Dan's father, Larry Berkowitz, is in town from New Jersey, so Dan and JL hosted a wonderful evening, designed to give Larry some time to read his poetry. Larry, who was a mechanical engineer and mathematician by trade, has taken up poetry and haiku in his retirement. He pointed out that the syllables of a haiku (5,7,5) are all prime numbers, and perhaps that is why he is drawn to it.

Barb had reported to us that Dan was making this a very special event for Larry, including a mat upon which he could sit while reciting poetry. I imagined this would be a tatami mat.. and maybe we would have green tea while listening!

In preparation for the evening (as encouraged by Dan), we wrote some haiku at home before the dinner party. My brother John is visiting from southern California. We enjoyed putting pen to paper and jotting off some haiku. It is quite easy to do! But our efforts were not quite as poignant and well-thought out as Larry's, as it turned out. I also enjoyed trying to write a limerick in Larry's honor. Barb, John & I had a lot of laughs, trying to find good rhymes for "Larry".

At the dinner, no tatami mat was visible. Everyone settled into the (Design Within Reach) chairs and couches, and after we ate, Larry began to read. Upon questioning, it was discovered that the mat we had expected existed only in our imagination. In fact, the mat Barb had heard tell of was actually a BATHMAT that JL had bought, to make sure Larry wouldn't slip in the shower!

However, the mat still exists in my imagination, and in my limerick.

A New Jersey poet named Larry
Came, with his haiku, cross the prairie
He had it down pat,
Til he sat on that mat,
His word count affected by sherry!

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