There was a lick of cold in the air when I stepped out of the front door that early spring morning, a small reminder of the ghosts of winter. I thought, for the briefest of moments, about digging a coat from the bottom of my pile of already-packed-away winter clothes, but the sun above my head was warm enough against my shoulders and it had been far too long since the sun and I had talked without intervening layers. Slow paced, I traced a path through my concrete clad neighborhood with no particular destination in mind. The sun felt good on my back, so I took off my shirt, letting the cold and the warmth sweep over me simultaneously. I shivered slightly as the sun battled the shadows on my behalf.
Ghostly blackbird sings
a premonition of spring
hidden in the shade.
The leaves crinkled under my feet as I walked. One of my footsteps made no noise and I paused to see what there was living among the dead leaves. It was a single cherry blossom petal that must have floated here on the contradictory breeze. With nowhere to go and nothing but time, I sat down in the dead leaves by the roadside, twirling the cherry blossom petal between my fingers, feeling the cold breeze, waiting for spring. I sat there all evening. As the sunlight faded into night, I bit a piece off of the petal, then another, then another, until there was nothing left. After that, I went home, the cold breeze still lingering.
dead leaves and dry ground
all crumbling underfoot –
a delayed rebirth
At DVerse, the prompt is to write a haibun about Cold Mountain.
Photo by Imani Bahati on Unsplash
Seamus O'Shaughnessy, Jr. 
Love the way you link this with the two haiku.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seamus I love the spirit that infuses your haibun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did and you’re welcome.
LikeLike
This whole piece is so deliciously visceral, Seamus!
❤
David
LikeLiked by 1 person
David, thank you! I like the idea of incorporating odd actions, like eating a leaf, into my poems. To me, it makes the experience of nature so much more personal.
LikeLike
“I shivered slightly as the sun battled the shadows on my behalf.”
I luv this line. So humbling.
Enjoyed your haibun
Much love…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That line was one of my favorite to write 🙂
All love. Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
We have all been there hoping that spring has come, only to find that winter still has its own way of biting back
LikeLiked by 1 person