Autumnal Haibun Flows Like a River

In baseball terms, the D’Verse Poet’s Pub prompt yesterday, Fall Foliage or Spring Blossoms, was “a slow one down the middle”.

It might not be advisable to use a baseball term around us Houstonians for a while, though, after the Astros disappointing loss last night in the 7th game of the National League Championship Series, or NLCS. Sigh. But that’s enough about that, because no one cares about the Astros getting into the World Series again but Houstonians, and many of you are from far and wide, reading this post from places where you think it’s ridiculous that we call our baseball championship “the World Series” when it’s just the US and a team from neighboring Canada. Go ahead and giggle – it’s ok.

No more baseball. This post is about poetry, which is much more dependable than sports. Never a competition with anyone but yourself, the opportunity to respond to prompts like yesterday’s from Frank Tassone is simply a creative challenge, a mental exercise, a growth opportunity. Frank directed participants to write a haibun inspired by spring flowers or fall foliage. OMG, I think I’ve probably done that about 50 times! (Thus, the reference to “a slow one down the middle/ an easy ball to hit.) So here’s another, although I’ve interpreted the prompt as “fall colors, including flowers”, since we still have lots of them in SE Texas in late October. 🌺

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The magical autumnal color graces Glover Gardens like irresistible face-painted children frolicking at a festival, igniting smiles and a wistful sense of fleeting pleasure, because we know that fall, like childhood, will not last.

soon you’ll sleep, still now
so beautiful I could weep
blazing fall glory

I lovingly photographed the flower and foliage buffet the yard presented over the weekend, in tribute to its glory and recognition of its ephemera. It was so easy to pour those feelings into a haiku.

Rooted in Nature, haiku is a magical tool for capturing and expressing the feelings she inspires, and connecting us to our own seasons.

Haibun is simply haiku with with prose around it that expands and explores the concepts and colors of the verse. I wrote haibun before I knew it had a name and was a proper format, and it’s probably my favorite structure, especially when writing about nature, because it’s so flexible and forgiving. The prose flows along like a mountain stream, and the haiku is the bridge.

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So thank you, Frank, for the prompt.

And here’s yesterday’s post, to share the colors that inspired the mood and musings.

©️ 2023, Glover Gardens