A PUNNISHING KO-INCIDENCE

by Vernon Leighton, with various ko-defendants

March 8, 2004

Things can get awfully slow on the banks of the Big River here in southern Minnesota during our long winters. At the Winona Go Club, when a win was decided by a ko, Reggie, who, if not a certified Doctor of Optimism, then is at least certifiable, opined that the game must have had a lot of issues, being ko-dependent. Later, Paul suggested that someone who was fanatical about double ko's ought to be called a kokonut.

From there, stones and espresso were spilled in the rush for the dictionary. 

One person offered that when your sensei tells you to start as many ko's as possible, you begin to work on ko-mission. Dave and Takuya, our ko-stars, explained that you need to triangulate in order to find the ko-signs on the board. Bob snapped back that you need to ko-ordinate first to rank them. Jenni wanted to co-opt this sad tail of ko puns into an alliterative affirmation that go reminds us to cooperate, never coerce, and comingle with other cultures and coexist in peace. Jim hoped that both strands of this craziness would become coterminal. Finally to this sentiment, our high-schoolers Anthony and an unnamed co-conspirator, added the coda, "Well, like, ko-duh!"

So if you see the barges drifting by, the magnolia trees blooming, and it hardly ever gets to forty below, you'll know you're in southern Minnesota.

EDITOR'S NOTE: please direct all komplaints and kompliments to Vernon at VLeighton@winona.edu

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