Her toes curled in her damp socks, drying in front of the little space heater beneath her desk. A cup of coffee-milk (to call it milk-coffee was to stretch towards fantasy) moved around her face: first to her left cheek, then her forehead, over to the right cheek, her lips, and then back again in endless circles. A blanket resplendent in the maize-and-blue of her alma mater was layered over her knees while a mighty 20lb weighted blanket settled over her exhausted shoulders. Her hair, once gloriously the source of a dirty blonde’s vanity, was growing as lank and as dark as her seasonal mood, but thankfully well out of the way thanks to Ma’s old no fuss no muss, messy bun technique. Yes, she had finally settled with the setting sun, just about ready to really dive into a long-neglected watchlist, when a text alert from her sometimes-on-sometimes-very-off “lovely” popped into view from the corner of her eye:
Pub? ;P
Without setting down her coffee, she reached over to respond, and gently flicked the phone off her desk, only momentarily upsetting the cat lounging beside the balcony window.
“Hush now, darling. It’s time for a movie.”
Snow brings a hushed cold,
Yet even so, I can hear,
Our hearts beating time.
Prompt: from the kind writers over at the pub, dVerse, “Winter” as part of their Haibun Monday Series, celebrating the chill of my most beloved of seasons.
Masa, this:
is easily some of the most humanly relatable and imaginable imagery that I’ve read recently.
Well done!
-David
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Hahahaha, well thank you. I must leave my voice in my work from time to time to prove it belongs to me, after all.
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Yes. We hibernate and still are unable to tune out everything. Glad the cat was there. 😉
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It’s odd how often I need the cat somewhere in my little shorts in order to make it feel right. Thank you for the kindly observation.
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Wonderful Masa. Settling into a night of much-anticipated features — sounds like great fun! 🙂
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Something about vignettes feels so alluring. A snapshot of a life that doesn’t belong to me, warm in a way that comforts.
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As tranquil a settling in for a Winter evening as I’ve ever seen. Beautifully rendered, with such evocative description!
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Thank you kindly, and for the prompt as well. I adore a reason to concoct a little vignette, so a haibun scratches all of my itches.
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Beautifully descriptive both prose and a haiku equally descriptive and alive. Loved it.
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You are far too kind. A living moment is often my intention, so it is a relief to know it was received as such!
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I am a real fan of such snapshots, these intimate moments, and so well-suited to the haibun form. Good writing makes for good reading, and there were different emotions coming forth as I read through the scene you described, to the flicking away of the phone. I really liked your haibun, for its dreamy feel, tinged with little details that add nuances, the damp socks, the coffee ‘ritual,’ the fixing of the bun, these say more than they say…your haiku set it all off very well…
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You are much too kind, friend. I’m glad for your wide-ranging emotional palette, and doubly so for your appreciation. I adore a good vignette or intimate snapshot. Thank you, thank you.
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A wonderfully intriguing story you tell here. The images are painted like pictures on canvas. The cat ads a nice touch to your Haibun. Well done.
dwight
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Something about me and cats. Some scenes just feel incomplete without a meow in the background.
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:>)
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I enjoy feeling his affection for her through the details. Cats are our familiars and so often manifest our thoughts. I’m glad the lovely was very off that night.
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I think she’s a well-loved lady, this. Clearly popular enough to attract her lovely, but self-love is so important.
And of course, these cats keep popping up. Can’t stop them.
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Love how you have described this scene.
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Well thank you, friend. She was loved, indeed.
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You created a real person in this piece.
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“Created” lends itself too much to assume my agency. She sprung from my mind, yes, but spontaneous manifestation is much closer to the truth. All I did was give her the blanket.
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You did a good job of it, whatever 🙂
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If I was that comfortable I wouldn’t want to move either! Lovely cosy haibun.
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Cozy is often the goal. Lovely is the cherry on top!
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This brought me back to the times when I was young and I had to warm my hands on the desk-lamp while doing my homework wrapped in blanket because we kept it so cold insidd
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Hahaha, I have similar memories. I had a silver desk lamp that seemed uniquely designed to warm my hands.
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