Frankie’s hands tear away the wrapping. Brown eyes widen; the corners of his mouth rise: joyful shouting begins.
“A pillow pet! Thank you! It’s what I’ve always wanted!”
I snap a photo of him hugging his new gift. Mira pulls out another present from under the tree.
Only Robert and Mom look on.
an empty space
on the fading sofa…
soft sunlight
Photograph by Springfield Gallery
Frank J. Tassone
Frank J. Tassone lives in New York City's "back yard" with his wife and son. He fell in love with writing after he wrote his first short story at age 12 and his first poem in high school. He began writing haiku and haibun seriously in the 2000s. His haikai poetry has appeared in Failed Haiku, Cattails, Haibun Today, Contemporary Haibun Online, Contemporary Haibun, The Haiku Foundation and Haiku Society of America member anthologies. He is a contributing poet for the online literary journal Image Curve, and a performance poet with Rockland Poets. When he's not writing, Frank works as a special education high school teacher in the Bronx. When he's not working or writing, he enjoys time with his family, meditation, hiking, practicing tai chi and geeking out to Star Wars, Marvel Cinema and any other Sci-Fi/Fantasy film and TV worth seeing.
