1 Tan-renga Favorites • Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2019
silence in the house down the street Maddie Curtin & Madeline Wilson |
silence in the house in the quiet stillness— Maddie Curtin & Gillian Gernado |
summer camp a hand reaches in Elizabeth Napier & Joel Ochoa
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hospital room third floor cafeteria Joel Ochoa & Madeline Wilson I love this response. Two different people in similar circumstances both alone together. I want to know more about each of them, do they have a past? What is it? Why are each of them there, and would they be happier if they met? I want them to meet and become close so neither of them have to be alone, and they can be alone together. I love how Madeline didn't focus more on the man in the original haiku, and instead created more of a world inside this haiku. Maddie Curtin, Fall 2019 I like the different perspectives in this haiku. The addition to the haiku adds another layer that may not always be thought of the loved ones effected. I imagine a woman in her mid-20’s wondering what they are going to do when time nears the end and how they will pay for the bill. Then switching to the hospital room, you can hear the emptiness of the hospital room being filled by the sound of breathing. The entire haiku gives the reader an uneasy feeling and a feeling of not knowing what to do next. Jessi Kreder, Fall 2019 When I read this haiku, I thought about how interesting the comparison these two have in common. It is interesting to think because this woman may have lost her love one and now, she is alone and the man in the oxygen tank could have everyone leave him. These two individuals are remarkably close yet so far because they do not know each other, and they cannot help each other get through a rough time. I can really hear this poem as well with the sounds of the room with the oxygen tank and the woman in the cafeteria because everyone is having their own conversation there and she is completely alone. This poem was just very sad and also a harsh reality that many people go through everyday and you feel so awful for those people only to try and make their lives better. Michael Hoelting, Fall 2019 |
backyard day 26 of the Zoloft Victoria Stuart & Maddie Curtin |
motionless a slight twitch Michael Hoelting & Rebecca Jaffe
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alone in white understanding in that moment Victoria Stuart & Gillian Gernado I really liked this Tan-renga because I felt like they went very well together. I thought the link fit really well with the first one while going in a very different direction at the same time. I thought the words made the imagery of the tan-renga very strong which made the haiku a lot stronger and more enjoyable to read. I thought the link especially added a whole new interesting idea that built on the first haiku which was really awesome. I thought both were very strong and they told a great story which is why it was one of my favorites. Joel Ochoa, Fall 2019 |
alone in white train flowing Victoria Stuart & Rebecca Jaffe |
sun gazing on what I would do for Jon Kuebler & Michael Hoelting
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all alone and in return, Rebecca Jaffe & Madeline Wilson |
all alone as it stares back Rebecca Jaffe & Jessi Kreder I liked this one before it was capped, and I like it even better now despite the fact it is more relatable than ever. Obviously, the moon is never going to answer our questions no matter how many haiku we write to it (unless…?), but when you feel alone, and the moon really is your only company, you really do think the loneliness might last forever. Asking out loud if, or when, it will end demonstrates how unbearable this feeling is. Stating even then that no one answered them makes it seem even lonelier. Charlize Pate, Fall 2019 |
Mississippi River what does she think Meghan Hayes & Madeline Wilson
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date night the neighbor's poodle Michael Hoelting & Rebecca Jaffe |
date night drowned voice clear bark Michael Hoelting & Victoria Stuart |
old man’s kneecaps yet his smile Morgan Bode & Jessi Kreder
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old city streets cobblestone road leads me Madeline Wilson & Gillian Gernado |
heading out the door every day getting harder Meghan Hayes & Michael Hoelting |
sleepless night distance separating Maddie Curtin & Jon Kuebler This haiku and response go perfectly together. Each phrase contains such a level of tension and an unspoken story that it allows me or anyone else to imagine what happened. The haiku allows a person to interpret the mood and whether the black hole is negative towards a person or just a feeling of emptiness; then the responses offers an interpretation of that scene while still leaving the details open. The diction of each section is just great. Ben Kuxmann, Fall 2019 |
starry sky i am starting to forget Maddie Curtin & Cassie Reed This is one of the Tan Renga that I thought was done very well. It seems to me that these two seperate links connect in a very strong way. What I also really liked about this one was that I responded to the first haiku by Maddie and interpreted it in such a different way. I attempted to take it down the more natural side of haiku writing whereas Cassie went down the more personal route. It was very interesting to see how she interpreted it and how she even managed to keep her two lines to the consciousness of ten words. I think seeing how we interpreted the first link in two different ways is just indicative of how great the process of Tan-Rengas are, and how much fun it is to right them. John DeAngelo, Fall 2019 I enjoy this tan-renga a lot because the second two lines is an interesting complement to the original haiku, and because it causes the mood to completely shift. Before, I read the haiku as a lovesick person missing their long distance significant other, but after the complement, it feels more like a poem of grief. I can feel the pain that the writer is feeling. I can see the stars and the way they cause them to think of whoever is not there. I am always intrigued by the power two lines can have to completely overhaul the meaning of a haiku. Madeline Wilson, Fall 2019
