Arrangements
Lane Parker, USA

It's February, 1945. My great uncle Paul has been in Belgium fighting the Germans. His younger brother Robert, my grandfather, has been back east going through officer's training.

Robert arrives in Los Angeles on leave. He enters his mother's house, looks around the usually austere, practical living room. Sees the flower arrangements. He grins quizzically and says, "Who died?"

hometown
orange groves and loam
paved over

Lane Parker was born in Southern California, and currently lives in San Francisco. His haiku and haibun have appeared in The Heron's Nest, South by Southeast, and Mariposa.

Copyright 2005: Simply Haiku