Texas Haibun
I dream of poetry in all its forms, rising and flowing and subsiding without end, much like ice shrugging within itself. Last winter a hard freeze split a valve on the downstream side of the cistern. Had it cracked even a few inches up-line there would have been no need to replace the valve.
captive rain recalls
its journey towards the ground
the garden returns
The well terminates at 280 feet. The water is hard, but cool, and tastes of dark limestone and ancient rains.
Even the gnarled live oaks have dropped their leaves. Grass crunches underfoot and smells like dead insects and dried herbs. Mosquitoes have vanished. Only the prickly pears thrive. Their flowers are bright yellow and bloom a few days each year.
sauteed with garlic
nopalitos on my plate
their thorns, forgiven
I wipe sweat from my forehead with the back of the glove, and wonder how many ounces of fluid have passed through my body this year, how the rain navigates from clouds through layers of soil and stone, only to return, how a cold beer might feel sliding down my throat.
stoking the fire
winter rain whispers to me
forget tomorrow
* * *
Originally posted in February, 2014, this was my first attempt at a haibun.
O at the Edges 
Loved your Haibun! Are the prickly pear flower similar to squash blossoms when fried!
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No, they’re not. I don’t know what they taste like, but I enjoy eating cactus paddles (which remind me of okra) as well as the prickly pears.
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Oh, I thought you were eating the flower!
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Nope. But now I wonder…
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:>)
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Great “portrait” of Texas winter …
Might you one day produce a chapbook of Texas Seasons … both the weather and the food …??
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Hmm, I’ve never thought of that. That could be fun.
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I trust your good taste to represent Texas well …
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I’ll do my best!
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That is most impressive – I don’t know much about the medium but I like the thoughtful description.
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Thank you, Derrick. I love haibun.
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Wow. The water tastes of dark limestone and ancient rains. Wow. You achieved the earthiness of it!
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Thanks very much. I’m pleased that it resonated for you.
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You did a good job.
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Thank you, Joanne.
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That rain passing through you to give itself back to the air. You are part of it.
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Kind of like a filter… 🙂
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A fantastic haibun filled with some elements, parts and pieces of Nature. Thanks Bob, I love haibun.
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