The Smoky Room 

sitting alone
paranoid
among "friends"

silently screaming
no one hears

she goes unnoticed
as they laugh
and drink

invited, but unwelcome
she questions her presence

old puzzle piece
not fitting as well
as it once did

she slips out the door
leaving the smoky room behind

my favorite rengay was "the smoky room" because it illustrated my first trip home after being away at school for so long and being with all of my friends who have changed, thinking that i havent changed. i remember sitting with everyone trying to remember how we ever got along and how different everything was, and how much i missed being at school with all of my new friends and my new envrionment where everyone knew me. however i realized that i went away to college for this reason, to grow and be myself. my favorite link is "she slips out the door, leaving the smoky room behind" because that is how i felt, i felt that i was finally able to let my past go and move away from being in high school and feeling that i couldnt have better friends or a better life. —Chrissy Hulse

I liked this one because of the start and finish of it.  I'm not sure if rengays are supposed to have a closure to them, but I liked the fact that the puzzle piece was missing and it was found at the end of the rengay.  It seems like it was a rainy day, so everyone was inside either playing video games, listening to music, putting together a puzzle, or all of them together throughout the day.  Because they could not find the final piece to the puzzle, they found other things to do instead.  —Matt Whitsett

I found that I enjoyed this rengay the most and maybe it was that I could see myself in this situation. I haven’t been in this situation yet, but I can definitely see myself fitting once but not again. My favorite link was the old puzzle piece not fitting as well as it once did. I guess I feel this way about my friends that I made freshman year, and now barely keep in touch with. It’s as though you were important once but now you could just leave and no one would ever care or even notice. This rengay was really actually quite sad for me, just making me think of how things really are and how they turn out to be. —Liz Hattan

I really like this rengay first of all, because i think everyone has felt awkward at some point in time, and this haiku captures it perfectly.  second, i think the progression and movement in the rengay are really awesome.  the reader becomes more uncomfortable as the rengay progresses, as does its subject, and she leaves just as the reader finishes the haiku.  the movement is almost synchronized.  it also reminds me of going home, hanging out with high school friends who perhaps didn't go away to college, and just not feeling like you belong anymore.  it's always terrible when you feel worse being with your "friends" than you do being alone, and i think this rengay illustrates that gut-wrenching feeling perfectly. —Alyson Ludek

An Episode

move-in day—
a room left behind
for my younger sister 

First Week
a waste of valuable time 

ten o'clock buzz
I awake for my first
class of the day  

a freedom. . .
allowing the teenager
space 

buffet style meals
the freshman fifteen 

finally. . .
the heat has risen
to surpass spring

tire swing
little toes brush
the grass

sandals and shoes
thrown under the tree

sunscreen
a mother's hands protect
pale skin

bicycle ride home
"look, no hands!"

dinner bell
chimes through
the neighborhood

freshly bathed children
anticipate tomorrow

What I particularly enjoyed was the final link of the rengay. It provided the reader with a sense of finality with the closing of a day, but also a sense of continuity with the children's' preparations for the next day. Additionally, I really enjoyed the contrast of the last link to where the rengay had started. In the final image, the reader is filled with a sense rest and cleanliness. In the first image, however, the reader got more of a sense of restlessness with the children at play and a little more dirty (since children get dirty and sweaty as they play). -Bri Hill

In its entirety, I like the visual image of a scene in childhood.  A typical day during summer vacation, children playing in the neighborhood.  Full of energy and even when it comes towards the end of the day, children still anticipates of what awaits for them tomorrow.

I specifically enjoy the switch from human (children)in the first verse to things (sandals and shoes) in the second verse, then switching back to human (mother) again in the third verse.  It created a more complete scene and image for me.

This Rengay is also full of senses.  I can feel the soft grass in the first verse; see the randomly placed sandals and shoes in the second verse; see and feel the bright sun in the third verse; hear the child's brave claim and mom's scolding in the fourth verse; hear the dinner bell and smell the fragrance of dinner in the fifth verse; and finally the smell of baby powder and shower gel in the last verse. —Xiu Ying Zheng

I too really enjoy the overall sense of childhood in this Rengay. It really captures the innocence and freeness of childhood especially in verse four. I can see a child happily gliding down a hill, immensely proud that they can go with no hands. The wind in their hair and the triumph in their eyes over something so simple can only be a moment from childhood. In the first verse I also really like how the authors never come out and say children but rather imply it with the phrase "little toes." This Rengay also has such a feeling of peace to it. It's easy to remember the carefree days of childhood summers where our only responsibilities were to remember to bring our shoes back home and come running when mom called us in. We didn't even have to remember to wear sunscreen or take a bath, mom took care of that for us. The last verse is such a wonderful ending too. It ends on a happy note and easily lets the reader continue on into the next day with their own imagination. -Jennifer Griebel

