It’s summer. We go to enter the back door of my grandparents house. I remember a tree in the middle of the yard with pink impatience circling the trunk. We had to take our shoes off at the door in the kitchen to keep the home tidy. There was a piano in the dining room behind the table where we shared meals. A TV sat on the floor in the living. I remember grandpa lying in front of it watching the screen until sleep took over. Behind him was a couch covered with a sheet to protect it.
From there you could go out the front door or turn to go upstairs. The stairs lead up to the bedrooms and a bathroom with a huge tub (or so it seemed to me at the age of 4 or so). However, I especially remember the front porch. I remember sitting out there. It was shaded from summers rays by blinds that would blow back and forth with the wind. There were red geraniums growing in pots. It was like a hideout until the mailman showed up. I thought it was so neat that the mailman walked right up to the porch and placed the mail in a black box attached to the porch post.
Blooms aflame reaching
Golden streams filtering through
Memories sprouting
Lillian is hosting Haibun Monday at dVerse, and she has asked us to take a walk down memory lane. We are to try to recall memories that are not provoked through pictures nor stories told. With these memories, we were to write a Haibun.
Lillian stated that a Haibun is: 1 to 3 succinct prose paragraphs that must be a true accounting, not fiction, followed by a haiku (three lines, 5-7-5 syllables, that includes a seasonal reference and has a direct or subtle relationship to your prose paragraphs, without condensing or summarizing them).
Thanks for reading,
Heather
Memories sprouting indeed. I LOVE this memory of your grandparents’ home from the perspective of a young child. Fun to think back and recreate the space of the place in your head, yes? And then to write about it. It seems a very cheerful place. I smiled at the sheet over the couch….I wonder why? Better than those clear plastic covers some used. 🙂 I like the idea of your grandfather stretched out on the floor and falling asleep in front of the tv. Tells me that he and your grandmother had a very relaxed and comfortable relationship and home. The red geraniums are that spark of pep and brightness! And how I love the use of the word “hideout” — I often picked places to be a “hideout” when I was young. Our imaginations made it so. 🙂
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Thank you, Lillian. Yes, the sheet was more comfortable than plastic 😄. As a child everything is magical. I so enjoy watching and listening to my children create. I get to see the magic through their eyes.
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Lovely memories of security and love. I liked the haiku as well. Well done.
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Thank you, Beverly. It was such a short time in my life, but I’m glad I can remember a little.
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Lovely memories of security and love. I liked the haiku as well. Well done.
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I find it amazing how much a grandparent’s home can feel like a place of great adventures…
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So true 🙂
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So my Aunt and Uncle with no children of their own weren’t the only folks who covered their living room furniture with sheets! At least when we munchkins visited. LOL.
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Haha, you have to protect that nice furniture!
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This was a fine read and the haiku was wonderful!
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Thank you Rob!
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The plastic-sheeted sofa! I remember these…your grandparents were obviously very house proud people 🙂
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😊 yes, I believe so.
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