image link (not the actual cemetery)
Frank J. Tassone is the host of dVerse for Haibun Monday. Frank says:
What is worth remembering? Why are some events so important that we need to memorialize them, while others we can let slip away? How do we truly honor whom, or what, we want to remember?
Using this broad lens of memorial, write a haibun that alludes to the concept of memorial in some way. For those new to haibun, the form consists of one to a few paragraphs of prose—usually written in the present tense—that evoke an experience and are often non-fictional/autobiographical. They are followed (or preceded) by haiku—nature-based, with a seasonal image—that complement, without directly repeating, what the prose has stated.
My great-grandparents lived in a patchwork house of seven cottages, moved up from the lake a mile away, across the railroad tracks, and joined together. The house was set at the bottom of two hills, in marshland. They had seven children, six boys and a girl. My grandfather was one of the boys, and he and my grandmother inherited the house after moving in when great-father died and took care of great-grandmother until she passed.
The house was a beehive of activity most days with the various great uncles and aunts visiting. The coffee pot was always on. Many a game of cribbage and pinochle were played at that table. I remember my grandpa being a sore loser. Not only did grandpa’s side visit, but grandma’s brothers and sisters did also. A couple of the great uncles worked the ships that traveled the Great Lakes and would sleep there when on shore leave.
Across the marsh is a hill where the cemetery is located. Grandpa and grandma bought graves at a place where the cemetery looked over their house. They are buried there, side by side. Many of the aunts and uncles are buried there also. At least a few of them served in the military from each generation. As kids we had a path through the marsh to get to the cemetery and would seek out the gravestones of our dead relatives. The house and people are gone now.
Walking stone-lined path,
the cemetery now green –
visit, remember.
Tao Talk 
A touching family history,
Li
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Thank you, Sadje.
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My pleasure 😇
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I am so jeslous of you folks with all your ancestors. The orphanage I was born into withheld for decades, all information of my mother’s identity. It is mow closed snd hone the way of most, so I will never know. At 72 I feel it has become a moot point for me – but my one son has bowed to find out someday. Who knows? Really liked your haibun Jade!
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I’m so very sorry you have been deprived of knowing your heritage, Rob. I hope your son is able to get the info you and he want to know about your mom. Thank you and glad you enjoyed it. Seems like it was a lifetime ago, but the memories live on ❤
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This is wonderful… I love how you focused on the path that reminds you where the house had been… maybe still leads from the graves too.
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Thank you, Bjorn. There are a lot of memories wrapped up in that area. Glad you enjoyed it.
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A patchwork house of seven cottages sounds very appealing to me 🙂
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It was wonderful ❤ I wish it was still there other than in my memory.
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Thank you for sharing your personal story. Many landmarks from my memory are now gone as well. It is sad.
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You are welcome, Bev. Yes, it sad. The loss of the house is a very sad tale 😦
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A touching story that’s so phenomenally well-told. Your haiku accents the prose so sublimely. A beautiful write, Jade! 🙂
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Frank, thank you for your very kind words. They are appreciated!
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My pleasure, Jade! 🙂
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What a wonderful story, love how well the haiku accents the paragraphs of prose.
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Thank you, JP glad you liked it 🙂
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Ah, I’m seeing the pattern now….experimenting with all different types of poetry.
Haiku’s always been one of my favorites. This one’s really nice!
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Thank you, Seliza. I participate at a poetry blog, dVerse, where we are challenged to write different forms, then save them under Mr. Linky so we can read and comment on the others. Click on that dVerse link and it will take you there and you can read some fabulous poetry 🙂
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Beautiful write of your precious memories! Thanks for sharing the view from the cemetery of the “patchwork” cottages/house in the marshland…vivid recall.
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Thanks, Lynn. I spent a lot of my childhood at my grandparents’ home. It was more of a home than my own home was…
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