“Hope,” A #Haibun

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

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Welcome to my contribution to my Weekly #Poetry Challenge, where you can write your own Haiku, Tanka, or Haibun using the prompt words of “mirror and harbor.”

I have decided to write my poetry using the prompt words from my weekly challenge about the Harlem Renaissance since I am a judge in Yecheilyah’s First Poetry Contest. It’s been fun dedicating my poetry to an era that ushered in some of the greatest American poets of our time.

Langston Hughes features prominently in Yecheilayh’s soon to be released book, Renaissance: The Nora White Story. Click HERE to read more about the poets and writers of the Harlem Renaissance and HERE to enter the contest.

Here is an example of a Langston Hughes, poem:

Dreams

By Langston Hughes, 1902 – 1967

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

Poets.org

Image credit: Pinsdaddy.com

I stared into the murky depths of the Harlem River. The breeze blew brisk, and I sniffed the salt in the air. The tide was out, and my reflection wavered on the shallow surface of the harbor emulating my thoughts. Had I made the right decision to leave my home and journey to New York? My only companion, a long-legged loon, stalked his way through the shells and rocks as he poked his beak into the sand. In one swift movement, he had retrieved his lunch, a mussel dangling from his beak. The bird met my staring eyes. The answers to my question were crystal clear. Seek, and ye shall find.

Change is in the air –
fleeing to find our fortunes
our folk stays behind.
Hope is the harbor that binds
and mirrors our Renaissance.

© 2017 Colleen M. Chesebro



Image credit: PCmode.org 1920’s Harlem women


Image credit: Khanacademy.org (The 19th Amendment) 1920’s Musicians

Remember, the best poetry has layers of meaning.


Image credit: wordcandy.me

Write about what others are not talking about… silence speaks volumes.

33 thoughts on ““Hope,” A #Haibun”

  1. This is so simple in its telling yet so deeply relevant in its meaning. In fact it spoke volumes to me in regards the situation that I find myself in. Thank you. 💜

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you. I love showing how something simple can have a positive impact. ❤️

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    1. I had to close my eyes and become the woman in this one. Sometimes I use my empathic tendencies to feel the person’s emotions. You know it was liberating to write about someone in history like that. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Merril. It took me awhile to write because I wanted the message to be there from the paragraph, yet convey a different message in the Tanka portion. I’m hooked on these Haibun. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Viva, than you! What a wonderful thing to say. This took quite awhile. I had to pretend I was that girl. It worked! ❤️

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    1. Many thanks, Robbie. I am learning to use my empathic writing skills. If you step into the character of the person, it makes the writing easier. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thank you. I love the way his prose flowed. It was the non-capitalization that I really loved. He was a rebel in the world of poetry. I loved that era. My grandparents were married in 1920. You should see their wedding photo. ❤

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