The Versesmith

dVerse's Haibun Monday : " A Life on Mars " Tribute  Write a haibun that alludes to the themes of the excerpts from Tracy K. Smith’s “ Life on Mars .” Tina says what if dark matter is like the space between people When what holds them together isn’t exactly love, and I think That sounds right—how strong the pull can be, as if something That knows better won’t let you drift apart so easily, and how Small and heavy you feel, stuck there spinning in space.            Tracy K. Smith, “ Life on Mars ” Graywolf Press, 2011, p. 37 One of my brothers died around this time last year, although we didn’t find out until late autumn. My remaining brother and I don’t know exactly when he died. No one does. We can only go by the date on the death certificate. We know he died at home, but don’t know who found him, or how long he’d been gone by then. He lived alone, and lived a lonely life. He’d alienated himself from the rest of our family over the y...

 It's Haibun Monday at dVerse.   The prompt is " Write a haibun that references Halloween ." Starting in early October, the neighborhood ghouls and witches appear.  Mostly inflatables, but a growing number of gigantic skeletons as well.  Where do they the residents keep those during the off season?  These things are 12’ tall!  Maybe they leave them up.  I saw you can get Santa outfits for them on Amazon.  It will be interesting to see if Easter Bunny ears will be available come spring, or Uncle Sam hats for July 4th.  Come to think of it, patriotic garb on a skeleton is a good representation of what’s been going on.   You know... the Death of Democracy.  bones reach for the sky  as children screech on the porch feeding sugar-highs  ©2025 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved  

Kim at dVerse  has given us the following prompt for today's Haibun Monday . "No matter how you feel about the first day of 2024, I would like you to write about it. Have you set your heart on a new beginning, a move, a relationship, a hobby, etc.? Are you resolved to being stuck indoors until spring or have you been / are you going for a New Year’s Day walk? Is the first day of the New Year a time for reflection, or are you nursing a hangover and just need a little peace and quiet? Aim to write no more than three tight paragraphs, followed by a traditional haiku that includes reference to the season."  I stayed up until midnight last night.  Nothing unusual about that, it's something I usually do.  Have some snacks, watch the ball drop from New York, belatedly, as I'm in Oregon, then off to bed well past my "bedtime."   Too early I'm up, cranky and tired.   The cats kept me awake, coming and going, coming and going, knocking things off the bedsid...