2006 Haiku Poets of Northern California Rengay ContestFirst published in the Haiku
Poets of Northern California rengay contest results flyer in early 2007.
Originally written in January 2007.
Congratulations to the winners of this rengay contest, and my thanks for the
honour of being able to serve as judge. The year 2007 marks the 15th
anniversary of rengay’s creation, and I’m pleased that there were many strong
entries in this year’s contest, indicating that rengay is indeed a healthy
teenager.
—Michael Dylan Welch First PlaceOnly Words
poem idea
on a napkin
in lipstick
note of condolence
run-on sentence
red
her phone card
on my dresser
carving
my initials
only
under his sleeve
concentration camp number
writer’s block
the moth
circles my lamp
This rengay is a little more minimalist that I might have predicted myself
selecting, but it rewarded repeated readings, and I encourage you to read it
several times yourself. Each verse develops the theme of words and language in
clear and immediate ways. The different ways of writing and communication are
shown in small abundance here, and several verses bubble with the tension of
history or personal relationships. I take the third poem to be a sort of love
verse, followed by loneliness. The carving of the fourth verse gives way in the
fifth verse to the tattoo (carving on skin), and so we see effective shifting
and linking from verse to verse even while maintaining a clear and objective
primary theme—which usually works better in rengay than an overly abstract
theme. At the end of this original and distinctive rengay, after the stark
shock of the fifth verse (that too is writing!), we are left with a seeming
inability to write. Yet perhaps that moth circling the poet’s lamp will serve
as inspiration to get the pen moving once again. May we all have such
inspiration!
Second PlaceEchoes
100-year storm—
an antique toy
tangled in driftwood
the empty perfume bottle
still full of her scent
blue velvet—
memories of that Paris night
you walked away
chill in the air
pebbles from Delphi
in my coat pocket
dying embers—
echoes from the shaman’s drum
such soft rain—
new leaves on the ancient oak
begin to unfurl
The defining characteristic of rengay, beyond its six verses in a prescribed
pattern, is its thematic nature. If the theme isn’t reasonably obvious, then
the poems may be closer to renku or just linked verse, lacking the connection
or development that rengay facilitates. In this rengay, the theme of memory and
things from the past is clear and engaging. The past always echoes in the
present, however, giving each verse an immediacy that isn’t just a dusty
trinket kept in a memory box. As with the first-place winner, here each
individual poem is strong (a necessity for an effective rengay) and the last
verse provides a tidy sense of closure—in this case shifting from the past to
point to the future greenery of the new leaves. Nicely done.
Third PlaceLoose Ends
the wee hours
weaving loose ends
into my knitting
beneath the comforter
the argument continues
frosted panes—
in my hair the grey streak
mother always wanted
unlabeled tintypes
in the family album
drifting snow
from an old flame
an unexpected letter
velvet jewel box
just one of the pair
of heirloom combs
The title of this rengay announces its theme—loose ends in life. We see these
loose ends not only in the knitting of the first verse, but in the ongoing argument,
the tintypes lacking labels, the resurfacing of an old flame, and in the
missing comb. While the theme of unfinished business may seem abstract to some,
it is made concrete in these verses, giving the rengay as a whole a sense of
wistfulness and longing. I like the touch of winter in the middle two verses
that is warmed by the “flame” of the unexpected letter. A nicely done rengay.
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