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5 Renga

the arrival
salt-cracked lips—
spells his name wrong
a cold hand reaches
in the rear view

— Christina Chin/Uchechukwu Onyedikam

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revealing
a monsterwreck
the tide writes—
his identity erased
by the seafoam

— Uchechukwu Onyedikam/Christina Chin

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his hunger
sees an empty shell
a crab’s ghost
crawling in the
flickering shadow

— Christina Chin/Uchechukwu Onyedikam

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watching me eat
guilt as the only
company
carbon steel knife
cutting through silence

— Christina Chin/Uchechukwu Onyedikam

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another ignition
carry by the wind
the fire’s
drifting ember—
the stars take it back

— Uchechukwu Onyedikam/Christina Chin

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Christina Chin is a painter, haiku poet, and author of Japanese short form poetry books. Her book “First Day of the Rest” has achieved #1 Top New Release, #2 Best Seller in Haiku and Japanese Poetry, and #21 in Nature categories. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2025 three times, Red Moon Anthology 2023, Touchstone Award 2024 & 2020 and for Best of the Net in 2023. Chin has been honoured as a four-time top 100 recipient in the mDAC Summit Contests, with her works displayed at the Palo Alto Art Center, California. She is the sole haiku contributor for Randall Vemer’s “MusArt” book, published by ArtReach in Portland, Oregon, and has two haiga showcases in THF Haiga Galleries. Her accolades include first prizes at the 34th Annual Cherry Blossom Sakura Festival 2020 Haiku Contest, the 8th Setouchi Matsuyama 2019 Photohaiku Contest, and two awards from City Soka Saitama’s 2020 haiku contests. Her work appears in numerous prestigious journals, multilingual publications, and anthologies, including Japan’s esteemed monthly Haikukai Magazine.

Uchechukwu Onyedikam is an acclaimed Nigerian poet whose work resonates globally. His five haiku, featured in Petals of Haiku: An Anthology, an Amazon best-seller, permanently displayed at the historic Rinsen-ji Temple in Japan, a 500-year-old cultural treasure. Onyedikam’s mastery of haiku extends to collaborative works, co-authoring two renga chapbooks with Christina Chin: Pouring Light on the Hills (2022) and Clouds of Pink (2024), showcasing his ability to weave vivid imagery and emotional depth. In 2025, eight of his works were screened at the prestigious HaikuLife Haiku Film Festival, earning international recognition. A regular performer at Lime Square Poets in Cork, Ireland, via Zoom, he captivates audiences with his lyrical precision. Onyedikam’s contributions to poetry have garnered nominations for the Best of the Net (2023), Pushcart Prize (2024), and Touchstone Award for Individual Poems (2023), affirming his place among contemporary literary voices. His work, rooted in the traditional haiku form, explores nature, human experience, and moments of clarity, bridging cultural divides. With a growing global presence, Onyedikam continues to elevate African poetry through his innovative and evocative verse, leaving a lasting impact on the literary world.

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‘5 Renga’ is the tenth and final feature in the Urban Pigs Press CASTAWAYS callout, which celebrates the release of the latest Urban Pigs title Robinson Crusoe Maybe by guest editor Colin Gee. Colin is founder and editor of The Gorko Gazette and author of several books.