
ask the same questions
about school

a second helping
of dressing

Sydney Rudny & Randy Brooks

corner bakery
red daisies
in the window-box

smiles and smells
quaint town square

Emily Sullins & Jenesi Moore

crescent moon
above the waves
sand in between toes

curly hair whisk
soft temple kiss

Logan Bader& Jenesi Moore

stay out of the garage
daddy's busy with buddies
and beer cans

chainsaw accident
sirens too far, too late

Naomi Klingbeil & Jenesi Moore

tea kettle whistles
in harmony with
the howling wind

on the couch
holding hands

Haley Vemmer & Logan Bader

leaving the test
thinking about
changing my major

I hear mom’s voice saying
“remember why you started.”

Haley Vemmer & Logan Bader

I like how the two additional lines completely change the tone of the poem. The original haiku has a very somber tone, where the reader can feel the dejectedness, disappointment, and stress the narrator feels. The second part of the link, on the other hand, has a very reassuring tone, where the reader can hear the reassurance in their own mom’s voice. Haley Vemmer, Fall 2018

9 carrots
treats
for santa’s reindeer

the next morning each carrot
has identical bites out of them

Hannah Haedike & Mary Callaghan

cleaning our apartment
so many
socks under the couch

not a single one of them
is mine

Zachary McReynolds & Mary Callaghan

I like this tan-renga because it does a nice job of adding to the story that is being told in the original haiku. The last two lines add a bit of finality to the haiku, without giving away too much information. It still gives the reader something to think about and blanks to fill in on their own. Melanie Wilson, Fall 2018

first Christmas
his tie
slightly crooked

by the end of the night
it has been taken off

Sophie Kibiger & Mary Callaghan

bad news
daughter buries her face
into dad's shoulder

he carries her home
dim moonlight

Logan Bader & Melanie Wilson

corner bakery
red daisies
in the window-box

yellow lab runs by
with a tail of destruction

Emily Sullins & Melanie Wilson

my sister's step
quickens
sundown

on the playground
young boys yell

Mary Callaghan & Melanie Wilson

he throws back another
one too many
liquid courage

he approaches the girl
“you’re in my math class, right?

Sydney Rudny & Naomi Klingbeil

restless night
stomach knots
i’m on another planet

i wish tomorrow
would be over already

Jordan Niebuhr & Naomi Klingbeil

a B cup
telling me
i’m not a woman

3 hours later
he asks for dirty pictures

Hannah Haedike & Naomi Klingbeil

august sunset
working up the courage
to hold her hand

august sunset
waiting for the first move

Sophie Kibiger& Rachel Pevehouse

I really like how these haiku and link are from two perspectives in the same situation. I think of the original haiku as being from the point of view of the boy who is really nervous to make a move on this girl he really likes. The link is then from the point of view of the girl and she has been waiting for forever for this boy that she likes to give her a sign that he likes her back or make a move. I really appreciate how Rachel reestablished the sense of place in the first line. It made it really clear that this link was taking place at the same place and at the same time as the original haiku. The link wasn’t just a continuation of the story, but rather another, deeper layer to the original. Isabella Loutfi, Fall 2018

a soft breeze
brushing my baby curls 
tickling my neck

i close my eyes
it almost feels like your touch

Mary Callaghan & Rachel Pevehouse

not even remembering
the reason I said
I hate you

knowing it’s too late
to say I’m sorry

Hannah Haedike & Rachel Pevehouse

haven't seen my cousin
in a year
she plays on Snapchat

now I know
how grandma feels

Sydney Rudny & Sophie Kibiger

Thanksgiving Saturday
grandma's moving a lot
slower this year

I make sure to give her
an extra hug

Daria Koon & Sophie Kibiger

I really loved this pair, because I could relate to it a lot. I am fairly close with my grandma, and the older I get, the more nervous I am to lose her. I try to do my best to give her a lot of love and hugs when I do see her. I love how this pair ended on a bittersweet note. While the fear is still there, it’s nice that while she is still around, you get to share this moment with her. Alissa Kanturek, Fall 2018

Thanksgiving 
no one touches
my brussels sprouts

oh well
more for me!

Emily Sullins & Sophie Kibiger

repeated wedding bells
grandma has more rings
than Saturn

that woman really
gets around

Jenesi Moore & Sydney Rudny

accidentally kicking
the man
stealing my leg room

by accident
I mean on purpose

Haley Vemmer & Sydney Rudny

last guest leaves
last cup of coffee
with dad

conversation of old memories
and simpler times

Hannah Ottenfeld & Sydney Rudny

dinner time
my dog guards
the food table

the cat jumps up
where he can’t see

Haley Vemmer & Zachary McReynolds

I really like the imagery in this haiku. I imagined the dog vs. cat rivalry and the dog standing to “guard” the thanksgiving feast when he is really looking for scraps. He then notices the cat jumping up high and is envious. The cat, being sneaky and prideful, just does this to show off to the dog. I personified the animals when reading this haiku and imagined they had a love hate relationship between the two of them. So in instances such as thanksgiving feasts, where they both want the human food, it is a competition to see who can get more. Mary Callaghan, Fall 2018

an eye roll
grandma can’t comprehend
the rules to catch phrase

we play go fish
instead

Sydney Rudny & Zachary McReynolds

I really like this addition because I’ve gone through this exact scenario with my own grandmother. It’s simple but also makes me sad because I feel defeat for the grandma In this haiku. I also hate the eye roll part but I allude that to the fact that I love my grandma and she has dementia and I would rather play the easiest game with her than not spend any time with her at all and playing go fish is a way to do that. Hannah Haedike, Fall 2018

how’s school?
where’s the boy?
major change again

“Haha, fine, HAH,
not here, yeah, it wasn’t for me”

Mary Callaghan & Zachary McReynolds