A quadrille in memory of Papa z”l
(in two limericks)
I.
Alexander hacked the Gordian Knot; Defeated all armies he fought; With lightning sword, Secured his reward... ... Unknown remains his burial plot
II.
My Papa conceived 'Cut The Knot', Believing education ought be rethought Blazing forth new path, Spreading passion for math; Personal gain? Merely... afterthought
The above combination of two limericks is my take on d’Verse’s Quadrille challenge #124.
The quadrille is simply a poem of 44 words (excluding the title), and it can take any form. This week’s challenge was to use the word “knot” in a quadrille.
Your father’s plan sounds brilliant. I love a good Gordian’s Knot. Enjoyed, David.
Yeah, it was really the culmination of his life’s work. Thanks so much, KH.
❤
David
Beautiful David.
Thanks, Gabriela. There was really no where else that I could go with a prompt on the word ‘knot’, if you know what I mean ❤
I know what you mean. However, the personality of your father and the way you relate to him now fascinates me. I lost my father in 2019 and it’s been hell. I have moments when I replay fragments of our life … I still cannot talk about. You are an exceptional writer David.
💔 Gabriela 💔
Thank you for sharing that with me, Gabriela. I deeply appreciate it, and I am so sorry for your loss.
Yours,
David
Thank you David ❤️
I enjoyed the limericks, and I’m sure Papa would enjoy the second overly much!!
Thanks so much, Bev!
In truth, the first one is also directly related to the second one because Papa named his life’s work after that story about Alexander the Great… in part because his own first name was also Alexander!
❤
David
Your Papa made a ripple in his world. I’m sure the idea of you carrying on the message of his passion would please him.
He was very, very, very humble… I would never have felt comfortable writing about him in such a way if he were still among the living, Lisa ❤
-David
❤
Love this, David! The limerick deserves more respect, and should be applied to more than, “There was a young lady from…” These limericks serve well as a tribute to your father. ❤ All the best!
💗
So utterly beautiful, it’s incredibly impactful and touching.
Thanks, Lucy. I profoundly appreciate your kind words.
This poem is simply the unadorned truth.
Sincerely,
David
two powerful limericks about two very different men! That form of logical yet complicated solutions is a real form of art.
Your passionate devotion to your father is indeed intriguing 🙂
It’s my way of coping, I think, Kate. It’s all that seems to work.
then very glad you have such an outlet … it’s healthy and such a loving tribute to him
💗 Kate 💗
I’m so glad that you were able to use “knot” to tell us more about your father’s accomplishments and passion for teaching. He may have been humble as you mentioned in your comments, but I’m sure he would be so proud of the way you honor him.
Thanks, Mish.
💜
David
What a nice tribute to your father (with excellent rhyming skills)!
Thanks so much, Poet.
🤎
David
Education is so important. Alexander had quite an edge over most people. He knew Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates
Yes, My father knew that 🙂
Thanks, Larry, for making that insightful point.
💛
David
As I’ve mentioned, the limerick is hard for me. Perhaps I should take a page from your book and look at it as half of a quadrille! I enjoyed this tribute wrapped in poetry! Awesome!
Thanks as always, Muri. I truly appreciate your support and breadth of knowledge.
Sincerely,
David
poetry is alive. it’s a language of languages.it’s life is vast and vivid. thank you for sharing your poems.
Ruben, I’m so touched that you enjoyed these. Thank you for reading.
All best,
David
please come write for Medium.com . I’m a contributing writer to one of their media platforms , “The Good Men Project.” You would love it ! Check it out !!! Here’s my link: gramparubes.medium.com Hope you join us . You’d be a wonderful asset. We have weekly zoom calls with our publishers and editors to improve our craft and share ideas. Hope to see you there ! your new friend, Ruben Avilio
Ruben, I’m so honored by your invitation, but I barely have the time to write for my own blog… I don’t think I’ll have time to write for somebody else’s…
🤍
David
Both great thinkers in their own right…wonderful use of a double limerick, David!
