Tanka
he picks up
a half-empty soda
left on the curb
another day
of job hunting
wildflowers
viewing
can’t stop to think
of his wayward daughter
and the capriciousness
of her mother
spring
cleanup
for the third year
he still can't bear
to throw away
her love letters
alone
under
the willow tree
he rereads
her crumpled letter
of goodbye
I know now
why her embrace
was so tight
her last farewell
to fleeting life
he dreads
the dark demons
that inhabit his dreams
each night that passes by
in her absence
surrounded with love
of my children
this Father's day
I wish their Mom
is still here
their room
fills with silence
this All Souls day
even her unrocking
rocking chair
he roams
the rocky hills
in search of inner peace
which his world
cannot give
gathering storm
in the far horizon
she salutes her dad
and tearfully implores
come back home soon
Haiku
more subdivisions
the distant echoes
of bird songs
left to
themselves
the carefree dancing
the the whales
his
classmates taunt him
go back where you came from
new migrant’s son
she dabs
perfume
on his favorite spots
R & R night
ending
summer
his out-of-tune guitar
in the empty room
another year
his son bends down
to kiss her cheeks
he wakes up
in a strange motel
first marital row
obesity—
epidemic problem
in the land of plenty
twilight
the shadows lengthen
in their foreclosed house
unwatered lawn
the unkempt child
plays by himself
Victor P.
Gendrano, US—Bilingual
Haiku and Tanka
