The sky-blue Teddy bear towered over me. Charcoal eyes and nose, friendly smile: my parents nestled me in its arms.
Mom told me how much I loved that Teddy. One day, the window of my room, which looked out on a sewer grate, opened during a storm. Wet leaves, mud and soaked mulch buried my bear.
When I was a toddler, I finger-painted this first loss at a day care center in Tarrytown. The shape of Teddy’s head and ear can just be made out from the chaotic mess of colors that covered the rest of him.
piles of leaves
our son’s own blue teddy
left behind
Photo by Trym Nilsen
first published in Image Curve, August 16, 2018
for Real Toads’ Micro Poetry ~ A Poem Lovely As (imagined by Kerry O’Connor)
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Categories: haikai, haiku community
This really tugs deeply at my heart, Frank! Beautiful and poignant both at the same time 🙂
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Thank you, Sanaa! 🙂
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Poor Teddy!
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Yes. A sad day. Thank you! 🙂
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Always a sad day when a beloved toy loses its identity in a child’s mind.
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I resonate with the theme of loss….your first teddy, and then the poignancy of your son’s own teddy left behind. Beautiful.
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Thank you, Sherry! I appreciate that.
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Very sad haibun but can’t see how it fits the prompt.
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Neither can I. Missed the phrase before I posted. As I explained in my comment. 😉
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Personally I would have withdrawn the poem and written one that fulfilled the prompt. That is just me though. I know these people work hard on their prompts and to ignore the prompt….like I said, I would have withdrawn my prompt. for myself if someone doesn’t read the prompt before they stick something in there, I would delete it from the reading queue
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I appreciate your perspective. As someone that creates prompts weekly for my own challenge, and just created a guest post for dVerse almost two weeks ago, I respect the work that goes into creating prompts.
Having said that, I am confused as to why you imply that I ignored the prompt. While I missed the phrase “a poem lovely as…,” I did submit a poem of ten lines in the style of my choice. Moreover, when I realized that I had missed the “point of departure,” I commented to that effect. Now, if the prompt creator removed my link because my poem went too far afield, I would understand. As of now, however, that hasn’t happened.
Perhaps we simply see this situation differently. Fair enough. Let’s agree to disagree.
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Like I said if this had been my prompt, I would have deleted your post. So.
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So you’ve said. I have nothing further to say, so I’m moving on.
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Oh, this is symbolic of the loss of innocence in a way. It tugs at the heartstrings.
-HA
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Indeed. Thank you1 🙂
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A poem lovely as? Maybe I missed the prompt somewhere in here – but it is poignant and I enjoyed it.
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You didn’t miss the prompt–I did! 🙂 Thank you! 🙂
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Shame, shame, fellow transgressor. Perhaps we should co-ordinate our legal teams?
Poor Teddy. My favorite toy as a child was a stuffed Snoopy dog. I carried Snoops around with me until he pretty much disintegrated. I still have what remains of dear Snoop, in a shoe box.
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I’ll take whatever plea-bargain they offer me! 😆
Yeah, that bear was a real mess. Thanks! 😀
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A poem lovely as a bear, that’s what Winnie the Pooh would have written!
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Indeed, Kim! I wish I had appended that to my original! 🙂 Thanks!
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of loss and mourning, and rites of passage … which don’t often skip generations, especially not when it comes to the beloved friends who are our heartfelt companions …. like our stuffed teddy bears and others ….
lovely piece here
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Thanks, Pat! 😀
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It is always sad to see loved toys go on the inevitable journey to toy heaven. As children grow out of them for the parents they were that link back to when their sons and daughters were so dependent on them and the loss is very great for them as well.
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Indeed. Thanks for reading! 😀
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What a revealing sentence: ‘Mom told me how much I loved that Teddy.’ No wonder you left it exposed to the rain! But then your sad, throwaway haiku adds a different note again.
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Ah..separation from our childhood roots of comfort is hard for child and parent. Lovely piece
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Thanks, Susie! 😀
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We leave a lot behind in childhood. Wonderful haibun, Frank.
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Indeed, we do, Sara! Thanks! 😀
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I love this so much, from beginning to end.
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Thank you! 😆
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