# Help finding a poem

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 6, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019 "2020-03-06T17:00:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019/1 "2020-03-06T17:00:55Z")

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I once owned a book of famous zen poetry. I could swear I remember one of the haiku’s last lines being “Basho’s left foot”.

But googling doesn’t turn up anything. I think my googling sucks. Can someone please assist?

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**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019/2 "2020-03-06T17:25:46Z")

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No idea, but aren’t haiku usually 5-7-5? “Basho’s left foot” is only four syllables. Are you possibly misremembering the last line?

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019/3 "2020-03-06T19:52:48Z")

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Possibly but it was similar.

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019/4 "2020-03-06T20:12:32Z")

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I can sympathize with your problem! Basho (I’ve also seen Bassho) may be the most  
prolific haiku source of them all. Surely in the books I’ve read on the topic he’s the  
front runner.

I suspect the precise word order and even the precise wording (synonyms for instance)  
may be why it’s hard to locate online. Maybe if you can remember any other haiku from wherever it was you’re looking, it could lead to the same place you’re trying to remember.

All I got. Good luck! I’ll be following this thread, too.

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**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-poem/849019/5 "2020-03-07T01:24:40Z")

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> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> No idea, but aren’t haiku usually 5-7-5? “Basho’s left foot” is only four syllables. Are you possibly misremembering the last line?

Most translated haikus aren’t, though sometimes people try to force them.