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J Hahn Doleman

The Mermaid

A day before we leave to visit my parents she dyes her hair a neon green reminiscent of the Aegean lagoon where we swam among damselfish and sea bream the previous summer, and I’m not quite sure if she is staking out her separate identity, or trying to engage with the quirkier aspects of my family. 

biofluorescence
more adaptations slipping
into the gene pool

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J Hahn Doleman is a hospital-based speech pathologist who will make any excuse to spend time outdoors, especially for ill-advised marathon bicycle rides or off-trail backpacking trips in the Sierras with insufficient gear and provisions. Jeff began writing haibun in 2018 and serves as a contest coordinator for the Haiku Poets of Northern California.