Haibun

Body Language  

 

They speak no English, Grandpa and Grandma. We speak no Italian, my sister and I. Words we understand are limited to a few phrases: *seduto, mangia, stai zitto (sometimes said in a raised voice) vatini, chuida la porta, as we are leaving. But, since we live upstairs, we are back several times a day. More is conveyed with gestures, with warm arms, a warm lap and warm food.

 

first robin—

learning to read the signs

of my new love

 

*sit, eat, be quiet, leave, close the door

Treveni-HaikuKatha 

Haibun

CHRISTMAS EVE  

 

The Feast of the Seven Fishes. My mother serves baccala (salt cod with tomatoes),lemon sole. and fried smelts. These are in the open. I recognize them and eat willingly. The other four are hidden in the pasta. They could be anything found in the ocean. I’ve seen what’s at the fish market spread out on beds of ice. Creatures with claws or tentacles. Creatures hidden in little shell houses. Creatures slithering in a tank. I poke through the strands of spaghetti, looking for suspects, My mother tells me to stop playing with my food and eat. 

 

unsolved mystery

the last page of the book

is missing

Failed Haiku 

 

Haiku

 a bubbly effervescence

in her voice

the stream after rain

Tiny Words