My dad was a quiet man. He wasn’t an exuberant fan of any pro or local sports teams. But I do remember him sitting on our fake leather hide-a-bed couch, watching Cubs games on our blonde console TV. Televisions in those days were cumbersome pieces of furniture. My mother stacked Readers Digests on top of ours.
I never saw my dad swing a baseball bat, but he wielded a mean croquet mallet. It sent many a competitor’s wooden ball sailing into our neighbor’s yard. And rather than joining the popular winter bowling leagues, he stayed late after work, one night a week, competing in a checkers club. He also loved pinochle and rummy. He taught me all these games, using very few words. And he never let me win — until I really did. I never participated in sports. But I did become a high school and college debater. I wonder how much the man of few words had to do with that?
tall oak canopy
acorn roots itself below
reaches for new heights
Haibun written for dVerse, the virtual pub for poets. Today Bjorn asks us to write about sport. A haibun is a piece of prose (cannot be fiction) followed by a haiku. Generally, the haiku must be about nature.
lillian the home poet 
You beat me to it today, Lillian! I do love to read about your life in America, often similar but also very different to life over here. I also love to read about your family and friends, and enjoyed this haibun very much. I could picture your dad with the croquet mallet, an oak tree reaching for new heights,
My dad was sporty: he knew the rules to everything – he was a football referee and coached his own team for a while -, excelling in football, cricket, ice hockey, boxing and swimming. he was also very encouraging when it came to my athletics as I was the only one who was interested in sports out of us three girls.
Dad and I used to listen to the sports programmes on a little transistor radio when I was little and we would go to watch him play cricket throughout the summer months.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh your dad sounds like a wonderful man — and so fun you could enjoy this side of his interests with him. When you mentioned cricket, I really smiled. While in Bermuda this year, we finally broke down and bought a Cricket for Dummies book. Still can’t say we understand it though. Do teams take breaks when a game lasts beyond one day?
LikeLiked by 1 person
They always stop for tea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the look of your dad. Reminds me a bit of my own. Must be the grin. Coming from the least sporty family in the universe I’m not sure what I can write for this prompt…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I wrote about checkers and becoming a debater — so think I have you matched there! 😊. Must say, the first thing that came to mind when I read this prompt was the nursery school rhyme line “and the dish ran away with the spoon.”
LikeLike
Sport, in my house, was something you watched other people doing. And usually only if you could put a bet on it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought about the fact that so often sports is about competing, and therefore I used to hate sports until I realized it’s about feeling well… 🙂 Love the story of your father, and that he never let you win.. that is a lesson in itself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep – I learned a lot from him😊.
We were at my 9 year granddaughter’s softball game last week. An inning is each girl on the team having a chance to bat — and the coach pitches until the girl hits. Very rare that any girl catches a ball until after it rolls awhile and usually after chasing it — and then when they throw it to a base, it usually goes too far right or left to catch. The “game” was 2 hours — so each team had two rotations of their girls batting. Lots of positive encouragement, learning, parents cheering for both teams and especially when a girl finally hit the ball. Most amazing play of the day was when our granddaughter actually caught a ball on the second bounce and managed to tag someone out at second. The place went wild!! So yep — if sport can be about having fun – I’m for that! 😊
LikeLike
What a lovely tribute!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
love the metaphor of you being the acorn and your dad the wise oak. Very beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Victoria. To me, he was so quiet and so tall😊. A little girl’s perspective❤
LikeLike
Lovely tribute to your Dad, XX
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Alison.
LikeLike
Love the Haiku, really lands the whole picture. Especially the first line — how a father would be a tall oak canopy. Beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought it sounded better than “chip off the old block!” 🙂
LikeLike
I love that haiku. I think it captures something beautiful about a great father-daughter relationship. What seems to matter is that you spent time together doing something you both enjoyed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sarah. He really was not a demonstrative sort…and truly a man of few words. But he used to sit patiently and listen to my memorized catechism questions when I was in grade school…makes me smile when I think of him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve turned the challenge into a loving and beautiful tribute to your father, and topped it with a great haiku. He looks like someone I’d want to know. Great write!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this picture of my dad. It’s how I like to remember him.
