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Sharing the Universe: Collaborative Poetry Hints at Global Values
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10111 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1993 |
3,648 Words |
| Author
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Michael McNierney
Michael McNierney is a haiku poet and free-lance
writer/photographer living in Boulder, Colorado. |
Examine your idea of a poet. Chances are you see a single person, sitting at a desk or perhaps along a mountain stream, strolling to get down on paper his most private feelings and thoughts in as satisfactory and beautiful a form as possible.
Now imagine a group of people, say ten or so, sitting around a table littered with paper and cups and the remains of snacks, writing a poem together. This is much harder. It seems more like a meeting or party than creative writing. For American writing is a solitary, even lonely, activity. The idea of a collaborative poem may seem nonsensical. You probably will think of the saying about a camel being a horse designed by a committee.
But think again. Think of a group of jazz musicians gathered together to jam, or a just of musical friends in somebody's house, each with his own instrument, improvising, playing together, drinking beer, and having fun. The result, depending upon the skills of the participants and the indescribable sprit of the moment, can range from the awful to the sublime. But it is music, and it is different from anything that could have been produced by one musician alone.
In Japan, making poetry together as important a part of national culture as true, perhaps more so. Just as jazz is quintessentially American art form, collaborative linked verse, or renku, is quintessentially Japanese.
Renku a group product
Renku are written by a group of poets, usually three or more, who get together face to face to compose a long poem, verse by verse. The poets may write stanzas according to an established order, or each may write an offering for each stanza in turn, with one being chosen by the group after discussion, or by the leader. They then go on to the next stanza. The point is not to tell a story but to link each stanza to the preceding one according to a certain set of rules, the goal being to produce a poem that ultimately covers most aspects of human life and experience, particularly as related to nature. Variety and humor are of utmost importance.
A renku session is not a contest or competition but a joint, cooperative effort. The key is spontaneity, improvisation, and enjoyment. During the session, there is a lot of conversation and joking around as well as serious discussion. Usually, the question is wether a given poet's stanza fits into the whole, not wether it is "good enough."
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