Prowling winter probes for weaknesses. It seeks out the sick and lonely – then shrieks its icy song of death. Winter parts the feathers on the sparrow’s breast and plunges its talons into the warm and beating heart within.
Life vapor rises /
surrenders to winter morn – /
blood ceases dancing //
The swirling hawk of winter is insatiable. Like a vampire it must feast … and feast. Beware the hawk with frozen claws and darkness in its eyes.
But even the vampire has its weakness. Darkness cannot reign forever. Spring arrives on sparkling wings and lines its nest with the feathers of those who have passed in the darkness.
Sun will always rise –/
how winter yearns at midnight /
for light, life, hope //
Scot Campbell. Northern Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Wikimedia.
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No offense meant to hawks – I love them! I especially love seeing them on long road trips – the solitary figures perched high, waiting and watching. Still, I feel sorry for the hawk’s meal – the smaller and weaker bird, the hapless rodent.
In case you’re wondering: yes, this is another haibun. Why write two in a row?
Well … I received a reminder email that Sketchbook Project hasn’t received my Fiction Project submission yet. And it’s due on the 15th! Oops! Since I completed yesterday’s Līgo Haībun Challenge entry a bit early – and felt sufficiently “warmed up” – I decided to make the Fiction submission a haibun too.
So … fellow writers … have you tried Sketchbook Project yet? Affiliated with the Brooklyn Art Library, this traveling library has plenty of graphic and writing challenges to offer. Please visit their site to learn more – or just flip through their digital library.
There are plenty of great writers here on WordPress. Give the Project a chance.
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Tagged: Fiction Project, haibun, hawk, life and death, Sketchbook Project, sparrow, winter, writing
