Maxianne Berger
Banished
Mum said it was reassuring. She grew up with it because of Grandpa. I grew up with it because of Dad. Yes, it imbued my childhood, but those olden days became bye-bye and gone days: when my first husband wanted to, I wouldn’t let him. Not in the house, I insisted. Outside.
footsteps in the underground garage hands clench gulped inhale o h h h p h h h e w w w the scent of cigar smoke
About the Author
Montrealer Maxianne Berger co-edited Cirrus: tankas de nos jours for six years with Mike Montreuil. She writes book reviews for Tanka Canada’s Gusts, and coordinates them for Haiku Canada Review.
Loved the build up – the intrigue – what is it that your mum found ‘reassuring’? Oh! Smoking. ‘Bye bye and gone days’ implying ‘best left behind days’. And the third line of the tanka – four words joined into one – it made me have to slow down and decipher it.
A good read. Thank you.
I may be a rarity. I love cigar smoke, maybe because of associations, my grandfather and my late husband. Brings back good memories.
Adelaide
thank you, Liz, and thank you, Adelaide .. I, too, have loving associations with it .. but decided way back then to have a smoke-free home .. my private nickname for the old man who smoked in the underground garage in the winter .. I thought of him as “Grampa” .. was definitely anxious that day, though, till I smelled the smoke .. Maxianne