Shaun Hunter writes poetry and personal essays in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her poetry has appeared in Freefall and Rags. In 2007, she published a chapbook of haibun, a form that combines prose and haiku.

 

 

 

 

Commencement 1984

Mother Nature

Summer afternoon, my son sits beside me in the shade
of the poplar. Sweet sixteen. I don’t hear the birds or the bees, only the crackling noise in my head as I perch on the edge of this
moment.

My well-rehearsed speech scatters like beads, shiny bits of warning
and advice. He relaxes into my awkwardness, lets me give my talk.

Silence now, and the relief of past tense.

            between branches                  spider silk

First published in FreeFall Spring 2007