on the banks of the river silence
Overhead, a flock of tree swallows circled like vultures. She wasn’t sure why, or where they’d come from, but the sight of them stopped her in her tracks and she stood there, face upturned, mouth open, watching quietly for several minutes. Remembering how to fly. The air hung heavy on her skin with the weight of long-discarded clothing, and she swam through each breath with the slight panic of not enough rising up in her throat. Sweat ran down her back in sheets, and leaves pasted themselves to her skin in a rorschach of camouflage. She wasn’t lost, or floundering, she’d simply decided to marry the landscape. But the forest had a way of closing in on her even as the sky made her taller, and she had to keep moving lest her feet take root.
.
she wandered the floor
in search of midnight feathers
fingers clutching blue
.
.
.
.
September 8th, 2015 at 9:51 am
In search of midnight feathers. Lovely line in your haiku. The feeling of giving yourself over to something and then realizing it is consuming you, is all too real.
September 8th, 2015 at 9:55 am
I love that she married the forest and especially love her having to keep moving so her feet dont take root. Very cool.
September 8th, 2015 at 10:11 am
The prose is amazing from remembering how to fly, and deciding to marry the landscape ~ There is a wonderful personification of nature as it moves and searches for midnight feathers ~
A delightful haibun Kelly ~ Thanks for joining our Haibun Monday ~
September 8th, 2015 at 10:54 am
How wonderful the prose piece is.. there is no comfort in this woods, and somehow I see the image of Snowwhite running through the woods in search of safety… the line about her feet taking root is nightmarish.. and yes midnight fingers is a wonderful combination of words…
September 8th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Vultures fly high as
hawks fly low each
with a mission of
Earth’s delight in
Saving balance Light..
Photo
Life’s vulture
Truth as Dark..:)
September 8th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
A very atmospheric haibun, Kelly. You make us feel Nature.
September 8th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
A strong atmospheric piece that is nearly the perfect haibun, for the prose is poetic, purple as wine grapes, & the reader hangs on every line; the haiku caps the brilliance.
September 8th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Great lines,Kelly.
September 8th, 2015 at 7:18 pm
I really, really like this. Lovely atmospheric wording throughout, but my favorite phrase is “she had to keep moving lest her feet take root.”
September 8th, 2015 at 7:55 pm
Breathtaking, loved the blue feathers.
September 9th, 2015 at 1:58 am
beautifully poetic specially love the line “to keep moving lest her feet take root.”…
September 9th, 2015 at 7:31 am
Mysterious and beautiful.
September 10th, 2015 at 3:41 pm
For starters, I love the title of this. And your imagery is beautiful and haunting. As she “remembered how to fly” I found myself wishing she would fly again. Peace, Linda
September 10th, 2015 at 10:53 pm
I do like this very much. I think many of us have been taken with her having to move lest she take root. it does often seem that way when one is alone and quiet in the forest, doesn’t it?
September 11th, 2015 at 5:54 pm
This has a feeling of desperation to me although it is stated that she isn’t “lost or floundering” and somehow that she wants to “marry the landscape” hints of more dire thoughts. Very well written, I love the haunting nature of it.
September 12th, 2015 at 2:22 pm
So beautiful. Married to nature–in a sense we all are.
September 12th, 2015 at 4:33 pm
wonderful images Kelly. You drew me in beautifully to the landscape you described.
September 12th, 2015 at 7:04 pm
I love your way with this…the tug of going/staying the sense of closeness with the land…a unique style in your words as well…very enjoyable!
September 12th, 2015 at 7:11 pm
Such unique imagery and word choices….like this: “leaves pasted themselves to her skin in a rorschach of camouflage”–amazing throughout the whole prose of this splendid haibun!
September 12th, 2015 at 11:23 pm
Ah, I like, when our imagination allowed to fly, no limitation…and really this ‘remembering how to fly’ takes us to beginning of everything….
The words ‘The air hung heavy on her skin’ filled for me with some invisible entities, ghosts and forest spirits…and you say ‘forest had a way’ …so here I see how one may want to run even if she ‘decided to marry the landscape.’ Relief, seems – in the last line of haiku ‘fingers clutching blue’ …she won’t give up her dream! Wonderful!
September 19th, 2015 at 7:26 pm
This is lush and gorgeous! I love the idea of marrying the landscape, but I too would have to keep moving so my feet don’t take root. Truthfully, though, I think I would also want to be rooted for a while.