Global Haiku Tradition--Tan-Renga 2004
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sudden shower Alida Duff sudden
shower Jennifer Toney I love reading this over and over in my mind because my imagination paints a picture that is so vivid for me. I visualize two strangers finding each other in the rain and in the atmosphere that the storm creates for them. The rain is their background music in a way and the darkness only makes for a more romantic setting. Because the rain has drenched their clothes and hair they see each other for what they really are. What makes it even better is that they love what they see and they love the feeling they have at that very moment. One phrase is key in this haiku…”unusual comfort.” —Casey T This is my favorite one for several reasons. I especially like the cap because it’s link to the original verse is only related by the content, but it is still very dramatic, and points out an interesting part of human nature. It is just so nice when a complete stranger will give you a hand with something, or help you out without any expectations of something in return. This happened to me the other day at the Decatur Public Library. My friend and I were unloading artwork from her car, to put into the gallery upstairs, and some big biker dude helped us carry all of the pictures in from the car. That’s the beauty of human nature, for the most part people are complete jerks, but once in a while there is an instance when a little act of kindness or generosity can help you put some faith back into the creature known as a human being. Casey W sudden shower spring air Sudden shower sudden shower sudden shower sudden shower |
bad directions Abe Millikin bad
directions Jenny Schultz I really liked the cap verse to this renga because of the image. First I had an image of someone lost and not caring, and then I had the image of a dog in the front seat with its head out of the window enjoying the wind. I loved the word flapping; it really makes the reader hear the dog’s ears in the wind. —Jenny M bad
directions I really like this Tan-Renga. It made me laugh because come on you know we have all done this. We get frustrated with the directions so you throw them out the window and say I can get my self there better but really you end up even more lost. I also enjoy having it end in a question, it helps the reader stay involved even when it is over. Alison bad directions bad directions bad directions bad
directions I really liked these particular links the best out of all of them. On my trip to Australia this summer, I encountered a similar situation as these links portray. We didn’t have our directions on paper, we had a GPS to navigate our way through the country. Unfortunately, the software we had on it only showed the main roads which were highways. This wasn’t doing it for us because we still had no clue where to go. We basically then just started driving aimlessly in the direction of our destination trying to find roads to get us there. Although we were driving in a foreign country with not very helpful maps, we just enjoyed the perfect weather and beautiful skies and literally had no worries. These links really took me back to that trip and the moment when we decided that the maps aren’t important and that taking in as much as you can while we were there is. —Ben |
unpacking Sylvia Hilton unpacking unpacking Casey Wilen unpacking unpacking unpacking |
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the back deck The back deck the back deck
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car windows open Ann Anderson car windows open Jennifer Toney car
windows open I liked this one the best, because it reminds me of coming home from the pool after a long day of work. All of my ‘dry’ clothes that I brought for after swimming are soaked through with pool water from my hair or because I threw my wet suit in the bag with them. Anyway, just the idea of it being warm, and the quiet drive home, still smelling of the pool, maybe at dusk, is very tranquil. It’s not hot, just nice and warm, and it’s balmy and there’s a slight breeze. I feel relaxed just thinking about it! How much longer until summer? —Sarah car windows open car
windows open Of the tan renga, this poem was my favorite. I felt that the original haiku was extremely appealing, in that it was very easy to relate to because of my drives home from school. I enjoyed the use of alliteration in the original, as well as the “st” sounds in the added link. The added link is very effective because of its relation to the original verse, as well as its use of the surprise element that adds comedy. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this haiku for both its content and its use of effective visual imagery. —Alida • car windows open a warm breeze blue
sky blue
eyes completely
alone deep
clouds |
