More Poet's Place Poems

Cheating Death Haibun

Cheating Death Haibun

I cheated death 24 times in my life. When I was a child I had all the childhood diseases -, asthma, measles, bronchitis, pneumonia, mumps, whopping cough. I had typhoid in the Peace Corps, almost had a train accident, two car accidents, almost swept out to sea, 14 operations after I broke my heel, frozen shoulder syndrome, weird tropical parasite, dengue fever, COVID. Still alive and kicking at age 69.

I have cheated death
At age 69, still alive
Still loving my wife

includes a haiku.
Similar to haiku, a haibun focuses on a detail of a single event in the present moment.
Unlike haiku, which usually focuses on the natural world, haibun poetry is open to any topic. Also, a haibun poem is titled whereas a haiku is not.
In a haibun, the haiku can precede or follow the prose and is related to the theme, but is used as the climax or subtle introduction of the poem.
The prose and haiku need to complement or balance each other so there is no need for interpretation.
For more in-depth information and some beautifully written examples, here’s a link to how to dip your pen into creating your haibun.
And here’s my first haibun poem
as I write about geese, one of my favorite animals to observe on my daily walks.

photo/haiku by Thalia Dunn
A peaceful moment
Gaggle of Canada geese peck ice-crusted fields as they dig and poke for treasured grass tucked below the snow. While they search for food, three geese stand alert at the edge and vigilantly guard the flock.
With necks straight up, they scan the horizon for potential threats and when they see me, they flutter their wings and waddle a few steps closer to the flock. And as one movement, all the geese move a few steps but continue to hunt and nibble and feast.
Winging frantically
through the sky, solitary
goose calls for his tribe.
©Thalia Dunn
Who wants to dabble in writing some haibun with me? Carolyn Hastings? Paper Poetry poets? Ready?