Come and Renga with me please.

[Seriously]

For those who don't know what or how to renga:

WHAT IS A RENGA?
A RENGA is a group of HAIKU-LIKE verses linked in any one of several special ways. It is usually written by two or more poets who take turns writing the verses.

In classical RENGA, 3-line and 2-line verses are alternated, beginning with a 3-line verse (a hokku, usually approximating 5-7-5 syllables) resembling haiku. A second poet composes the following verse (2 lines approximating 7-7), linking it by one of several methods (not too obviously, please) with the first. The next verse (of 3 lines), composed by the first poet (in a 2-person renga) or by another (in renga written by more than 2 poets), links with the second but not with the first.

Beginning capitals and ending punctuation are usually avoided. These patterns continue throughout the renga, each verse linking somehow with the verse preceding it, but with no others. Each verse may launch us in a new direction, providing the next poet with a new puzzle to solve. Once a significant noun, verb, adjective or adverb occurs, it is usually not used in another verse (tho a witty switch of meaning or context might be acceptable in adjacent links). This technique keeps a renga continually twisting and turning, challenging both poet and reader.

The result is a constantly changing mosaic which discourages development of a logical, sequential narrative. The pleasures derived from continual surprise, striking imagery and delightfully sudden (and often witty) insights can be captivating. That is one of the chief delights of renga.

Short version of above; it's an ongoing poem alternating between 3 line verse and 2 line verse. The three line is composed of 5-7-5 syllables and the 2 line is composed of 7-7 syllables. You link them by using a word from the verse preceding yours, try not to use the same link as the previous poster.


The sunlit pathway
opens the door to heaven
be still, my heart

[loosefanbelt]

I will try, correct me if I misunderstand...

to cross the threshold
to bring sunlight to the dark

[Seriously]

to cross the threshold
to bring sunlight to the dark

carry me quickly
ore the threshold of the night
dusk begets new dawn



(you did good, had a link work just needed to make the first line 7 syllables instead of 5. The two liners are 7-7 and the three are 5-7-5. So next we have another 7-7 with a link word from mine but not the same one I used)

[rahdam]

What great luster have I found
In this golden mine of ore

[Seriously]

Golden offering
diamond, ruby, sapphire
sparkle in the eye

[rahdam]

Trapped down in this shining mine
My eye looks, I need to dine!

[Seriously]

seeking self to dine
perpetually needy
appetite unrest

[Sequoia]

Of love and lust, appetites
burst forth the spring and blooms

[Seriously]

unrelenting lust
a throbbing roller coaster
perilous but fun

[Sequoia]

In the funhouse mirror reflections
expresses the soul and the fate

[Seriously]

lifelike parody
unending comedic error
funhouse existence

[Sequoia]

Absurdities unending
the great joys of life twinkle

[Seriously]

a whimsical life
joy and sorrow intertwine
live until you die

[Sequoia]

Fuller and fuller still
life beakons and cajoles

[Seriously]

sun softly rising
casting shadows to the wind
beakons a new day

[Sequoia]

full circle the day goes
colorful bursts finale

[rahdam]

Cat's in the cradle
Time passing you and I by
It comes full circle

[Seriously]

deep sorrow, empty cradle
silent cries into the night


*I edited to fix mine* :D

[rahdam]

Seriously was too late
Ben Folds Five wrote the song Kate

*not editing mine! :laugh: :wideeyed:*

[Seriously]

rahdam was to quick
it was fixed with an edit
Seriously wrote



**since you didn't edit (which I didn't really want you to do but that's not the point) you need to do the next verse to get us back on track**

[rahdam]

Rahdam and seriously
Have destroyed this poem's soul!

*Promises to allow this to return to a more artful form...*

[Seriously]

havoc on a thread
something really quite common
destruction drama

[rahdam]

Through the fire this rhyme goes
havoc and order battle

[Seriously]

purification
fire for both gold and thread
makes for quality

[rahdam]

Are we still trapped in the mine?
A slave to golden hunger

[idem]

I bear the shimmering weight
the glory is ours
come share the burden with me

[Sequoia]

The burden to bear alone
the introvert's dilemna

[idem]

alone the whispering leaves
like acrobats fall
into the gloaming darkness

[Ender]

fading out of sight
light leaves a path to treasure

[idem]

I follow the winding path
my feet grow lighter
nearer to you, my darling

[Sequoia]

The long and winding road
leads to unexpected joys

[idem]

the joys of eves forgotten
are lost in the light
of the plastic neon signs

[Seriously]

sorrow softly, lonely night
plastic dreams disintegrate

[idem]

slowly, like midnight terrors
my starlight crumbles
dwindling like the slivered moon

[Stratego]

In darkness I walk
Seeking that which can't be known
Until light returns

[Sequoia]

engaging light dawns the day
building, heating, scorching bright

[idem]

buried underneath the earth
a scorching flame lies
imbuing the world with life

[Stratego]

molten be her blood, and soft
her quick, sulphurous breath





Stratego added to this post, 12 minutes and 22 seconds later...

