The way a chain poem grows will be explained by reference to the first three poems from the 2003 edition of Space Poem Chain, "Life on Earth":

Rule 1:

The Space Poem Chain is formed from the alternating repetition of 5 line and 3 line poems. If the immediately preceding poem is 5 lines, then the next is 3; if the immediately preceding poem is 3 lines, then the next is 5.

Rule 2:

The starting point of your own poem should be a word or a line from the immediately preceding poem. You can quote the word or line verbatim, as in example 1 below, or you can allude to the idea of the word or line, using different words, as in example 2 below.

Example 1:

Attracted by the phrase “divining by the stars” in the immediately preceding poem by Ryoko Shindo, Makoto Ooka takes it as his point of departure in the third poem, quoting it almost exactly.

Example 2:

Attracted by the idea and imagery evoked by the phrase “soared into the skies” in the immediately preceding poem by Mamoru Mohri, Ryoko Shindo takes it as her point of departure for the second poem, and exclaims “I am a seagull! A seagull!”

Rule 3:

The word “uchu” (meaning “space,” “the universe,” “the cosmos”) should be avoided in the poems as much as possible. Instead, try to evoke the feeling and image without using the word itself.

Rule 4:

When you write a poem for the chain, please learn to:
*Take off in a different direction from the previous poem
*Make it possible for the next person to continue (don't fill everything in)
*Be concrete, not abstract

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