Deliverance In The Dark
Haibun Cotton sheets cling to my skin like a burial shroud. Memories of Mom arise. Her pain-soaked blue eyes, looking out from a frustration-worn face, pulsing oxygen through nasal tubes insufficient for her to...
Author: Frank J. Tassone
Piercing Suns
Haibun The sun shines through a dusty screen and a fingerprint-smudged window. The dining room brightens as sunlight reflects off crystal candle holders and bleaches the American Drew dining room table. Years earlier, another...
In Harshness
Haibun In the crunch of fiberglass, a shattered mirror dangling on a wire. In the biting words of a text-message slap, the piercing cold stare of an evaluator’s review. In every word and action...
A Winter Day Remembrance
Haibun Dad’s grave is likely covered. I haven’t seen it since Rob, Mom and I last visited together. She had laid an evergreen wreath with some winter blossom, whose name I never knew. This...
Snow Removal Irony
Haibun Another blizzard, another day off. I brush a half inch of water out of the garage before I start the snow-crusted Toro. The hum of the four-cycle motor fills the frigid air. The...
Open Meeting
Haibun Standing room only in the community room of a local church on a Friday night. A blonde in knee-high riding boots checks Facebook. The co-chair runs the business portion of the Open AA...
Coming Home
Haibun I empty Mom’s closet. She pulls herself out of bed and into her wheelchair. Frankie plays Minecraft Pocket Edition on my iPhone. Mom pages the nurse’s station twice before Miria arrives with her...
Alone In The Morning
Haibun Sensations. The gurgle of the coffee maker. The hum of the refrigerator. The banging of the pipes as the heat turns on. My reflection off the storm door. The grainy patterns of manufactured...
Vindication
Haibun Trevon insists on having his test back. He said he finished his test before he went to the bathroom. Suddenly, he wants to “look over” his answers. “I just wanted to check them.”...
Another Emergency Room Check-In
Haibun Mom does not leave the house without looking immaculate. Makeup on, hair brushed and hair sprayed in place, dressed in the most appropriate outfit for the situation. Except today. She lies on a...
Winter’s Gift at a Vacation’s End
Haibun A layer of snow rests on the deck. Just a dusting. The reflection of tile on the storm door blends with that thin layer of snow. Light tries to breach the banks of...
Finishing Their Cupcakes
Haibun Mira and Frankie finish making the cupcakes. She raises her voice over his removal of something. Then she shows him the final touches: applying cream. ground dark-chocolate and peppermint. chocolate chips. She pours...
