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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
at

17 comments:

  1. LauraHinNJ12:35 pm

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

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  2. Anonymous4:23 pm

    Puns are encouraged, along with homophones and single entendre.

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  3. Anonymous4:23 pm

    And, good job.

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  4. Julie4:31 pm

    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).

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  5. Roswila5:33 pm

    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.

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  6. Deb R6:40 pm

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

    I'm glad you did!

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  7. Crafty Green Poet9:37 pm

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

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  8. Anonymous4:18 am

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

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  9. Anonymous7:56 am

    'Tis allowed. Because I say so.

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

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  10. Anonymous8:58 am

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

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  11. Becca9:58 am

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

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  12. Anonymous10:28 am

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

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  13. Anonymous12:16 am

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

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  14. michelle5:34 am

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

    Thank you for the beautiful haiku.

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  15. Anonymous8:46 am

    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.

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  16. carmilevy6:38 pm

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

    Lovely sentiment, and a lovely glimpse into your past.

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  17. get zapped6:04 am

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

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