Some of you may have noticed I created my own form of haiku recently. It’s not that I changed the number of syllables.
I simply made the ending verse, the third, of one haiku required to be the first verse of the following haiku in a poem containing four haiku.
(You can also do this with more than four haiku if you like as a basic Rensa Haiku, or Chain Haiku. I simply put it at four because that’s long enough for a story, but short enough for a challenge.)
This may sound like a haiku quartet, which I just discovered was an actual form, existed at 01:50 Tuesday, 7/28/2020. I’ve been using my style for a while now, created randomly with the first one I posted.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on haiku and other forms of poetry recently and I thought I would give this one a name I just don’t want people thinking I sought to pass one style off as another.
I first wrote, what I call Shi Rensa Haiku, one day when I thought it would be challenging to take a verse and make two Haiku that are unique but stay within the same message.
Here I give you the name I’m giving this style as it appears here on my blog, and among my poetic friends. The name is primarily to distinguish in case I have a reason to mention the name in our poetic circle.
Shi Rensa Haiku
Shi=Four
Rensa=Chain, connection
Haiku=Poem
From my understanding, you place the adjective of most emphasis next to the subject.
Here, the word Rensa means chain as in connection. and to me, that is the key adjective.
So, there is more behind the scenes in the development of this form than a row of numbers in red and black. But for the enjoyment of writing one, that row of numbers in black and red. is all you need. Some other day I’ll get into the rest of the story.
The way you write a Shi Rensa Haiku is with the following verse pattern with the like numbers being identical.
1
2
3
3
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
9
The goal is to have the entire poem deliver one message but with each haiku being a unique part/purpose within the poem and possibly having the story or message being told to progress with some purpose by the end.
Here is one I wrote recently as an example.
Loves anguish… thirst
I self-destruct when
your words are lost from my life
dread pervades this void
dread pervades this void
as my ego begs for hope
life devastates me
life devastates me
when your eyes embrace with mine
own these thoughts hunger
own these thoughts hunger
and thirst to demolish walls
for identities
The additional spaces you see between some off the words are the pauses I feel occur between them, giving that moment emphasis and meaning. This is a tool used in haiku when you don’t want to use punctuation or perhaps when punctuation doesn’t really fulfill what you want. It has also been used because haiku in the original form was written in one continuous line, not three stacked lines. With the stacked lines, there is a built-in hesitation/pause.
I hope you give it a try. It’s challenging to get one just right.
Another way to view the pattern that may be easier for some as not everyone thinks the same, especially when it comes to such restrictive poetry forms.
1
2
3 same as next line
3 same as the previous line
4
5 same as next line
5 same as the previous line
6
7 same as next line
7 same as the previous line
8
9
© 2020 Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.
So, Ronovan, I thought I would give it a try, your Shi Rensa Haiku creation, and used todays haiku. Can’t say I will always play along but I can see the creative possibilities…
Each orb brings darkness,
Shadows of night that alight
On the eye of death.
On the eye of death,
The pupil shifts its contour
As the light turns out.
As the light turns out,
The darkness envelopes me
And I weep alone.
And I weep alone
For the earth which I depart
To a sweeter sleep.
http://www.engleson.ca
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Perfect. The writing, not the subject matter. 🙂 Thank you for using it.
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A pretty cool idea, must give it a try😊. Very creative Ron.
Pat
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Thank you. 🙂 Who knew after six years of haiku challenges I would come up with a new form of haiku, or style, or whatever one would call it? 🙂 And even give it a name? Now that was the difficult part. Being respectful of the haiku traditon and culture of Japan in the naming was important to me.
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I have to say, I love how you arrived at the name
Shi Rensa Haiku
Shi=Four
Rensa=Chain, connection
Haiku=Poem
It feels connected to the culture that gave birth to the haiku.😊
Pat
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[…] Four Chain Haiku | Shi Rensa Haiku […]
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This is a great form Ron and I do like it name . I shall definitely be having a try a it. I do like your explanation and your Shi Tends Haiku. Another discipline for us to try.💜
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[…] I am combining Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka Challenge with Ronovanwrite’s invitation to try out his own new form of Haiku which he has named Shi Rensa Haiku. Here is his explanation. […]
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[…] Volume One: To Know Love – How To Write a Shi Rensa Haiku […]
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[…] If you would like to try my new form of Haiku, please do. This can be used for the challenge as well. To learn about Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, click HERE. […]
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[…] To learn more about the Shi Rensa Haiku and to use it for my weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge 318 Meet & Part click HERE. […]
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I like this form and will definitely have a go at it when I next try your challenge or even separately. I have not been reading or writing much lately as I have had a lot else to do and was also ill. I hope to write shortly. There is a french form with the repetition of verses two and four in quatrains called pantoum and I have tried my hand at it some time ago so perhaps your haiku style will be something I can work with.
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I hope so. Repetition seems to be something people like, and I had no idea they would. It was just something that happened one day when I was writing a haiku. I hope you start writing soon. I didn’t write for the past four years, It took a huge effort to start again.