Dimm'd be the day's gilded
light, when she her smile
on me bestow. To love's eye--


(^finishing this above)

every sweet and noble line
of her starlit face doth glow.

[idem]

bestow upon me autumn
the blush of summer
and eyes like elfin blossoms

[Stratego]

so that beauty and youthful
grace, in me forever dwell.

[idem]

gracefully, with broken wings
forever-birds fly
southward, like soiled angels

[Stratego]

and time's unwieldy hours
from me they carry away

[idem]

I am carried gently by
the whisper-gray sea
on the wings of tender time

[Stratego]

and dreams, my only compass,
and thoughts my horizon

[idem]

as the compass needle spins
the dull golden harp
weaves a faded melody

[Sequoia]

Sings the melody of soul
the many songs of universe

[idem]

the universe wheels above
dizzily, as if
the stars were drunk on laughter

[Seriously]

daybreak screams, silence shattered
sleepy stars turn off their lights

[idem]

as the daybreak is breaking,
below the sunrise
we break our fast at breakfast

[Seriously]

scrambled eggs and orange juice
breakfast of the champion

[idem]

the sun hangs like an orange
sweet and juicy red
if I pluck it, will it fall?

[Seriously]

voluminous rays of sun
caress terrestrial sphere

[idem]

snowflakes kiss the window pane
with sweet caresses
and breaths of silver moisture

[Seriously]

liquid sunshine; kiss of life
quintessential element

[idem]

like liquid the torn leaves fall
flowing on the wind
filling containers of sky

[Seriously]

Jack Frost nipping at the nose
crispy leaves herald Autumn

[idem]

golden trumpets glistening
herald the new age
of brilliant sunlit nights

[Stratego]

for in realms of sleep, or dreams,
such bright kingdoms then are born.

New One:

When dark skies, or clouds obscure
my sight, I wander
in lands unknown to reason...

[Sequoia]

The lands of dreams await thus
what new adventure conjures?

[Stratego]

Moments, minutes, or hours
weave the fabric of
days, each an artistry fine...

[Sequoia]

imagination creates
artistry infinate

[Stratego]

Euphoric, blissful, too sweet,
a drug most divine,
is your mouth when pressed to mine

[Seriously]

mouth to mouth resuscitate
divine essence brings to life

[idem]

coldest essence of poison
sweet, fatal, and pure
traces my reddening lips

[Sequoia]

logical coldness results
in assuming bleakness

[idem]

as her glittering eyes gaze
at the bleak landscape
the clouds are glazed with thunder

[Seriously]

a phantom touch of thunder
raise sensitive hairs on skin

[Sequoia]

Raises the bread enticingly
yeast and cinnimon
memories of childhood

[Seriously]

a blank white slate; childhood
memories fled, good and bad

[idem]

white like chalk and yoyo strings
white like hope and light
white like what tomorrow brings

Damn, I need a fourth line!

[Stratego]

as pure and bright as the snow;
this is the color of hope.

[Seriously]

rainbow of colors
bring abundance to new day
cornucopia

[Wapiti]

as sure as the sun will rise
I look long into your eyes

[Seriously]

shy glance, fleeting eye
contradict wicked smile
consummate coquette

[Sequoia]

the heart beats thusly quickened
while gazing at the impish smile

[Seriously]

hands brushing lightly
innocent innuendo
sudden quickening interest

[idem]

the sprite with feathery fingers
and sly impish grin
beckons me, and I follow

[Sequoia]

feathery carresses hold
a love grown ever more precious

[Seriously]

elusive my love
ever slightly out of reach
craving intensely

[Sequoia]

tastes of chocolate raspberry
craving delicacies just so

[Seriously]

silky smooth chocolate
liquid lava in my mouth
only french will do

[Sequoia]

tastes of liquid bliss beckons
freshly brewed, hot, steaming warmth

[Seriously]

early morning rise
Juan Valdez you are my friend
hot cup of coffee

[Sequoia]

the dawn barely shown slumber
early shattered, meow, I'm hungry!

