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Roberta Beary

The Graduating Class Is

Dying to see the blockbuster movie. 
Dying to see the comic book hero. 

plush red velvet
an open carry claims
the mezzanine

Dying to watch the bad guys lose. 
Dying to watch the good guys win. 

closing credits
on the big screen
bullet holes

Dying to make it to the exit.
Dying to outrun a madman.

funeral home
a mother drops off
cap and gown

About the Author

Roberta Beary

Roberta Beary is the haibun editor of Modern Haiku. Born in Queens, New York, they identify as gender fluid and divide their time between USA and Ireland. They are the co-author, with Lew Watts and Rich Youmans, of Haibun: A Writer’s Guide (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2023). Their fourth collection, Carousel, is forthcoming from Snapshot Press.


5 thoughts on “<strong>Roberta Beary</strong>, The Graduating Class Is”

  1. I love everything about this piece — its brutal truth and simplicity, the repetition of “dying” and the gut punch ending with the cap and gown. Thank you for writing this.

    Reply
  2. As a former high school English teacher and now grandfather of five high school students, this stuns me…just around the corner from us all the time. Having lived in Australia for several years, I know we can change the availability of firearms in the US. Hope the Haibun is forwarded to our representatives. Thank you for this and the treasure of your Haibun Writer’s Guide.

    Reply

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