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True that people like repetition. I have been absent for a while but hope to write soon
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[…] To learn more about the Shi Rensa Haiku and to use it for my weekly haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-317-Meet and Part click HERE. […]
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Doubts
Did I play my part?
Were your expectations met?
Did I fall just short?
Did I fall just short,
Fail to meet the challenge:
your beautiful dream?
Your beautiful dream
was there, my fingers reached out
as the bubble burst.
As the bubble burst,
There was no time for sorrow,
No tears for lost love.
http://www.engleson.ca
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Amazing, my friend, amazing.
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[…] (Shi-rensa-haiku) […]
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[…] (Shi-rensa-haiku) […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] To learn more about the Shi Rensa Haiku and to use it for my weekly Haiku Challenge, click HERE. […]
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The Fall of You Know Who- A Speculative Shi Rensa Haiku
Though smart as a whip,
He lashed out at friend and foe
and tripped on his tongue.
And tripped on his tongue,
Which often stung with venom,
malice and money.
Malice and money,
led him to roll in rancor,
his dull sour spite.
His dull sour spite
wore even his toadies down,
or so we all hoped.
http://www.engleson.ca
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] To learn more about the Shi Rensa Haiku and to use it for my weekly Haiku Challenge, click HERE. […]
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Monday- A Shi Rensa Haiku
The day unravels;
The flaw in the ointment is
Mondays nick the dream.
Mondays nick the dream,
The sweet weekend, the moments
Of slumber, of love.
Of slumber, of love,
The quiet of two’s own thoughts,
Morning legs entwined.
Morning legs entwined,
Stirred hearts, misplaced time salvaged,
To be lost Monday.
http://www.engleson.ca
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] To learn more about the Shi Rensa Haiku and to use it for my weekly Haiku Challenge, click HERE. […]
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“It’s Going to Disappear…”
The virus surges
and on each morrow, we weep
as the fool tweets.
As the fool tweets
his blurred glimpses of insight,
he sets a bleak course.
He sets a bleak course,
Careless, bitter, boorish, his
Vigilante soul.
Vigilante soul!
A leader? A mirrored man,
who sees but himself.
http://www.engleson.ca
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[…] To learn more about the Shi Rensa Haiku and to use it for my weekly https://ronovanwrites.com/2020/08/31/ronovan-writes-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-321-morrow-surge/ click HERE. […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write […]
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[…] HERE to learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe even […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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For this Shi Rensa, I have borrowed a few unequivocal Union rallying cries to complete the quartet.
Labour Day 2020 Reverie Shi Rensa
I sip in the sea,
a cup of minute pleasure,
my coffee and thee.
My coffee and thee,
We honour Unionists all,
The bold torchbearers.
The bold torchbearers,
The men and women of yore,
“Don’t mourn, organize!”
“Don’t mourn, organize!”
“Workers of the world, unite!”
“No gods, no masters!”
http://www.engleson.ca
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] — This is a Shi Rensa Haiku. You can learn how to write one here. […]
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[…] This is a Shi Rensa poem for my Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge. https://ronovanwrites.com/2020/09/21/ronovan-writes-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-324-furyslow/. To learn more about the Shi Rensa and How To Write One, click HERE. […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] To learn more about my poetry form please click HERE. […]
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I love learning about all of the ways to write poetry. It seems like everything has been thought of! But I guess with poetry just about anything works, which is why some people love it. Thank you for the lesson.
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] (Shi Renza Haiku) […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] To learn the Shi Rensa or Four Chain haiku, click and read – Four Chain | Shi Rensa Haiku. […]
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[…] A Shi Rensa Haiku, Developed by Ronovan, written in response to Heeding Haiku with Chèvrefeuille: […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] Shi Rensa for this week’s Haiku Poetry Prompt […]
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[…] Shi Rensa Haiku written for #Threethingschallenge […]
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[…] Shi Rensa poem for this week’s Haiku Poetry Prompt […]
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[…] How to Write a Shi Rensa. […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] (Shi Renza Haiku) […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] on kblog, but couldn’t remember where I had seen it. I’ve since discovered it is called Shi Rensa, and it was invented by Ronovan, who has his own haiku and decima challenges at […]
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[…] How to Write a Shi Rensa or Four Chain Haiku. […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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Right about 10 years ago, there was a challenge going on a poetry discussion board where I was a member. It was a challenge to write haiku with the requirement that each new post had to use the last line of the previous haiku.
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[…] How to Write a Shi Rensa or Four Chain Haiku. […]
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[…] HERE. To learn about the new style I’ve created called Shi Rensa Haiku and how to write one, maybe […]
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[…] (Shi Rensa Haiku) […]
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[…] (Shi Rensa Haiku) […]
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Very cool, Ronovan. I’ve not stopped by in a while, but Cheryl used your shi-rensa poem in Tanka Tuesday. I like it. I had to see what you created. ❤
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Blood Land
Blood of the land
Seeping through desecrated leaves
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