Fictionwocky Leg 10

The Haibun Leg

Slender wands of brown and green dance, heart-shaped green flags flapping in the breeze. Red, purple, and black berries dangle, bounce, drop to the mulch below. One, two, five, twenty, black-eyed, punk-rock tufted, brown-to-yellow, the waxwings gorge themselves in waves, spreading Mulberry’s children across Mother Earth’s expanse.

Berry, berry black

Wanton in the bright sunshine

Seed to fecund earth

Instructions

Leg 10 – The Haibun Leg: Write a microfiction as a haibun, which is a short prose passage followed by a haiku.

Traditionally, haibun was about Japanese travel writing, e.g. Matsuo Bashō’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North, where prose and haiku sit together. The prose gives the scene, memory, or experience, and then the haiku comes in and cuts through it, either deepening it, contradicting it, or else.

But this is Fictionwocky, so you don’t have to write about a lovely pond or anything like it. Make it about anything that floats your boat.

Link to remaining prompts.

6 responses to “Fictionwocky Leg 10”

  1. Jake Avatar

    Great action. I love it when others words can really bring out the visuals.

  2. Walt Shuler Avatar

    Thanks, man! Watching the cedar waxwings devour the mulberries is one of the highlights of my spring.

  3. Javier Mixco Avatar
    Javier Mixco

    Hey Walt I’m glad I found you on the interwebs. I am just starting to get back into Substack and was sad when I couldn’t find you on there. I hope all is well with you and I’m glad I can keep reading your stuff! -Javier

    1. Walt Shuler Avatar

      Hey Javier! It’s good to see you getting back at it, man. Substack just got to be a place I didn’t want to be. You’re in my feedly feeds, so I can still keep up with your work. Looking forward to reading, man!

  4. JW Avatar

    Really lovely haibun. Punk-rock tufted is such a great description of a waxwing haha

    1. Walt Shuler Avatar

      I really appreciate that! They’re so awesome to watch.

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