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We liked this rengay for many reasons. First, we liked the movement of time. We could very easily identify and follow the rengay throughout the day. The childhood memories are something that most everyone can relate to. This rengay also seems to fit spring time, and it helps to make the images more clear. —Candace Golden, Miranda Baker, Jessica May

old wooden dock
frost-bitten toes
dangle in icy water

bullfrogs hiccup
in the distance

brewed pond water
froths around cattails
bobbers dip below the surface

small child's cape
dances in the breeze

mom's little hero
fanfare echoing
across the meadow

velvet paws scamper
through green clovers

overgrown path
the sun slowly dips
below the horizon

the night chills
with moisture

black ink sky
millions of fiery eyes
blink open

icecubes clink
in her empty glass

fizzled and sprayed
the sound of
ocean and applause

the receding tide unveils
scattered luminous shells

shouts of joy
her tiny body battles
white-capped waves

tiny crabs scuttle
in the foam

green sea pools
along the shore
stretching to the horizon

Our group liked this rengay because we felt the images were crisp.  We felt the different parts of the rengay could be read on their own and make sense, but they also relate to other sentences in the rengay.  The various parts seem to feed off of previous lines, giving the rengay a very nice touch.  The way each sentence is related to each other, we thought it was also nice that nothing was repeated throughout the rengay.  This allows the reader to enjoy different ideas throughout the rengay.  We felt the use of words like scuttle and scamper gave the poem a nice flow. —Aaron Meyer, Tricia Scholl, Ryan Jones, Stacey Orr, Matt Whitsett

I actually liked the same rengay that my group had picked as our favorite of the first group.  I liked this rengay for most of the same reasons we as a group liked it.  Although it was a bit long, I liked this rengay especially because I liked the linking between parts.  Word links and content links were used throughout the rengay nicely.  I felt the images were very crisp.  I felt the different parts of the rengay could be read on their own and make sense, but they could also relate to other sentences in the rengay.  The various parts seem to feed off of previous lines, giving the rengay a very nice touch.  I thought it was also nice that nothing was repeated throughout the rengay.  This allows the reader to enjoy different ideas throughout the rengay.  I felt the use of words like scuttle, fizzle, and scamper gave the poem a nice flow as well. —Aaron Meyer

          Rain

soft rain
tapping the car window
you whisper in my ear

     three little words
     my heart races
     wild like a deer

strands of tears
stream down my cheeks
your surprise proposal

     head droops low
     smile and nod my head

drown in your arms
I wish
this moment to freeze

     the rain stopped outside
     . . . rainbow

This was my favorite rengay from both sets. I liked it because it painted a vivid picture as it moved from link to link. I was able to visualize exactly what was happening throughout the whole rengay. I also thought it flowed well. It didn't seem too choppy, and I didn't think that there was any link that didn't fit with the one before or after it. I especially like the first link. The "soft" tone that is sets stays through the whole rengay. I almost feel right in the middle of this moment. You can tell it was very special for these two people. —Stacey Orr

I really liked this one because of the movement in it.  The first word "soft" really sets the mood for the entire rengay.  I also liked how it moves from outside in the first few lines, then moves to the inside where the substance of the poem is, then back outside.  For some reason I also like the indents on every other stanza.  I think it makes it flow; kind of like rain.  Ending with "rainbow" is also a very nice touch for the situation.  The only problem I see is there may be too many content links. —Bill Flowers

Wedding Day

the little girl dreams
of her wedding,
the groom’s face a blur

on the windowsill
dreaming of the perfect gown

church decorations
red roses on the altar
white bows on each pew

the flower girl
carrying a basket
of red petals

people rise . . .
father and daughter arm in arm

bride and groom’s eyes meet
he smiles . . .
tears stream down her face

The figure on the page becomes
recognizable through
thoughts coming to my head.

Painting with watercolor
clearifies the view.

Outside it's getting dark
clouding my peaceful
inner core.

Rotting on the ground
the worm wiggles in.

Feelings of emptiness
burn with the pages
wasting away before my eyes.

The bottle now full
regains my sanity.

Video Games and Sawdust

music throbs
through our house,
Spring day

beating dust
from the door mat

video game
snatched from my hands
I plot revenge

sawdust footprints
on the clean floor

sweaty hug
my husband smells
of fresh glue 

squirt gun attack!
you thought I forgot

As a group, we really liked the the "Video Games and Sawdust" rengay. We liked this rengay for many reasons. One of the things we liked was that the title was composed of two totally unrelated things. We also like the imagery, sounds, and smells from the different objects in it. Examples of the smells are the sawdust, the sweat, and the glue. Examples of the imagery was spring, dust from the floor mat, and a squirt gun fight. Examples of the sounds are the music from the house. I personally also got some sounds from the video game. That's about it. —Keith Johansen, Erin Osmus, Amy Soderberg, Nate Carden, Courtney Ruffner

first date
i choose a blue
to match my eyes

        nervous reflection
        the steam clears

studying my face
all i see
are flaws

        puddles in the street
        the sun peaks out

after the storm
the butterfly hinders
to dry its wings

        discovering the beauty
        he smiles

we chose this rengay mostly because it was the only one all three of us could agree on.  :)  paul was reluctant, because he thought it was "girly," but consented because he also found it "sweet."  what we liked was the progression of the rengay.  it moves from anxiousness and negativity to peacefullness and positivity.  it exhibits a real turn-around, an "epiphany," if you will, and that is why we enjoyed it.  —Paul, Alyson, Chrissy

entering the floor
overwhelmed by aroma
of running shoes 

        from the lounge
        the roar of a televised crowd 

impassioned comments
rival those
of the announcer

         xxxxx
         xxxxx

a courageous squirrel
chips an Oreo
from the window pane 

        all eyes turn
        to the indulging squirrel

Here comes life . . .

final weeks
preparation...
for the real world

      last minute projects
      on my desk

computer screen
covered with data
finally finished

      nearly time
      to part ways—
      Graduation day

back home...
the job search begins

      lice and sore throats
      little carrier monkeys
      a teacher at last