April Woody
Night Devotions
In the village where I grew up, a woman called Monk lived in a cottage with another woman. Monk had short hair and a stocky build, drove a school bus and got along with everyone. Years later, I went downtown with a friend for my first drag show, and there was Monk, mopping up spills and gathering empty beer cups. In between acts, someone placed a chair on the stage for Monk and shone the spotlight and said it was her birthday. Miss Baby sang a beautiful tribute. At the end of the song, there was cheering and applause. Miss Baby walked offstage and back to her dressing room. The spotlight was turned off, and Monk was left sitting alone on the darkened stage, as if her big moment had never happened. Picking up her chair, she carried it offstage and went back to work.
lady cardinal
the absence
of bright red
About the Author
April Woody is a poet living in Virginia. She enjoys exploring various forms and loves the magic created by the elements of the haibun. One of her haibun appears in the anthology Ourselves in Rivers and Oceans, published by The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press.