warming weather Leigh Kitchell warming weather anxious anticipation warming weather warming weather warming weather Leigh Kitchell I really like this one because I can relate - and I'm sure many other English majors can, too. It's always hardest to concentrate on your studies when they're the most important: right before the semester's end in spring. It's been a long year for this person and now the weather is just finally starting to get warm and all she wants to do is go outside and enjoy it. Unfortunately, she has a massive stack of literature to get through before the end of the week. Inwardly, she grumbles about her stupid homework but she sits down to do it anyway. She opens up the first book and reads the first paragraph. While reading, her mind starts to wander…. She gets to the end of the paragraph and realizes that although she read it, she certainly didn't comprehend it, and she begins to read it again from the start. This time, she gets distracted watching the grass dance outside her window - is it getting greener? Alas, she still hasn't actually read that first paragraph…. It goes on like this, until she finally gives up and goes outside to enjoy the weather - promising herself that she will get back to that book later. —Jenny S warming weather warming weather |
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relearning Sylvia Hilton relearning eighth grade graduation relearning bandages
off wrists Molly Pufall I am sorry if it seems a little self indulgent to talk about my own tan renga; I just really like the delicacy of it and how it completely turns the mood of the original haiku into something unexpected, yet impacting. I enjoy the phrase “tender new scars”. Scars are in no way something soft and tender in the sense of connotation. They generally evoke a rough/harsh connotation. But the way the phrase is being implemented here is in an extremely fragile way. This haiku was inspired by a friend of mine that told me a story of when he broke both of his wrists simultaneously in high school. He has two permanent scars from the injury and surgery that are ever so slight on his wrists. I just imagine him getting his casts off and the feeling of doing everything again for the first time and how frustrating yet liberating that must feel. I am pleased with the overall mood of the new tan renga. —Molly relearning relearning I chose to write about this one because to me it is very sad and really gets me when I read it. I get the image of a young adult around the age of 25 who is recovering from being in a really bad accident where he suffered major head trauma. Now he is trying to relearn a lot of things all over again such as write, speak, walk, etc. He is trying to tie a tie for a special event, and as he is being taught again, he is remembering the mistakes he made before because he is making them again. —Tony relearning
I really am a sucker for intensely emotional haiku, really intensely emotional anything because I feel like showing feelings that are normally kept inside is something that makes humanity special. I picture a college age guy trying to tie his tie in the mirror and remembering someone that he misses dearly. It may be an old girlfriend, a mother, a grandmother, or someone completely different. I like the use of the ellipsis and the separation of “her” onto the last line. It adds to the significance of the words and gives emphasis to the loss that he is feeling as he struggles with something tangible (the tie) and intangible (his feelings). Katie S relearning |
soft yarn Sylvia Hilton soft yarn Jenny Schultz |
three baby ducklings Molly Pufall three baby ducklings three
baby ducklings Jennifer McGeehon I really liked this cap verse. My grandma ever since I was little made birthday cakes for all of her grandchildren and for any events that we celebrated. She is such a good baker. Her cakes especially were always soo uniquely decorated. But she is always proud of what she does for decorations. It is just a personal touch that makes it so unique. This haiku just captured those memories of my grandma and when she makes cakes. —Brianne |
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friend's 21st friend's 21st |
yearbook in my lap Jenny Schultz new interest Yearbook
in my lap I just see myself cleaning and when i find an old yearbook I always trend to look through it. When it happens I find myself remembering old girls friends of the past and what happened when i was with them. I usually end up getting side tracked from cleaning. but its worth it cause i just gte into a good mood thinking about when they are now and how they are doing. Mike Mays spring
cleaning Brianne Dilbeck I like this haiku because I do this often. Anytime I clean the area where I keep my photo albums, I stop and go through each one. It is fun to see how much I have changed over the years. I also look at my boyfriend and, through the pictures; I see how we have grown closer in the past seven years. Seeing him so young and then thinking of the person he had grown into is amazing to me. It is hard to imagine what young children will develop into. I enjoy the memories that flood back when I look at my albums. —Jennifer Rule Yearbook in my lap I'd never go back |
praying for dreams praying for dreams Praying for dreams praying for dreams praying for dreams
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© 2004, Randy Brooks • Millikin University • All rights returned to authors upon publication.