[Seriously]

grumbly rumbly
honey hunger pains me
said distrait Pooh Bear

[Sequoia]

multitasking distracting
bane of peaceful centeredness

[Seriously]

lack of attention
something shiny over there
major distraction

[Sequoia]

shiny glitteriness beakons
cubed iron pyrite glimpsed

[Seriously]

hard black iron fist
closed around a beating heart
forever alone

[Wapiti]

isolated forever
seperated in silence

[Seriously]

trapped in a tower
sans Rapunzel hair for flight
isolation mine

[idem]

in a distant tower room
a little girl's laugh
tinkles like silvery spoons

[Ender]

silvery lights cast shadows
heralding a glowing moon

[Seriously]

lonely sentinel
slipping quiet as a mouse
shadow paramour

[Ender]

calling quietly through dark
a soft whisper on the breeze

[Sequoia]

on hot sticky skin
caresses the breezes that blow
bringing cool relief

[idem]

the air draws close around me
sticking to my skin like glue

[Seriously]

salty sweet to taste
warm skin seasoned by the sun
irresistible

[Cincinnatus]

irresistible in thought
another moonlit journey

[Seriously]

wandering phantom
face shrouded in moonlit haze
treads a lonely path

[Cincinnatus]

paths splayed in a hundred ways
spirit of wisdom guide me

[Seriously]

drawn ever forward
down a path dark and broken
wisdom or folly?

[Cincinnatus]

folly of commoners be
to deny intuition

[Seriously]

rescue eminent
by knight in shining armor
nothing common he

[Cincinnatus]

true knights, inherently bold
need no armor, steel or gold

[deicruxified]

thread the path of thorns
salvation they seek afar
death not not a hindrance

[Stratego]

black is the path, yet courage
will guide each step to beyond

[Seriously]

tremendous toil
falter not courageous one
reward awaits you

[idem]

wait for me where the waves meet
the sand; falter not, my child

[Stratego]

Twilight's come, the death
of day. Her shroud: hot tangerine
and a molten pink

[idem]

molten death like chocolate flowed
over ground and wind-blown road

[Stratego]

frozen in steel, the
grace of a crouching feline
running on blacktop

[idem]

pounding steps on the blacktop
trails of sweat and tears and mud

[Stratego]

(coffee)

within lies the pool
of black, the juice of sunlit
scrub, upon the hill

[idem]

pooled within the clinging mist
the curled secrets hibernate

[Stratego]

Yellow underfoot
lights and calling barkers line
the midway. It's summer

[idem]

the highway burns with fire
the air boils, solid and hot

[Seriously]

firefly glitter
lazy hazy summer night
marshmallow craving

[Cincinnatus]

diamond's glitter on seas high
ne'er match a fair maiden's eye

[Seriously]

unexpected blue
flashes Borealis light
ethereal eye

[Cincinnatus]

Aurora Borealis
sun's colors by Earth courted

[Seriously]

disheveled courtship
roughly woo'ed with sweet caress
held by love's handcuff

[Cincinnatus]

plants grow in fields disheveled
stand tall on calm summer's day

[Seriously]

sunglasses shielding
golden skin baked and crispy
summer upon us

[Cincinnatus]

bakery aromas waft
bread baked to a golden brown

[Seriously]

two bodies sweating
aroma extraordinare
inhaling deeply

[Cincinnatus]

partners in light glowing sweat
dance without any exhaustion

[Seriously]

moving together
voluptuous dance of pleasure
fleshly fandango

[Cincinnatus]

with rhythm and perfect time
a sheer moving masterpiece

[Seriously]

relentless aging
seasons cycle endlessly
time never ending

[Cincinnatus]

seasons bear fruit of wisdom
food to enjoy forever

[idem]

pears like dripping gold
peaches gilded with silver
preserved in diamond

[Cincinnatus]

trial and toil from the harvest
sweet after work completed

[deicruxified]

fertile ground awaits
mothering new enigma
another cycle

[Stratego]

black, white freckled, fecund
soil, the womb of countless dreams

[Sequoia]

