Tag: haikai
-
Mortal Victory
Revolutionaries know courage is its own reward a martyr smiles, open armed, his stygmata facing his murderers bearing the light in the encroaching darkness as distant torch-bearers look on The Madrilene has failed in all except nerve But his boldness is his victory Inspired by Franscisco Goya’s “The Third of May 1808 (1814)”
-
9PM Moonlight Sonata
Blue Moon the duet singing “On this Harvest Moon…” as one shines over their shoulders As the crowd sways in syncopation with Neil Young’s chords played by this Garrison Duet Blue Moon rising with their harmonies until the last chord fades out
-
Mysterium Resurrectionis
as if one breaking dawn makes all the difference perplexed women at the sight of an empty tomb yet blowing in a Sunday morning breeze Cherry tree branches with only the beginning of their blossoms despite the witness of numberless cemetaries a profound hope the ultimate Easter message Life finds a way
-
As a Vacation Ends…
after two plantations and a myriad of flowers and stories the longing to come home When even a ninety-minute flight is 89 too long & post-landing taxi a torture it’s time to come home what use is a vacation without returning?
-
A Passionate Reconciliation
That day you apologized for ripping me a new one. Saying, “You’re my man,” your arms around me, as I slouched on the couch. The heat of the moment telling me what your heart meant Slowly life seeps into my veins as I shed my hurt an anticipation of a horizontal makeup The heat of…
-
Veil-Piercing: A Halloween-adjacent Encounter
twilight… how bare treetops pierce the sky along the sidewalk we exchange gifts & news just a hint of a cadaver scent & her translucence a sad smile as she sees that I see one passing wind & she fades the flutter of falling foliage… halloween lights Punam hosts Tuesday Poetics over at dVerse, where…
-
Unorthodox repairs
scratches on the floor treated and cured with walnuts imagine their oil spreading on hardwood things I never expect to do in late middle age the constant surprise of life unfolding like this each unique moment a present in which God hides, smiling
-
A November with Basho, Day 23
Author’s note: I’m afraid that my November with Basho ends today. Unfortunately, due to illness, work demands, and Thanksgiving, I could not keep up. I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey. Sora, suffering from persistent stomach ailments, was forced to return to his relatives in Nagashima in Ise Province. His parting words: sick to the bone…
Frank J. Tassone 