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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Haiku: Legacy

A haiku for my grandfather:

he taught me how to
move bishops, kings and castles
- how to find a mate


Are you allowed to pun in haiku? My kind gentle grandfather taught me how to play chess. Later, playing chess in the university common room, I met my future husband.

More haiku on the theme of legacy at onedeepbreath

I have posted this photo before, but I thought I would repeat it - a portrait of my grandfather in fabric

18 comments:

LauraHinNJ said...

Oh I love this - even if it's not *allowed*!

Anonymous said...

Puns are encouraged, along with homophones and single entendre.

Anonymous said...

And, good job.

Julie said...

I think this is awesome, Catherine. I love the double meaning and the sentiment (and the quilt is the perfect piece to express your feelings for your grandfather).

Roswila said...

Wonderful 'ku. I remember reading somewhere that the classic Japanese haiku writers often played with language. Of course, translating that playfulness into English must be quite a challenge! Anyway, humor and double meanings are a part of the haiku tradition.

Deb R said...

You're the queen of your blog, so you can pun if you want to. :-)

I'm glad you did!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Excellent! I think punning is like rhyming, not really meant to happen in haiku, but it works well in this case!

paris parfait said...

Wonderful haiku! And haiku is usually infused with layers of meaning, so the pun is good. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Allowed or not, I love it! Fortunate you, with such a grandpa!

Anonymous said...

'Tis allowed. Because I say so.

I love the portrait. Is it real fabric? It is, isn't it.

Anonymous said...

Well done. I like your whole post for the reasons the others before me have already said.

Becca said...

A wonderful story, Catherine! Your haiku was extremely clever, and I love the pun, whether its "legal" or not!

Anonymous said...

I have no idea if it is allowed, but I love your poem and your art.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the chuckle. :) Now I have to go dig out my chess set.

michelle said...

My father taught me how to play chess. I almost forgot that.

Thank you for the beautiful haiku.

Anonymous said...

I know I'm late to the dance here but I just had to comment. This was a beautiful 'ku. Rich with double meaning. Nicely... VERY nicely written. Thank you.

carmilevy said...

Rules were made to be broken. At least that's what Michele says :)

Lovely sentiment, and a lovely glimpse into your past.

get zapped said...

This made me say, "WOW!" and then my heart skipped a beat. Wonderful!