Haibun

STREET OF SHADOWS

A sunny morning in southern Spain.   In summer, there is no other kind of day. Already hot at nine o’clock. Still…a good day for exploring.  With our three young children we leave our hotel, located a short distance from the center of town. Vendors have set up their wares on the sidewalks.

         the sun in my eyes—

         that first squirt of juice

         from an orange

Leaning against a stone wall, a thin woman and two children.  The toddler, hair matted, eyes rheumy, staring at everyone and no one.  The baby, wrapped in a soiled blanket, lying on a straw mat near a box for shade. Garlic for sale, nothing more. 

                                    a burning wind

                                    funnels down an alley—

      grit in my shoes

Presence 2004

Tanka

pleasure boats

bob on the outgoing tide

silhouetted

against a wide red sky

the toys we have

in my advanced years

a found peace in simple things

the summer dusk

slips into night with an ease

I long to emulate

Country & Abroad

Modern English Tanka

Haiga

Chrysanthemum
Daily Haiga

Haibun

JOIE DE VIVRE  

““I want chocolate ice cream,” a child calls out to anyone with hearing distance. “Yes, you may have chocolate,” his mother says in a more modulated tone. She takes his hand firmly, yet gently. They step from the curb, the toddler hopping and skipping. Mom adjusts her pace to his. Once across, they continue their lopsided walk, a babbling child, a smiling mom.

                                                          soft breezes

                                                          cherry blossoms caught

                                                          in a small hand

Presence 

Haiku for Summer

Japanese garden

from one path to another

nothing on my mind

afternoon stillness

my neighbor’s chimes

announces a breeze

pressing heat

in late afternoon

the fridge’s hum

Under the Basho

Daily Haiga

Presence