Sean O’Connor
Secrets
mother cat
discarding the silent kitten
from her noisy litter
Millie Dwyer died after giving birth in the grotto behind the closed church. It was during the first night she ever spent outside the house she was born in.
They say she went there for help from the Virgin Mary, that she died in the arms of God, that her baby went straight to heaven.
The forensic pathologist didn’t say any of these things. She told the coroner that Millie had severed the umbilical cord with a scissors and tied it successfully; that she and her child were alive together for perhaps four or five hours; and they were found in an embrace.
drying in May sunshine
the rag doll on a clothesline
both eyes missing
Note: See also “Daily Bread,” a companion piece to “Secrets.”
About the Author
Sean O’Connor is the founder and editor of The Haibun Journal, a judge of the Genjuan International Haibun Contest, and has been writing haibun and haiku for 30 years. His first solo collection, Let Silence Speak (Alba Publishing, 2016), was shortlisted for the Touchstone Distinguished Books Award 2016. His latest book, Even the Mountains: Five Years in a Japanese Village (Alba Publishing, 2018), has been well received by reviewers. He currently lives in rural Ireland.
A universe of meaning in the first sentence alone. Haunting and beautiful.
That sense of foreboding from the beginning. As I comment here on both of your haibun, I know they will follow me throughout the day as I do my chores.
Haunting indeed.
Wonderful work, Sean. Very powerful.
Two incredibly powerful haibun. So much story in such spare form.
Dear Marilyn, Jo, Lew, and Peggy,
Thank you so much for your kind words about my two haibun ‘Secrets’ and ‘Daily Bread’. Your comments mean a lot to me. I am grateful too to the editors of CHO for selecting ‘Secrets’ as the featured haibun for this issue. That is an honour.
A big thank you also goes to those of you who have written to me directly about these haibun.
I wish you all well with your own writing.