Winter Walk

It is bitter cold today yet the dog stands at the door, tail wagging, and with an eager look. It is time for his daily walk. Rather than disappoint, I begin to bundle up. After donning boots, heavy coat, scarf, wooly hat, and gloves, I turn to see the cat lazily step onto her bed and curl into a contented ball. Reluctantly, I step into the frigid air for the walk. We return later with me frozen and the dog prancing happily. After the process of discarding my winter garb, I notice the cat still curled on her bed, turned slightly now on her side, and a grin on her face.

daylong rain
stretching into night . . .
restless dog


— Dan Hardison


Photo by Dan Hardison
Wilmington, North Carolina


Haibun, Contemporary Haibun Online - January 2014, vol 9 no 4

The Old House

It is an old house that has not been lived in for quite some time and now sits unattended. The large empty rooms are dusty with dirty windows that reach the floor. In what would have been the dining room, there is a rusty button mounted in the floor once used to summon staff from the kitchen. The kitchen, devoid of modern appliances, sits in shambles. Behind the house is a swimming pool with water that is now black.

dreaming of days past
a tired building sits and waits . . .
spirit languishing

I was young when we visited this house with my parents and grandparents. My memories of it are clear, yet I am the only one who remembers it. Could this place just be a childhood dream that has remained vivid all these years? Or could this be a place, which to a young boy, was too fascinating to forget.

in the still of night
drifting on the edge of sleep . . .
faint rememberings


— Dan Hardison


Photo by Dan Hardison
Tellico Plains, Tennessee


Haibun, Contemporary Haibun Online - October 2013, vol 9 no 3

Dawn of Autumn

Haiku and image by Dan Hardison
Photo: Cookeville, Tennessee


World Haiku Association, Oct 2013

Young Again

It is time to leave the hospital and we decide to have dinner down the street before making the long drive home. It has been a long day and we just want a light meal somewhere quiet. As we finish our meal, my sister asks if anyone is thinking about dessert. “There’s an ice cream shop two doors down,” she says. He immediately looks up and with a sheepish grin and a twinkle in his eye says, “ice cream sounds good to me.” We walk the short distance and enjoy a round of ice cream. As we make our way back to the car, he is eighty years young.

rain puddle . . .
stepping cautiously
through childhood


— Dan Hardison


Photo by Dan Hardison
Wilmington, North Carolina


Haibun, Contemporary Haibun Online - October 2013, vol 9 no 3

Prelude to Harvest

Haiku and image by Dan Hardison
Photo: Hendersonville, North Carolina


World Haiku Association, Sep 2013