Memories of Summer—Haibun

Some of my best memories with my dad are us camping near a creek for the weekend and spending hours in and out of the water while he gets sunburned waiting to catch me and my brother as we jump off a rock into the deep water. Now that I am older, I am sure that he would rather have spent that time on the couch watching ‘The Wild Kingdom.” But these are the kind of sacrifices that we make for our kids. And there is something beautiful about watching your kids have fun. That is why I try to remember to humor my son when he asks me to go out in the yard with him to pick up sticks and pretend to fight off the invisible zombies. I no longer remember how to enjoy those kinds of games of pretend on my own, but I enjoy the enjoyment he gets out if it.

Yards are magical

Forests with swords, zombies, and

Your dad at your side.

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This haibun started as a response to one written by David at Skeptic’s Kaddish. I wanted to write a line or two, but it got out of hand. You can check out his post here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2022/04/28/the-wind-or-the-waves/

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According to Word Craft Poetry, haibun is a Japanese poetic form that combines prose and haiku. If you would like to read more about haibun and other short poetry forms, check out Word Craft Poetry here: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/tanka-tuesday-poetry-cheat-sheet-for-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenges/