Resurgence: A Haibun

by

John J. Dunphy

(Originally published in the December 2020 issue of Fireflies’ Light)

He lives in a community that borders the Mississippi River. The shore collects beautiful driftwood as well as entire trees that have been washed downriver. The dried, tangled roots of these trees are such intricate works of art.

A May walk along the shore revealed a tiny green plant growing from the massive roots of a rotting tree. A dead giant nurtured a fragile new life.

spring breeze

his first walk since receiving

the diagnosis

A short distance away, he saw another dead tree that had been washed downriver and left on the shore. It, too, had become a cradle for a tiny plant.

Okay, he thought, I get it. The dead can nurture the living. It’s possible to participate in the epic of life even when oneself is lifeless. Point taken. Lesson learned.

garden nursery

terminally ill man selects

a flowering sapling

*****************

John J. Dunphy owns The Second Reading Book Shop in Alton, IL. His poetry collections include Touching Each Tree, Zen Koanhead, Stellar Possibilities, Old Soldiers Fading Away, pagan rites and Dark Nebulae.