Roberta Beary
The Graduating Class Is
Dying to see the blockbuster movie.
Dying to see the comic book hero.
plush red velvet an open carry claims the mezzanine
Dying to watch the bad guys lose.
Dying to watch the good guys win.
closing credits on the big screen bullet holes
Dying to make it to the exit.
Dying to outrun a madman.
funeral home a mother drops off cap and gown
About the Author
Roberta Beary is the haibun editor of Modern Haiku. Born in Queens, New York, they identify as gender fluid and divide their time between USA and Ireland. They are the co-author, with Lew Watts and Rich Youmans, of Haibun: A Writer’s Guide (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2023). Their fourth collection, Carousel, is forthcoming from Snapshot Press.
Such power here. In the short lines. In the growing punch of the repeated word “dying.”
Thank you for your close read and insights, David.
Much appreciated!
awesome, cutting edge haibun
I love everything about this piece — its brutal truth and simplicity, the repetition of “dying” and the gut punch ending with the cap and gown. Thank you for writing this.
As a former high school English teacher and now grandfather of five high school students, this stuns me…just around the corner from us all the time. Having lived in Australia for several years, I know we can change the availability of firearms in the US. Hope the Haibun is forwarded to our representatives. Thank you for this and the treasure of your Haibun Writer’s Guide.