4th of July Poem

In honor of our annual 4th of July party at Uncle Andy and Aunt Carin's house, I did the most natural thing to commemorate it: I wrote a 12-verse haiku poem (remember, each verse has the 5-7-5 syllabus pattern). Enjoy!

A Ribbens Party Haiku

by Mike Dekker

The fourth of July
At Andy and Carin’s house
A Ribbens party!

Hovings and Weenums,
Dekkers, Ribbens, Van Denends,
Hofstras and others

Just how did we all
Turn into “mature” adults
With lots of babies?

Outdoor changing room
Pull the knob upwards to flush
Go find some sunscreen

Many strapping men
Made tsunamis in the pool
No kids were capsized

I saw my daughters
Both armed with foam water guns
Squirt Zach in the head

It’s time for eatin’
The fat handled utensils
Are red white and blue

My dad at the grill
Bratwurst, hamburgers, chicken,
And hot dogs, of course

Then Chris and Heidi
Loved my wife’s blueberry pie.
Need the recipe?

Greg, Uncle Andy
Comparing surgery scars
Herniated discs!

With all the swimsuits
Who doesn’t have a tattoo?
Next year I’ll get one

Let’s do it again!
We’ll see you on July 4,
Twenty-eleven