Smuggs Chronicle ’14, Day 8: August 1, 2014

tree covered mountains with white clouds
Total: 0 Average: 0

Swollen masses of cumulus clouds swallow the sky above Mansfield. They spread like a glacier-paced avalanche. Behind them, patches of blue remain. Beyond that, the midday sun shines.

We’ve already swum our laps and rested in two hot-tubs at Courtside. Now, we lounge in the shade, indulging in pineapple and literature, nearly indifferent to the chatter of other guests, the yelps and splashes from children in the pool, and the perfect soundtrack.

shadow on Mansfield her Betty Rubble giggle as she reads

We settle into Tamarack 16, a ground floor corner one-bedroom next to the North Hill Athletic Complex, at the beginning of our second week. I see Mount Mansfield clearly between Douglas Firs. Even in the haze, its forested Eastern face resembles a massive head of broccoli.

an itching sparrow
nestled in verdant crabgrass
this week’s hottest day

Photo by Ramiz Dedaković

Total: 0 Average: 0
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

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.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply