First Sleepover
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...
Category: Haibun
Another Mother’s Day?
Haibun Mom washed, curled, brushed and hairsprayed. Then she applied makeup and lipstick. For the first time in weeks, she looks like she always does when she goes out in public. She loses her...
Relaxing into Another Weekend
Haibun Mira hands me a full glass of Chianti. “Happy Friday!” We clank glasses as we toast. I take my first sip. Dark wood taste explodes on my tongue. I lie back on the...
That Swing
Haibun I pull the black metal bars of that swing. The ground swings to the sky swings to the ground. Over and over again. Fog horn wind-tossed waves at Kingsland Point more by FRANK...
Shepherd’s Call
Each year, The Catholic Church celebrates Christ the Good Shepherd. A common Gospel reading for that Sunday Liturgy is the Gospel of John, in which Jesus Christ calls himself “the good Shepherd.” (John 10:...
Losing Grandma
I don’t remember Grandma’s death. The only flash of memory is a snippet of conversation, and a flash of grief and concern on Mom’s face. My most clear memory of Grandma: she would squeeze...
A Montebello School Commencement
Frankie and I are home. He’ll soon put on a light-green, button-down collared shirt, a pair of Khakis and dockers. We’ll drop him off at the middle school and take our seats in the...
A Shattering Truth
You and Dad tried to conceive for twelve years before you decided to adopt. You told me that story often enough: how I grabbed your pinky when you visited candidate babies, and you knew...
Summer Virus
Haibun The bloated feeling began when we drove home from the library. The cramping began later, when we came to bed. Rolaids offered no relief. The cramping soon became stabbing pains, waking me up....
Awakening Joy
Haibun As I pour out pills to sort into daily containers. As his fingers dig into my armpit, and my laughter ensues. As I get ready for bed with a stuffy head. The raw...
An Unimportant Failure
Nothing worth remembering. That fifth period class—where Moesha braided Katherine’s hair, Neina screamed; and Chastery, Jowayne and Zaire did no work—fades to insignificance. No homes called, no repercussions planned—only the slightest sense that my...
