Joshua St. Claire
On Camille Pissarro’s Jeanne Holding a Fan
just a few weeks ago there were still breezes—however faint—breeze enough to ruffle her hair—breeze enough to shift her dress—breeze enough to cool her cheeks—but now there is no air anymore—no air—the doctor said there would be less air each day—each day—every day—there would be less air than the last—then less and less—now that we are near the end there is no air—no air at all—no air anymore—she waves her fan but no coolness comes—she waves her fan but no air touches the flush in her cheeks—she waves her fan into the no-air—then into the nothing—
washing
the cadmium red
out of his brush
out of his brush
les coquelicots
Note: Response to: Camille Pissarro’s Jeanne Holding a Fan (1873), Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK.
About the Author
Joshua St. Claire’s haibun and tanka prose have appeared in contemporary haibun online, Drifting Sands Haibun, Modern Haiku, and Frogpond, among other journals. He is an accountant and lives with his family in south-central Pennsylvania.