Solsticing

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

The canopy of maple leaves bathes in sunlight on the Summer Solstice. Still for a moment, the legion of leaves ripple lie a stadium crowd doing the wave.

Despite the abundance of daylight left on this longest of days, afternoon shadows creep across the front yard. The street already basks in the shade.

I’ve spent my Solstice grading the last-minute assignment submissions of students desperate to graduate, or dodge summer school. I spend it now awaiting a parent’s completed google form about her daughter. I will spend it on the deck, enjoying the dinner whose aroma already has my mouth watering.

But while Summer officially begins on this traditionally midsummer day, I struggle with the fatigue with which I awoke. And all the endless light of this longest day does is taunt me with the promise of my bed.

A promise that won’t be kept until a nightfall too long in coming.

this Solstice

the air conditioner

hums along

I’m hosting Haibun Monday over at dVerse, where we’re writing about the Solstice. The pub is open! Come join us!

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Comments

17 responses to “Solsticing”

  1. Maggie C Avatar

    Very nice. I’ve been entertaining the notion of a nap on this longest of days. School has been out for decades for me.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. D. Avery @shiftnshake Avatar

    You remind me why I am no longer teaching!
    You show the fatigue and the neverfinished well in this haibun.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Lucy Avatar

    Love this.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Frank J. Tassone Avatar

      Thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Like

  4. Glenn A. Buttkus Avatar
    Glenn A. Buttkus

    Authenticity and personal slice of perception; very smooth, it goes down nice. A wonderful illustration for your prompt.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Susan Joy Clark Avatar

    I like your canopy of maple leaves, and dinner on the deck sounds lovely. It seems like a fitting start to summer. We have yet to use our deck to eat outdoors, but we should do that soon.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Reena Saxena Avatar

    You build up the atmosphere outside so well, and then ‘the airconditioner hums along’ ๐Ÿ™‚

    Like

  7. Reena Saxena Avatar

    Reblogged this on Reena Saxena and commented:
    Solsticing …. by Frank Tassone

    Like

  8. Ingrid Avatar

    I too am feeling the heat this solstice. I like how you captured the peace of the moment, ‘the legion of leaves ripple lie a stadium crowd doing the wave.’ It’s a kind of lazy, hazy hard-to-do-anything weather. I hope you get some relief soon!

    Like

  9. ben Alexander Avatar

    Frank – I hope you get some rest soon! This was very human and relatable ๐Ÿ™‚

    BTW, could you please explain to me (in relatively simple terms) how many syllables haikus actually need to have? Are there different kinds of haikus (in terms of syllable counts)? I understand that syllables in Japanese don’t necessarily translate exactly into syllables in other languages… so is it 5-7-5 in English and anything that’s less than that, which is considered a haiku?

    โค
    David

    Like

  10. memadtwo Avatar

    The school year does drag out for public school teachers…hope you got your well-earned rest. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

  11. K.Hartless Avatar

    The hum of the air conditioner always lulls me. Ready for feet up for a much-deserved break, Frank. Thanks for giving more patience and wisdom than most by teaching this year-also online as a host for d’verse.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Jane Dougherty Avatar

    In the end, it’s just a day. Today is much the same, just a few minutes shorter…

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Beverly Crawford Avatar
    Beverly Crawford

    Waking with fatigue is not the best way to face the solstice. I hope a nap is rejuvenating, and dinner on the deck sounds a delightful close to the day!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. msjadeli Avatar

    I like that last line, Frank.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Bjรถrn Rudberg (brudberg) Avatar

    I hope that at least some of the children could avoid the summer school…

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Ken / rivrvlogr Avatar

    Indeed. Rest is that reward after making the most of the longest day.

    Liked by 1 person

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Frank J. Tassone-American Haijin by Frank J. Tassone is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0