Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Poetic Form 81: Haibun

 A Father's Gift

A man, shoulders soft from time, stands next to his child, who is now taller 

than him. The man holds a box, a gift, for his son. Wooden, carved with 

calligraphy of the past. The box is heavy in the man’s hands. His son lifts it 

with ease. They smile; one is bright, the other scarred. In that moment one 

can feel time shift in the son’s favor. The man’s chest falls and rises through

earthquakes of memories. The son opens the box to find,


fall leaves ---

crumbling on to

his path

 


Poetic Form #81: Haibun

The haibun form combines a prose poem with a haiku. The form was popularized by the 17th century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho. The prose poem and the haiku communicate with each other in some way. The prose poem usually sets a scene in an objective manner. The haiku follows the rules for haiku.

2 comments:

  1. I really like the poem form. I also very much like your poem.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. A haibun is an interesting combo of what seems like totally opposite forms, yet flows well together.

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