David Oates

Burn

After a night out with friends, I come back to my parents’ house. In the family room, my dad looks up from his book when I come in. I say, “Don’t you hate when you burn the roof of your mouth on that first bite of pizza?” He says, “Why would you do that twice?”

shaggy eyebrows
Dad’s reflection
in my mirror

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About the Author

David Oates is the host and producer of Wordland on WUGA FM in Athens, Georgia, USA. His books are Night of the Potato (fiction and poetry), Shifting with My Sandwich Hand, Drunken Robins, and The Deer’s Bandanna (the last three, haiku). He teaches haikai forms, especially haiku and senryu.