The imagination
brings forthcoming dreams aloft
endlessly partaking

[idem]

drenched in imagination
I taste the sugary rain

[Sequoia]

sweet syrupy rich
bubbly sugary poison
profitable soda

[Stratego]

encased in aluminum,
renewable sarcophagus

[idem]

coffin of starlight
hardened and brilliant tomb
fresh grave in the sun

[Stratego]

young, and lovely, too soon taken
may her sleep be rich and dreamless

[idem]

face worn and dreamless
hands spider-like and coldly pale
disease grips her soul

[Stratego]

yet deep within her fired
gaze, burn the remnants of life

[Sequoia]

fire hardened glazed shines
round fetund smooth and cool, pleasing
the pottery ancient

[Stratego]

and in each tight geometry
the history of a people

[Sequoia]

history's timeline
what to leave in decided by
dominate culture

[Stratego]

whole stories, lives and destinies
left to the mute witness of dust

[Sequoia]

The stories within
beakoning cajoling whispered
come on out and play

[Stratego]

tumble trip and wheel from within
craft an epic from memory

[Sequoia]

epic experience
accumulates, exhilerates
wisdom filled life

[Stratego]

richness accumalated
from years wound outward from life

[Seriously]

from riches to rags
sudden sift in life fortune
unfortunate twist

[Sequoia]

the banter twists and turns again
lovely nonsense continuing

[Cincinnatus]

food, drink, and music
nonsense and frivolity
Bacchanalia

[Stratego]

lips purple'd from wine are swift and
gregarious, losing secrets

[Seriously]

sshhh don't tell anyone
your deepest darkest secrets
protective layers






edited cause I was tooo slow ;)

[Cincinnatus]

secrets lie in wait like sharks
surfacing inopportune

[Seriously]

moment slips away
inopportune or just lost chance?
silent wondering

[Wapiti]

mere dust in the wind we are
chance is not lost, try again

[Seriously]

words by the wayside
float in the wind and away
whisper in the air

[Stratego]

and they scatter like gossamer
living and dying all at once

[Cincinnatus]

ebb and flow of thought
pick up thy scatter'd pieces
dream like youth again

[Seriously]

pieces and parts asunder
Humpty Dumpty perception

[Stratego]

bright cornflower blue
his eyes draw mine and I am caught
helpless in his light

[Sequoia]

eyes upon us everywhere
surveillance safely oppresses

[Wapiti]

its for our own good
so that is what they tell us
well they can bite me

[Stratego]

advice not asked for is wack
I'll make my own decisions, Jack

[Cincinnatus]

decisions plenty
best advice is that of Twain
throw off the bowlines

[Stratego]

let the muddy river teach you
better than any school yard trick

[Seriously]

so roughly sailing
torrid river emotion
call all hands on deck

[idem]

torrid seas and dragonflies
iridescent wings torn bare

[Stratego]

skin to skin, like silk
moving together in pleasure
the sharp brush of breath

[Seriously]

bodies wrapped in silken sheets
cocooned in wanton rapture

[Sequoia]

silken tongues entice
beakons toward the gilded
illusion that is

[Seriously]

torrid affair, illusion
broken heart, reality

[Wapiti]

the heart hurts intense
heart broken by actions past
guarded now more so

[Seriously]

walls up, doors locked and bolted
secret self safely guarded

[Sequoia]

hearts grow with caring
closeness, snuggling, loving
secret self not alone

[Seriously]

heart encased in icy block
grows smaller like the grinch's


:p

[Sequoia]

To grow lonelier
hardened embittered until
shriveled remains only

[Seriously]

embittered or enlightened?
alone does not make lonely

[Sequoia]

isolation differs
from alone time savored
stone walls of the mind

[Seriously]

perception is everything
one's pleasure, another's pain

[Wapiti]

There is pain in the pleasure
hurt lingers in the silence
happiness is elusive

[Sequoia]

Dark clouds amass billowing up
Overwhelm then dissipate

[Seriously]

puffy fluffy cloud
against periwinkle sky
cotton candy kiss

[Wapiti]

Let the rain begin to fall
And run about, arms wide out

[Seriously]

sleepy rainy day
cuddle cornucopia
never want to end

[Wapiti]

End it must with one last thrust
cuddle time is over done

[Rudy]

a dagger thrust deeply
compared to heart's betrayal
is merely a scratch

[Seriously]

tears betray broken spirit
dry them quickly, hide again

[Rudy]

the alarm clock rings
spirit crushed by tedium
i face the day again

[Seriously]

sunrise rejuvenation
infuses day with newfound joy

[Rudy]

sweet coffee fills me
infuses me with vigor
I'm awake at last

[idem]

awake, I throw off the cloth
of deadened souls wove as one

[Rudy]

a soulless monster
taunting me incessantly
stupid computer

[Seriously]

blame user not computer
stupid is as stupid does. ;)

