My Mother and I were very close. I was always next to her, like a little barnacle. When I was ten years old, Mom had a stroke and died.
My family held a wake at our house before the funeral. Her body was as cold as marble, it was hard to believe it was my mother. The room was full of chrysanthemums, the smell was so overwhelming that it made me sick. I can't stand them since then.
Friends and family were packed in my parents' bedroom. They all stood around my mother’s bed. At one point, a hysterical woman shouted, “She's alive!" She held a small mirror in front of my Mother’s face. There was a little condensation on the mirror as if my mom was breathing. I was so surprised and happy for a minute but the woman was wrong.
I slept most of the day and night for a whole week after the funeral. I dreamt of my mother every night, I believe she knew I was not ready to let her go. I know it was her way to say goodbye.
drooping mums
bend over stagnant water
with the scent of death
Author Notes
Haibun is a poetry form that combines a haiku with prose. Haibun's prose is descriptive. The prose section is then followed by a haiku that serves to deepen the meaning of the prose, either by intensifying its themes or serving as a juxtaposition to the prose's content.
The subject matter of a haibun can vary widely and commonly describe an unfolding scene, a slice of life, or a special moment. These sections typically consist of a couple of paragraphs to about 300 words written in imagistic style. Haibun prose can be written in first-person or third-person.
The accompanying haiku usually appears at the end of the haibun composition, though in some cases it may appear in the middle or at the very beginning. The haiku is meant to be in conversation with the prose section, serving as a thematic accompaniment, juxtaposition, or grace note that deepens the meaning of the piece as a whole.
Haibun Guidelines
HAIBUN is a Japanese poetic form that combines prose and haiku.
TENSE: present or past
SUBJECT MATTER: autobiographical, travel journal, slice of life, memory, dream short sketch of a person, place, and event.
TOPICS: life as a journey, love affairs, illness, human concerns & experiences
POINT OF VIEW: first person (everything seen through the author's eyes), third person (he/she)
TONE sets a mood, often interrupted by the haiku
SENSORY: uses imagery, sensory, concrete details, no abstractions
FOCUS on one or two elements
LANGUAGE uses language to suit the subject matter and mood (colloquial, formal, dialect)
LENGTH: varies from very brief (1-2 sentences) with one haiku, to long prose entries with interspersed haiku, to memoir-length works Styles Haiku/prose Prose/haiku Haiku/prose/haiku, Prose/haiku/prose/haiku/prose/haiku etc.
PROSE tells the story, gives information, defines the theme, creates a mood through tone, provides a background to spotlight the haiku
HAIKU: moves the story forward, takes the narrative in another direction, adds insight or another dimension to the prose, resolves the conflict in an unpredictable way, or questions the resolution of the prose. Prose is the narrative and haiku is the revelation or the reaction. Guidelines for Writing Haibun in English by Margaret Chula click here to read guidelines for writing haibun for Haibun Today examples and more information click here for wikipedia definition click here for Graceguts- more information click here click here for a pdf file of guidelines
Thank you very much for reading and reviewing my poem,
Gypsy
pictures from Pinterest account
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