Vineyard Visit
Haibun A patio of filled tables and empty bottles. A trio plays the Beatles, the lead singer tapping a tambourine against her thigh. We stopped at the Torne Valley Vineyard on the way back...
Author: Frank J. Tassone
Her Infirmity is My Insomnia
Haibun I wake up at four in the morning. Try and sleep again. Mira coughs, inhales hard. Coughs again. She gets up and sprays her nostrils with her over-the-counter spray. I listen to her....
Buying His New Bicycle
Haibun Frankie leaves his bike by the Toys”R”Us customer service desk. Someone already put a sign on it: “bike exchange.” “Think of all the joy another boy as old as you were will get...
RA Flare-up
Haibun Too long since the last shot of Enbrel. This familiar stiffness and grating pain throughout the shoulders, elbows, fingers, and knees. This dull, constant pain that shortens tempers and lengthens anxieties. I already...
Answering the Call
Haibun The girls prance up the driveway. With their long-legged strides and pre-adolescent growth spurts, they could pass for high school track stars. Frankie races downstairs and opens the front door before they even...
Euphoric Acedia
Haibun Afternoon winds blew apart gray cumulus clouds that canvased the sky. Patches of radiant blue appear. Frankie wraps his arms around my neck, covers my mouth, and says, “complainer.” Mira, rising with a...
Reunion Requiem
Haibun It’s been years since we all last met. Of course, we would feel a little awkward at first! Christine takes another chip off her plate. Peter sips his Pepsi. Neither says a word....
A Noteworthy Change
Haibun Songbirds chirp outside. They join the gurgling coffee maker. The sky brightens earlier and earlier. Barely past six, it’s almost blue. budding boughs so still on the table this empty bowl more by...
Stumbling Along the Way
Haibun “All I care about is the way. I find it in my craft, that’s all.” —Ting the Cook Chuang Tzu, Chapter 3 A quick rush of rainfall. Wind chime songs. Drops cling to...
Meandering
Haibun The bike path moves. No, we do, walking it. Far enough from Lake Champlain, we still see the rippling wake catch the afternoon sun, whether moving or sitting. We keep our own pace...
Spring Deferred
Haibun It’s usually warmer here. Mira has spent many happy moments seated at this bench, soaking in the sun. Late afternoon shadows fall. A breeze rustles the endless dried oak and maple leaves still...
That Morning Reluctance
Haibun Didn’t want to rise. Turned off the clock and rolled over. A half-sleep doze and I’m up. Don’t want to go; drag my body and mind and stay at the table watching dawn...
Old World Market
Haibun An aroma of sharp cheddar and freshly baked bread. Wood rafters and paneling rise to a slanted ceiling. A Buddha on one wall, and other cultural icons spread around. We make our way past a...
At a Nyack Pastier
Haibun Didiere and Dumas, Nyack, New York : The black frosting of the dark chocolate mousse pastry catches the light through the display case. “Do you want the mousse or the raspberry tart?” I...
Empty Gestures
Haibun Nothing left to offer but the rain sunset on the Ramapo Mountains not a drop falls more by FRANK J. TASSONE photograph by Frances Gunn The Writers Manifesto
Mom, Incapacitated
Haibun Mom lies on her side. Her once immaculate hair now spreads across her pillow. She doesn’t know how she is. Only that she hasn’t been out of bed more than a half an...
Making Pizza Again
Haibun The aroma of sautéed onions reaches the living room. My eyes fill with tears. She clears the onions, adds the freshly rolled baking dough to the pan. Enraptured by the scent, I fully...
A Lapse In Judgment
Haibun He tells me he needs to move his car. I tell him I can’t be party to that. He asks Sandra H. I tell her he asked and I refused. “You got me...
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