Poetry Friday: Fly Fishing: A Haibun

This haibun started as a first draft at Mary Lee’s place during her April Poetry challenge, which she coupled with a look at attribution and the rich resources in Wikimedia Commons. Something about the photo of the woman fishing really struck me. Off and on this month, I’ve been working on the haibun that emerged from the image, discovering in it something about boundaries between worlds and the dexterity it takes to live on the surface between them. I’m not sure where this will eventually lead, but it doesn’t feel quite done to me. Still, I like it enough to share!

Here’s the photo, found in Wikimedia by Mary Lee at  A Year of Reading.

Check out Liz Steinglass’ place for more Poetry Friday.

Fly Fishing: a haibun

Two worlds: air, water. And between them, the quicksilver surface. From her perch atop a boulder, a trout fisher considers her options. Surrounding her; the rush of melt water, the balm of balsams, the persistence of granite, and the fullness of time.

She holds these two worlds, irreconcilable, in her heart: the murky world of trout – their hungers, their desires; and the sweetness of air, the warmth of the occasional sun.

Yet, perhaps, in the unfolding of long time passing, the way will open through the deep eddy of understanding, an unsteady step into the swirling waters, and the tap of a fly carried in the current.

hand-tied midge arcs
toward icy trout-waters –
ripples rising

© Steve Peterson

9 thoughts on “Poetry Friday: Fly Fishing: A Haibun

  1. Pingback: The Poetry Friday Party is Here! | Elizabeth Steinglass

  2. Love the idea that from this image you got,
    “holds these two worlds, irreconcilable, in her heart” and the resulting haibun. Nice work. Thanks for sharing. =)

    • Thanks, Bridget! I started thinking about how she looks like she’s having a lot of fun, but that it must have been a bit difficult for her to navigate the Trout Unlimited of her day, too. Living in two worlds came from that. I’m not sure it works completely, but that’s where my head went! Interesting how that happens, isn’t it??

    • Thanks for all of your poems this past month, and for sharing your kids’ poems, too. I’ve been extremely busy, it seems, and haven’t been as good about commenting. Please know that I’ve really, really appreciated your work!!

  3. I love the quicksilver surface and your exploration of it. I am just beginning to explore haibun. Yours is rippling all the way to my house.

    • Thanks for hosting PF, Liz! That’s a lot of work, but what a fun crowd. I’m just exploring haibun, too. I’m not sure, really whether this is one or not. But I like the layered idea of the form.

    • Thanks, Ruth! I sure have enjoyed all the poetry you’ve been sharing this month! Also, I loved the Progressive poem you and the other PF-ers created together. Nice work!

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