John Zheng
The Sunroom Window
—Barbara Regina Dietzsch’s Pear Blossom
Mom lingers at the window, looking out at the pear tree as it buds into full blossom. Dad planted it upon his return from World War II. He’s been gone for seven years.
backyard chat
after gardening
two shadows
reclining into one
under white petals
The sunroom door creaks open. Mom wobbles toward the pear tree, snips a small sprig for the vase on the console table. Above it Dietzsch’s painting bursts with light.
Memorial Day
taking out dad’s
uniform pictures
sepia in a shoebox
to view one by one
On our way to the cemetery, Mom remains silent, her wrinkles folding into a smile. A sprig in her gnarled hands disperses a faint scent. The road dapples with sunlight.
touching the stone
shimmering
in twilight
her murmur drifts
into rising stars
About the Author
John Zheng is the author of two collections of haibun and tanka prose: A Way of Looking, which won the 2019 Gerald Cable Book Award, and Dreaminations (2026) His other poetry collections include Visual Chords and The Dog Years of Reeducation. A recipient of three Mississippi Arts Commission poetry fellowships, Zheng lives in Mississippi.