Frank J. Tassone

Tag: dVerse

  • A White Priviledge Witness: a #haibun

    Binghamton, 1991. We all sat in a downtown restaurant. A waiter took all of our orders–except for our friend seated at the head of the table. He was the only one among us with a brown complexion. waning moon an “I meant no offense” too little too late The Bronx, 2010s. One of my students,…

  • First Kiss: a #quadrille #haibun

    Our second date. We walked through the Bear Mountain Zoo and Trailside Museum, stopping outside the Amphibian House. She saw toddlers and smiled. Holding her, I bent my head in. For our first kiss. tulip blossom all of our love after all these years for dVerse Poets’ Quadrille #73: A Prelude to a Kiss (Pubtended by…

  • Our first conversation, Lynn

    It’s Friday, July 18th. We start to say grace when my phone rings. Without looking, I know it’s you. My dish of penne remains in the microwave as I see your name on the incoming call. You ask about the weather, my writing, and work. I answer what I can. And savor the soft, resigned…

  • The Heart of Majesty

    Not the tallest. Nor the steepest. But what other mountain so captures the culture of a people? What other embodies a nation? Or inspires so many poets’ tears? cold carp the nevermelting snow atop Mt. Fuji Will I ever see you face to face? for dVerse Poets’ Quadrille #72 (pubtended by Mish). She invites us…

  • A Forgotten Sentry

    Deep emerald maple leaves blossom on my neighbor’s tree. The trunk—in shadow—looks almost black. It casts little shade over the aging, clubhouse-swing set that my neighbor worked so hard to erect. The one no one has played on in so long. empty backyardleaves flutter in a passingsummer breeze Photo by Yonan Farah first published in Image…

  • A Lycanthrope’s Confession: A #TankaTuesday #TankaProse (1/22/19)

    Ask your question. Go on. Ask how I could do it. How I could shed my own skin, forsake my species and run with the wolves. Ask how I could rage under a blood moon, an animal’s growl erupting from me like a long-restrained geyser. Are you certain you want the answer? Perhaps you can…

  • Hematologist Follow-up

    Another doctor’s office. The same sterile scent and antiseptic odor in the exam room. Light-wood paneling, natural setting, photos on the wall, white Formica countertops. All to find out if my medication has begun to kill me. smiling nurse –the back of her neckshows a tattoo first published in Image Curve, January 10, 2019 Photo…

  • Grecian Grace

    We saw it at a tourist trap in Mykonos during our honeymoon. The vivid sunburst hue in the sky and sea caught our eye. The iconic way the painting captured the quintessential, Greek seaside town won us over. We could almost feel the breeze blowing the arms of the windmill. It has hung in our…