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!
Share the love. Spread the haikai:
Categories: haikai, haiku community
Frank J. Tassone 
Very nice. I’ve been entertaining the notion of a nap on this longest of days. School has been out for decades for me.
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You remind me why I am no longer teaching!
You show the fatigue and the neverfinished well in this haibun.
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Love this.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Authenticity and personal slice of perception; very smooth, it goes down nice. A wonderful illustration for your prompt.
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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.
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You build up the atmosphere outside so well, and then ‘the airconditioner hums along’ 🙂
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Reblogged this on Reena Saxena and commented:
Solsticing …. by Frank Tassone
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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!
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Frank – I hope you get some rest soon! This was very human and relatable 🙂
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?
❤
David
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The school year does drag out for public school teachers…hope you got your well-earned rest. (K)
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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.
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In the end, it’s just a day. Today is much the same, just a few minutes shorter…
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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!
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I like that last line, Frank.
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I hope that at least some of the children could avoid the summer school…
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Indeed. Rest is that reward after making the most of the longest day.
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