What is a renga poem?

Renga is a collaborative form of poetry originating from Japan, where it is the most highly-regarded poetic genre. It emerged in the late thirteenth century and flourished during the Muromachi era (1336–1573). Renga poems are traditionally composed by two or more poets, with each writer contributing one verse to the poem, alternating between five-syllable (5–7–5) and seven-syllable (7–7) verses to create a linked sequence. The first verse is called the hokku, and the final linked haikus verses that lead to the final verse, called the shu. The form of renga is closely related to that of haibun, which includes a prose segment following the introductory stanza.