A Photo from the Fifties
snow globe
shaking up a new maelstrom
watching it settle
Overnight, a snowstorm has claimed our town. The neighbor’s houses and yards are coated. Snow swallows the old DeSoto. No one’s outside except my father, sister, and two cousins, all of whom run across the empty lot next door. They’ve taken sides for a snowball fight. My cousin, father, lean to wad up new snowballs. My sister, dodging a cousin’s throw, is laughing. In the foreground, aged five or so, I’m just off the porch in my furry ear-muffs. Mouth open, I’m shouting at whoever is taking the picture.
her sudden laughter —
a sheet of ice comes sliding
off the church roof
winter boots by the door
a round puddle
growing on the newspaper
Roger Jones has published haiku, haibun and tanka in various journals over the past few years. His haibun collection Goodbye, selected as the Snapshot Press e-chapbook award winner for 2012-13, will be published soon. He teaches writing in Texas, and has published three other collections of poetry. Twitter: @haibunator