Classroom Order
Haibun Poem He approaches me, his hands raised. I stand behind my desk getting papers. He corners me. “Put your hands down.” “What?” “You heard me.” My command, spoken so softly. My eyes,...
Tagged: rebellion 2
Memorial Stone
Haibun Poem Mom and I see the headstone. Salmon, just as we chose. Smooth on top and along the sides, it emerges from a rough base of the same hue. Scattered grass grows...
An Oil Change
Haibun Poem A Latino couple rests on the dark-gray leather couch opposite me. His thoroughly stained white painter’s pants and Sherman white sweatshirt somehow contrast and complement her matching light-gray sweat suit. An...
Cup of Tea, Cup of Coffee
Haibun Poem Eighteen years earlier across the pond, a cup of hot Earl Grey tea. Hot bitter-sweetness spreads out from the first sip. Daylight fills the living room through cream curtains. The hum...
Spring Party, Autumn Post
Haibun Poetry His son’s face is covered in a greenish-yellow goo! Chris holds his daughter, showing an “aw shucks” grin. I stare at his Facebook photo. The last time he called, I knelt...
One of 60,000 Stories
Haibun Poem “Da menos tu hija! La queremos para nueva reigna!” He shouted outside our house. We saw him from the window. I shuddered at the sight of his tattoos. His friends laughed....
First Class
Haibun Poetry Rich walks me to room 252, finishing some comment as he opens a steel, fire-rated door. I enter, and he closes that door behind me. Fifteen Black and Hispanic teens look...
At a Garage in Tallman
Haibun Poem I brought my car in for inspection at Tallman Tire and Auto. A tall, thin man with graying brown hair under a Yankee fitted cap smiles. He was one of Frankie’s...
Empty Intimacies
Haibun Poem The towers of the George Washington Bridge straddle the traffic. The constant drone outside our motel room is our own urban surf. Inside, a musty smell from the carpet complements the...
Atlantic Alternatives
Haibun Poetry In another life, I’m too late. My son Frankie and his cousin Mia swim out too far. The waves at Robert Moses State Park swallow them. I cry out. They can’t...
Devil in the Details and God Everywhere Else
You’re camped out on my tongue; Radiating divine patience, Beatific compassion, Or whatever it is you are wont to do. Though you make your presence known, In moments of extremism, Riding on the back...
A Walk at Nyack Beach
Haibun Poems The Hudson surges against the black boulders of the Nyack Beach shoreline. A woosh of water on stone is a chant in rhythm to the river’s tide. Frankie bikes around a...
