John Budan
Mine’s Bigger
The beginning migration of herons casting long shadows across the lake signals it’s that time again. There is a scent of apple cider and spice lattes in the air. And crisp colorful leaves begin choking my gutters. There is less talk about who has the fastest truck or the most powerful tractor. Instead, the real guys in my area shift their macho interests to pumpkin competitions. Last year a neighbor paddled his giant pumpkin, Penny Loafster, down the Columbia River for 46 miles, and the grower of Hank the Tank weighed his monster in at twenty-five hundred pounds. Both of these local men broke a Guinness record.
holiday bazaar
tiny glass eyes
on walnut shells
About the Author
John Budan has published widely. He lived in France, where he found his alter ego Guignol in Paris at the Jardin du Luxembourg. His books include Just Enough Moon: Collected Haibun (2023) and Before the Rules: Tanka and Tanka Prose (2024).
Hello John, this sounds like some healthy hometown competition, with a nice, developed setting we can feel right at home. Very nice. My grandpa loved his farm tractor. Well, it has been said, the difference between men and boys, is the size of their toys – which seems to fit right in with your title. Karina