Pain
Pain reminds me that I’m breathing, still able to appreciate the fragrance of French roast coffee brewing, the diced red pepper, onion and jalapeño mixture sizzling in the pan. Today is a good day. When I roll out the dough for the onion tart, the leg barely protests, and as I sip ginger tea while the tart bakes, no throb interrupts my pleasure.
Sometimes the hip shocks me with its barbed lance attack, or the knee rasps “not today, sonny,” and I grimace, concentrate on deliberate forward movement, one short step followed by another, into the kitchen or down the steps to the shack.
Music soothes, as does poetry, but occasionally the weight of the guitar is more than the leg can bear. Still, when I manage to lose myself in a tune or a few phrases, I drift in their currents, weightless, free.
Oh, to climb that hill
among those lost maples
Look — my shoe’s untied
* * *
“Pain” first appeared in The Zen Space in July 2018.
O at the Edges 
I was moved by your haibun.
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Thanks, Liz. Pain seems to be even more relevant lately. Ah, life!
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You’re welcome, Bob. Ah, pain, indeed!
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So beautifully written.
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Thank you very much.
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I’m a little sad that I relate to this so readily. 🙂 Artfully rendered, Bob, as always!
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I must admit that pain has gotten the better of me in recent weeks. But I’m making a comeback.
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We do until we don’t. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Frank J. Tassone and commented:
#Haiku Happenings #5: Robert Okaji’s #haibun “Pain”!
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Thanks for reblogging, Frank.
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Old guy, I can relate to this.
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Pain seems to be more and more prevalent lately. And relevant. Ah, aging.
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Intriguing – goes well with my acceptance of a bunch of NEW pain now that the hip pain has vanished … seems I’m now aware of other arthritic connections! Hmmm … part of aging I must embrace as better than the alternative.
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Hip pain is foremost in my consciousness these days. The others all seem so mundane. Ha.
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