Rengay is a contemporary six-verse form of linked haiku based on a unifying theme. Written by 2-3 partners, each link should be able to stand on its own. Derived from renku, but much different, theme development is the key element of rengay. Rengay incorporates the "link and shift" idea of renku, but its brevity makes it easier to read (and publish). Because it is thematic, it is more accessible. Rengay was developed in 1992 by Garry Gay, co-founder of the Haiku Poets of Northern California, and the organization's first president from 1989-1990. In 1991, he was elected president of the Haiku Society of America.
Example
How to Rengay
2 partners (A & B) - Template pattern of alteration between 3 and 2 line links:
A-3 · B-2 · A-3 · B-3 · A-2 · B-3
3 partners (A & B & C) -Template pattern of alteration between 3 and 2 line links:
A-3 · B-2 · C-3 · A-2 · B-3 · C-2
EXAMPLE:
june sky
an'ya petrovich
hortensia anderson
lotus pond --
rings of blue petals
open to morning
the dive ino a pool -
cool liquid aquamarine
looking glass . . .
a girlchild's eye color
pales the june sky
after the end
of Gemini -
second full moon
finish line --
a 1st place ribbon
corner saloon --
deepening shadows turn
indigo