Frank J. Tassone

Tag: haibun

  • Tears and a Torn Conscience: a #ThrowdownThursday .@ImageCurve #haibun

    She puts her head down and cries, “I’ve let down you teachers. I’m stupid.” I try to console her. She asks, “Can’t you give me a list of vocabulary? So I can understand?” I remember my intention at the beginning of the year. We would change how we work together. We would meet regularly to…

  • Praesentia via Negativa: A #TankaProse

    Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash     Declining sun evening robin songs as leaves flutter what merit our anguish when our stake remains lost?   Not in the consuming lava that leaves hundreds homeless in its unpitying wake. Not in the tremors and aftershocks that follow the earthquake. Not in the bluster of egos that seek proof…

  • A Bruges Walk

    y Graham Richter [CC BY 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons   My footsteps across the cobblestones of Bruges’ Markt. The Belfry’s invitation. A deep breath overlooking a city out of Sleeping Beauty.   Wish I could share it with someone.   Spring noon Cathedral bells rigning right on time   © Hans Hillewaert /      for…

  • A Rain Meditation: an .@ImageCurve #haibun

      Steady rainfall. The Pastore’s new generator hums. Across the street Stacy and Laurie talk. A sparrow perches on a maple tree, taking shelter under its leaves. Cool draft at my cheek. The power is out again. Rain picks up. A steady swoosh with a hint of rattle as it strikes the asphalt. Waiting for…

  • #Haikai Challenge #36 (6/2/18): Peony (botan) #haiku #senryu #haibun #tanka #haiga #renga

    A Peony outside my den window   Thank you for honoring our fallen veterans, haijin! Special gratitude to last week’s contributors:   Haikai Challenge Participants  1. Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr 2. Dwight L. Roth 3. Jules 4. Zander 5. Jules #2 6. Linda Lee Lyberg 7. Jane Dougherty 8. Jules #3 9. Revived Writer Powered…

  • End of the Day: A #writephoto #FreestyleFriday #haibun

      I can sip my burgundy and gaze at the last sunset. Let the impending thunderclouds gather. Let their first rumbles chill the hearts of others. I laugh from my lawn chair, enjoying the show as I savor every oak overtone of my reliable box wine serving.   If I’ve ridden the dragon as far…

  • First Sleepover: a #ThrowdownThursday .@ImageCurve #haibun

    Frankie hugs us tightly. As he lets go, his eyes hold back a hint of tears, the ones that betray the hesitancy we all share. “Ok. Goodbye,” he says. He and his friend Stephan get in a silver SUV. Nora, the boy’s mother, finishes adjusting bags in the bay. As the SUV pulls away, I…

  • Humble Truths: a #TankaTuesday (on a Wednesday) #TankaProse

        fluttering leaves in a cool afternoon breeze a neighbor’s drumming such a happy fantasia of how things could have been   The truth is a six-mile-plus hike along the Doodletown Bridal Path in Bear Mountain State Park on Memorial Day–the same day as my late father’s birthday. The truth is the slow opening…