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starry sky a whistle of wind passes Maddie Curtin & John DeAngelo I enjoyed the change in mood throughout this Tan Renga. The original haiku by Maddie is wonderfully written, and creates a clear, very relatable moment in time. The main vibe of this haiku seemed sad, as the author wished for someone they missed. The response lines by John changed this mood, while still connecting to Maddie’s haiku. Furthermore, the words “whistle” and “tickles” brings a sense of joy and relief, as the author begins to feel the presence of the person they are long for. Therefore, I enjoyed each of their haiku, and how the mood shifted but the moment stayed the same. Tori Stuart, Fall 2019 I like this pair because it follows the rule of putting a natural image after a human or emotional image. The haiku has an emotional feeling which puts the reader in a state of reflection on relationships and emotional struggle, but the two-line companion focuses back on the world surrounding human struggles and puts it into perspective. The wind is a calming force which grounds this haiku and refocuses the readers energy. Morgan Bode, Fall 2019 I enjoy this tan-renga because John adds an element of imagery to this poem. Maddie describes the emotional feeling, while John adds in the physical feeling. I can imagine standing outside in the summertime, missing someone special. The tickle of the wind on my nose might bring me back down to earth. I see the whistle of the wind (great alliteration) as a way to bring me back to reality from my dreamlike state. Rebecca Jaffe, Fall 2019 |
open arms acceptance Benjamin Kuxmann & Cassie Reed
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ears ringing gunshots and screams Victoria Stuart & Cassie Reed I really liked that I could hear this poem as I read it. The calmness in the first 3 lines with the distress of the ringing combined with the disturbing images of the fourth/fifth lines is exceptional. Gunshots and screams is a really scary way to describe murder, and hearing them is heart-dropping. The phrase on repeat was really disturbing, because it felt like there was no control over stopping the gunshots and screams. Overall, this link was chilling, and I can only imagine where this Tan-Renga would go. |
grandma’s hands— her little fingers Gillian Genardo & Joel Ochoa |
pressed between a moment captured Jessi Kreder & Meghan Hayes
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thanksgiving escaping to break Rebecca Jaffe & Ben Kuxmann |
thanksgiving but— Rebecca Jaffe & Maddie Curtin |
what's your biggest fear? fingers twitch at the urge Madeline Wilson & Joel Ochoa
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fire burns a late November evening Victoria Stuart & John DeAngelo |
when he pulls away my heart skips Madeline Wilson & Jessi Kreder |
playing tag in the store clerk gets mad Meghan Hayes & Maddie Curtin
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dead hitch-hiker cleaning the bedroom Morgan Bode & Ben Kuxmann The first haiku makes me think of how once people become dirtbags or go off the well beaten path, sometimes they’re not even viewed as humans. The first verse sounds like it’s written by someone who knows the hitchhiker and his mother, but though the viewer knows the hitch hiker, he is not called by his name or referred to by some other term, the body is only that of a hitch hiker. The second verse gives the first haiku more of a story, and is a second perspective in the dead hitch hiker’s life, or lack thereof. We see the mother’s reaction to her son being gone, whether she knows her son is dead or not, she still wants to believe he’ll walk back into his clean room any day. Alex Bergland, Fall 2019 |
pink backpack slithering out of its hole Victoria Stuart & Jon Kuebler |
the zoo still afraid to go home Morgan Bode & Michael Hoelting
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leafless tree our modern masterpieces Jessi Kreder & Ben Kuxmann |
love in the air his eyes whisper 'forever' Michael Hoelting & Meghan Hayes |
blanket wrapped phone vibrates Maddie Curtin & Madeline Wilson
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wine elixir he grips my hand Madeline Wilson & Meghan Hayes I really like this tan renga. I feel like it adds so much cuteness into it. I just find it quite adorable. I love holding hands and I think that it is so cute and intimate. I am a sucker for cheesy stuff and this poem is super cheesy. I am a romantic at heart and this really tugs at my heart strings in this sense. Cassie Reed, Fall 2019 I really liked this Tan-Renga because putting this haiku together with Meghan’s two lines paints this story. I could easily picture exactly what was happening in this moment. When I read this pairing, I immediately saw an image of a couple on a couch. They are drinking wine and talking about life. All of a sudden, the boy laces his fingers through the girl’s. She feels like her heart is going to explode. She is so giddy and overcome with happiness that time seems to have stopped. All she sees is him. I get this warm and fuzzy feeling when I read this pair together. I also think this pair is interesting because it adds another person to the narrative. Without Meghan’s lines, I read the haiku as just one person enjoying a glass of wine—maybe watching a movie or reading a book. But, with the lines, I picture the couple. Gillian Genardo, Fall 2019 |
wine elixir vanishing sun Madeline Wilson & Jon Kuebler I feel that this pair really enhances the meaning of the original haiku. I felt like the original haiku was finished when the other two lines were added to it. The word choice in the second poem is also very distinct and the words vanishing and creeping really add to the emotional landscape of the haiku. The use of “ing” verbs really makes the poem move. I also enjoy the agency which is given to the sun and the shadows by this verb choice. The shadows movement sticks out to me as something I’ve not seen before in writing. Morgan Bode, Fall 2019
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wine elixir an unusual warmth Madeline Wilson & John DeAngelo
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wine elixir I hold his hand and my glass Madeline Wilson & Victoria Stuart |
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© 2019, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.