Today's poem is written to a drawing one of my father's student made of him in 1970. I never thought my father was sentimental, but the fact that we found this drawing among his papers after he died said a lot about how he valued this particular gift. I know I still have cards, drawings, and notes my students have sent me over the years, so I found this piece to be particularly touching. I looked up this student (his name is on the back of the drawing) and found he earned a BS and PhD in chemistry. I'd like to think my dad had something to do with igniting his passion for science.
This poem is written as a senryu. Senryu is a three line poem written in the 5-7-5 form like haiku. While haiku focus on nature, senryu focus on human foibles. You can read more about senryu at How to Write Senryu Poems: Understanding the Senryu Form.
I hope you'll come back tomorrow and see what new inspiration I've found for a poem. Until then, you may want to read previous poems in this series. I'm also sharing these poems on my Instagram in case you want to see them all in one place.
April 1 - Senryu to a photo of my grandmother as a child
April 2 - Haiku to my mother's recipe
April 3 - Dodoitsu to a war memento
April 4 - Choka to my mother's engagement announcement
April 5 - Gogyohka to the receipt for my mother's engagement ring
I love that you don't remember your dad not smiling. And like you, I think it says a lot about your dad that he kept a drawing from a student for such a long time!
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a typical stoic German, but he had a dry sense of humor and laughed a lot. Obviously, he didn't share this side of himself with his middle school students.
DeleteWhat did your dad teach? My 85yo dad is a retired HS chemistry teacher and still hears from former students. It is amazing how far a teacher's influence can reach.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a chemical engineer turned middle school science teacher. He mostly taught physical and Earth science.
DeleteEvery so often I hear from someone who remembers him fondly.