Sean O’Connor
Crying
My father is a year dead next week, yet only now are his belongings close to being disposed of. The cupboards are empty, the drawers and wardrobes idle, and every shelf looks naked now. Not a single image that he cherished can be seen. Anything of any value, sentimental or otherwise, has been gathered in his front room, close to the door for ease of evacuation.
Perhaps soon the cries of an infant will be heard in here. I think he’d like that.
outside, a dog barks so dim and silent, his house the walls looking bare how compressed, my father’s life everything in three boxes
About the Author
Sean O’Connor is the founder and editor of The Haibun Journal. His first solo collection, Let Silence Speak (Alba Publishing, 2016), was shortlisted for the Touchstone Distinguished Books Award 2016. His other books include Even the Mountains: Five Years in a Japanese Village (Alba Publishing, 2018) and The God of Bones (Alba Publishing, 2022). He currently lives in rural Ireland.