That’s actually a really fantastic way of putting it. Thank you, Lynn! ❤
Yours,
David
My pleasure…
A gorgeously touching mirror-image set of twin poems. What a lovely tribute from son to father!
🤗 TPS 🤗
Right back atcha! You are on target, as usual, with your lines, but this pair has that “something” we all search for when we are writing.
Thank you.
Very beautiful, David❤️❤️
Thanks, Diana
💚
David
Wonderful set of limericks, David. Your Papa must have been a great teacher!
He used to be a professor, Dwight, but he was almost deaf so he left teaching. But when the Internet became available in people’s homes, he took to teaching online.
💙
David
Very interesting! What a great way to reinvent teaching!
Yes, he was truly a brilliant man.
You come from good roots!!
I always enjoy complementary poems that share parallel themes, ideas, or motifs.
These are gems and the one about your papa says so much about the man he was. 💓
In a way, Michele, they’re both [sort of] about my Papa because he choose the name ‘Cut The Knot’ for his project, based upon the story of Alexander the Great.
💝
David
Oh, wow. That is so beautiful, and absolutely makes your two poems complementary. 💕 Thank you for sharing.
❤
Truly creative
Heart-warming tribute
Thanks, Abi.
💕
David
Teachers are special people. Perfect quadrille to keep your father’s legacy alive! 💖
Thanks, Tricia
💞
David
David, I admire your wonderful skills as a poet and writer. At the same time, I envy your connection to your father.
Lauren, thank you. Based upon what I’ve read of your writing, I don’t really know what to say about your non-relationship with your father 😦
-David
It was, what it was. G-d willing, I will never have to be a victim of his deeds again.
💔 Lauren 💔
I would like to read more of this kind of limerick, David, much more interesting and compelling than the jaunty kind. A classical tribute to your father, and I like the rhyme scheme that links the two limericks (as well as the knot theme) to make a quadrille.
Thanks so much, Kim
🧡
David
Both are brilliant!
Thanks, Kaushal 😍
Yours,
David
Compare and contrast..excellent! (K)
🥰 Kerfe 🥰
Clever to frame this as two limericks, and I am sure a fitting tribute to your father! The idea of spreading passion for a subject seems to be sadly lacking in a lot of modern educational institutions.
That was my father’s deep conviction – that many people are irrationally “afraid” of math because they haven’t been taught to appreciate it, and that they should first be shown its beauty and allowed to develop their own motivation to study it.
❤
David
That sounds like a fine conviction! 😊
🤗 Ingrid 🤗
A clever and wonderful tribute to your father–I like the connection in poetry and real life. I had to look him and Cut the Knot up–what a fantastic book/project/life’s work!
Thanks, Merril. My father was a mathematician through and through – that’s what he most wanted to share with the world.
❤
David
I love the sense certain/uncertainty that threads through this, but in a philosophical way, not sad or negative.
Thanks so much, Paul
💙
David
That was quite an acrobatic feat!
🤸 Jane 🤸
From Alexander we learn, we are fighter with strong desires & dreams.
On the other hand, Education set morals for our life. It give direction to our life.
Great job 👏🏻👏🏻💐💐
🤍 Lokesh 🤍
You are a lucky son.
Yes, I am. Thank you, Lokesh 🤍
-David
A quadrille in two limericks is cute, but most importantly, you drew a very apt contrast, David, and a wonderful tribute to your father. You do know, I trust, that Alexander became a popular Jewish name in honor of Alexander the Great.
Have a great day,
D
Dolly, yes! I’ve even written about that:
https://skepticskaddish.com/2021/01/24/wherefore-ben-alexander/
Thank you ❤
Yours,
David
Thank you for the link; I commented there.
Back to the kitchen…
Have a great day,
D
💓
My father who was forced to study Latin and Greek was very pleased when I opted for math… it was only much later when I found passion in words.
My father told me that I should pursue the humanities, but I was a fool and did not listen 😦
-David