[Rudy]

blame is a poison
spreading without known limit
as one shakes it off

[Seriously]

got the Monday morning blues
shake it off to no avail

[The Maelstrom]

grey green rainy
refreshing night sky
evening pick me up

[Seriously]

intoxicating smile
refreshes a weary soul

[Wapiti]

the sun sets gently
on the distant horizon
new day tomorrow

[Seriously]

tomorrow resurrection
new dreams awaken refreshed

[Stratego]

money, coin, another
name for influence or power
from colored paper

[Brion]

whispy trails of snow
paint ghosts on the highway
disappearing into the night
forboding a future yet untold





Brion added to this post, 2 minutes and 44 seconds later...

Metal locks,
Unfeeling,
Cold,
They do not understand the hearts
And lives the beat and breathe in the balance
They only respond to
Man made keys of logic

[Seriously]

ghosts of love past scattering
'neath the glare of newfound love

[rahdam]

now now what is love
baby don't hurt me no more
baby don't hurt me

(;))

[Wapiti]

if only for a moment
the hurt would vanish forever

[Seriously]

needle prick to heart
here today gone tomorrow
healing commencement

[Cincinnatus]

heart of gold on sky's mantle
tears of light nourish the Earth

[Seriously]

rumpled hair, bruised lips
a single tear down porcelain cheek
tumultuous night

[Wapiti]

Then the morning comes brand new
Calmness on the rays of light

[Seriously]

long breath releasing
sunlight sparkles blue water
calm after a storm

[Wapiti]

on calm water a fly lands
another fish is soon caught

[Seriously]

web entangled fish
flashes silver with regret
miscalculation

[Wapiti]

math and fish don't mix so well
I think they like beer better

[Seriously]

intoxication
beer goggles firmly in place
even fish look good

[Wapiti]

floating above the calm sea
such goggles expand ones view

[Rudy]

the sound of the sea
far away, sings to my soul
a sweet, siren song

[Cincinnatus]

a sea's deceptive façade
brings tempest unpredicted

[Wapiti]

bury me at sea
the ocean has won a soul
the waves far too great

[Rudy]

greatness is fleeting
momentary glory lost
to time's chilling grasp

[rahdam]

Antithetically
Time mends and breaks fragile hearts

[Cincinnatus]

mending of fences
a stone thrown for, not at, you
a person matures

[Seriously]

fences crossed, roads not taken
opportunities ahead...

[rahdam]

The forbidden fruit
Blackberries ready to pick
Did the deer eat them?

[Wapiti]

Deer frolic about playful
timeless art of seduction

[Rudy]

Sweet seduction beckons
Torn between bed and the forum
I'll read one more thread

[Cincinnatus]

bed becomes Barcalounger
as summertime heat rolls on

[Seriously]

steam rolls off pavement
Texas heat out of control
air condition bliss

[Synchronicity]

Why are cars so fast?
Seems a waste of energy
Glad mine's a hybrid

[Seriously]

Synch has issues going fast
since his warp drive stopped at 10

[Synchronicity]

Technology fails
Whenever Seriously
Gets her hands on it

[Seriously]

lights flicker, thunder crashes
power failure close at hand?

[Wapiti]

damage done again
not my fault, look in mirror
renga me away

[Cincinnatus]

water's blue tranqulity
waits for a mirror in me

[Wapiti]

reflection tis sweet
until that day when we meet
and before me, you

[Seriously]

reflection lends perspective
as distance lends enchantment

[Cincinnatus]

anywhere but here
distance breeds Romantic thoughts
wanting better days

[Rudy]

romantic thoughts consume me
I can't sleep a god damn wink.

[Seriously]

sleep overrated
savor every waking moment
insomnia advocate

[themuzicman]

do not make me stay awake
i begin to ramble, then

[Seriously]

pert and saucy wench
shakes awake themuzicman
ramble onward sir

[themuzicman]

One of ducks and flamethrowers
Random thoughts all run amuck

[Cincinnatus]

wise be King Arthur
to know the duck also floats
she's a witch, burn her!

[Seriously]

"I'm not a witch, I'm your wife"
inconceivable I know

[themuzicman]

in talking with you
word does not mean what you think
it means my dearest

[Cincinnatus]

aha! To blave means to bluff
you must have cheated at cards

[boldbidder]

Cheated? Never that!
Always ethically strong
I rarely slip up

[themuzicman]

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiar!
Liiiiiiar liar liar liar!