A Parent's Workday
Francis W. Alexander
 

To my horror the tamper stops on the bridge spanning Sandusky Bay. The gale howls and smacks me from three sides no matter where I position myself. Watching Grandpap and the railroad men work on the rails, I rub my chill pinched fingers, keep a look out for trains, and complain. I want the impossible — to go home.

frozen lake
a bird takes flight
for the clouds

After leaving the bridge we head for one destination near my street. My spirits are raised when Grandpap lets me get off the tamper and head home. I trudge on aching toes across the rails and through the wood towards my neighborhood.

coal burning stove —
the toy train derailing
near the bridge

Francis W. Alexander lives in Sandusky, Ohio. His haiku and haibun have appeared in Simply Haiku, Heron's Nest, Contemporary Haibun Online, Stylus, Treetops, and Mainichi Daily News, to name a few.

Copyright 2008: Simply Haiku