Three Haibun Poems by Lavana Kray

 

 

                              The poet

A flock of sheep crosses the orchard, mashing golden overripe plums under their hooves. It smells 

like grandma's old hearth boiling jams. Ahead of me, a convoy of villagers meanders on the path

without horizon, waking the ancestral dust from its numbness. Some people complain about the 

hard times, some say jokes They know a lot about all things, and next to nothing about the man 

they follow on the last road, except that he roamed the hills and wrote poems...            

the leaves no longer fall                          

at the poet's house –

excavators

 

 

                                Shadows

The hand that used to rest on my shoulder, no longer opens the door. No one waters the flowers 

and dreams anymore...Even this fuliginous cloud spreads its shadow and moves on. How desolate 

our walnut tree swing is! Now and then only a snail swings, or this fog, which can’t be waltzed away 

by wind. Some twigs snap under imaginary steps, or maybe not.

I watch obsessively the barren land, letting only a shadow rise. Always the same...

deep mist –

the bitter taste of

aerial roots

 

 

  Fragility

The inclement weather has ruined my plans of mountain hiking. The path turned muddy. Wet birds

watch me sliding towards the yellow water while trying to get hold of branches. The nenuphars 

make place for me. Daylight only flows into the stork's eggs. Perhaps, it’s not by chance that I’am 

here. I could find out how long it takes for indifference to become concern. People pass by, 

engrossed in their cell phones.

falling stars –

equally vulnerable

                                 the sky and man

Lavana Kray lives in Romania. Her work has appeared in many print and online publications, as well as in haiga exhibitions organized by the World Haiku Association in Japan and Italy, and in 2015 the World Haiku Association awarded her the title of Master Haiga Artist. The Laval Literary Society from Canada awarded her the André-Jacob-Entrevous Prize 2023, for a literary text (haiku) combined with an artistic visual. She currently serves as editor of Haiga at Cattails (UHTS). See more of her work at https://photohaikuforyou.blogspot.com.