Gavin Austin
Crosswinds
Jonquils perfume the Melbourne morning as I leave the riverwalk and approach the stairway. Our stairway. Dark green painted handrails lead into the city’s murmur. I trail my fingers along their sleek, enameled coldness, over carved initials and graffiti, and think of the day we together climbed these stairs to Princes Bridge. The sunlight angled across your face and wind-tousled hair, your laughter light as you paused on the seventh step, turned, and asked, “So, do you love me?”
I brushed aside your question, my face burning, my tongue thick and useless. But I remember how your words had soared, like the swallows skimming the air that morning. A flight to the unknown.
dandelion clock the one remaining wish
About the Author
Gavin Austin lives in Sydney, Australia. He writes short fiction, short plays, and poetry. His work has appeared in many Australian and international publications.
A beautiful haibun Gavin, I love your haiku linking it all at the end – lovely.
Thanks so much, Joanna.
I enjoyed reading your ‘Taking Sides’. Great haiku to close.
I am new to haibun. Till recently, I believed haibun was a bit of prose, with a haiku tagged to it. Never asked what that amounts to. Then, more recently I started reading what the Gurus had to say. I still don’t know cleary why the marriage of prose and poetry is needed . But I think I know a few of the things I should take into account. The haiku. The link-shift between prose and poetry. Finally, the title. Your editor says one should also ask if the haiku is (are) stand alone. Or the prose, for that matter. Equipped with these stone age weapons, I read your prose and enjoyed it a lot. The first paragraph ended so wonderfully. The second paragraph finds happiness in the sadness of it all. At least the memories soar. The softness of it all.
Then the haiku. Where is the link/shift, if any, I asked. Don’t know about you, but I think I saw the link in L2,L3. L1 told me of the poet’s days of innocence.
Perhaps what I said had nothing to do with the composition. Sorry if that’s the case. I liked “the seventh step” so much. I am an aged person. Long term memories are more vivid than the short term ones. This is why I liked the title so much.
Such a nice read, even though I am a novice.