LikeLike
I enjoyed this reminiscence of your father. It’s so nice to think about a parent in terms of their interests and their influences on you. They touch our lives in countless ways. Sounds like you had a good dad who spent time with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your thoughtful comment here. Truly appreciated!
LikeLike
Beautiful reminiscences and tribute. Also love the haiku at the end.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed!
LikeLike
awwww. love the memories in your lines and the smile of your dad. the acorn haiku wraps up the poem so well. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Took me a while to come up with a haiku…..glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
this is tricky indeed
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lillian, I think we had the same father! and the same blond tv with stacks of Reader’s Digest on top. A totally different era. Loved this haibun…and the haiku was wonderful. Blessings, girl!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you watch the Lawrence Welk show on yours???😊
LikeLike
Those debate teams may be a kind of sport although I’ve never been on such a team. There is at least a competition component to it and a training to help one focus on scoring whatever points are awarded in this game.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent trading in research and self-confidence in speaking. And oh yeah—it was very competitive!😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a lovely narrative and the oak/acorn metaphor is simply perfect! Debate – why didn’t I think of that? One of my favorite sports. I teach it in my classroom and my competative nature loves the fray!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah…kindred spirits are we. I went to college on a debate scholarship. Those were the days we flew out weekends and/or drove many miles to debate tournaments. We carried humongous portable file cabinets with tons of evidence cards, all sorted and organized to pick out as needed to counter an argument — and summer debate camps too. Speakers’ points meant you had to talk intelligibly, quick enough to make it through arguments but not crazy fast — and you actually named your foe’s arguments with words rather than outline points. Our high school team was on WGN TV where they had an Illinois tournament — and we won the whole thing. Fun days!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOW! I’m thoroughly impressed! You must have spent time in Chi Town, what with your Dad following the Cubbies and WGN.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Grew up in Waukegan, Illinois —- debated in the SIDL league??? Suburban Interdebate League??? Husband grew up right in Chicago (Austin neighborhood). We go back every Thanksgiving. I’ve traveled all over the world, and many places in the US including NY City and Boston and Denver etc. I truly believe that Chicago is an absolute gem architecturally! Went to Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. We had a college debate tournament at Navy Pier….when it was the ugly navy pier with real classrooms etc. Memories! 🙂
LikeLike
Brava.. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLike
You have an awesome dad. enjoyed it. thanks! 🙂
LikeLike
Smiling I am. He was a man of few words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, what a nice tribute! Beautifully done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Than you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your father sounds great and the debate team sounds amazing. The haiku is just so fits. Great Haibun!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember that your Mom and Dad used to take folding chairs to watch Aaron play sports when he was in elementary school. It was nice to see
a photo of your Dad!
Joyce
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh Joyce….will NEVER forget how much you helped my dad. Fathers’ Day coming up….makes me miss his quiet ways. Do we romanticize our parents the longer they’re gone? Well….sadly have never romanticized my mother. But — she did give me my love of Christmas and, in all reality, my love to dance 🙂
LikeLike
What a special haibun, a wonderful opportunity for a tribute to you dad as we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day. When we got our first TV, a 12-inch screen with 3 stations, it was housed in a huge console, black and white of course, and after a certain hour everything turned into snow. The best part was, it kept up playing outside instead of forming couch potatoes. I have no regrets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I so agree! When I was very young, there was a show on called Winky Dink and Me. You sent away for a plastic thing that somehow stuck to the tv screen (like electricity??) and then, there would be a section of the show with a mystery and Winky Dink would give you clues — as in dots — and you used the special crayons they also sent, and connected the dots and found the answer to the mystery. Guess what I did??? Never to see Winky Dink again 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bwa ha ha! Tears rolling down my wrinkled cheeks!
LikeLike
Beautiful haibun! Love the oak and acorn metaphor. That photo captures so much character.
LikeLike