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Sometimes, we need to wake up later. What’s true for us is true for some Cherry Trees, too. Welcome to another Haibun Monday, poets! Frank J. Tassone here, and today, we again write haibun, that blend of prose-poetry and haiku. On this last Monday of April, 2025, let’s embrace a traditional Spring kigo: late cherry blossoms!

As I said three years ago:

Blooming from mid-March to late April, Cherry trees produce an array of beautiful flowers, whose colors embody Spring. Viewing the Cherry Blossoms (hanami) evolved as an important cultural ritual in Japan. Poets from the Heian era wrote many waka (tanka) that alluded to the blossoms. Basho continued this tradition in both his haiku and haibun writing, and other haiku poets followed his lead. Viewing Cherry Blossoms remains popular today, both in Japan and throughout the world. The United State’s National Cherry Blossom festival, for example, is an annual celebration in the nation’s capital.

The Cherry tree next to my home just bloomed this past week. Bright pink blossoms now adorn every branch like a garlanded Christmas Tree. When I looked at its bare branches before vacationing the week before last, I wondered if I’d ever see its blossoms. Now that they’re here, I sigh as Sunday’s strong winds already blow some of them to the ground.

Again, as I said three years ago:

No wonder cherry blossoms inspired some haiku masters themselves:

without regret

they fall and scatter…

cherry blossoms

(Issa)

How many, many things

They call to mind

These cherry-blossoms!

(Basho)

Sakura, sakura

they fall in the dreams

of sleeping beauty

(Buson)

from “Haiku Poetry about Cherry Blossoms,” Alicia Joy, Culture Trips

Today, let’s write haibun that allude to late cherry blossoms!

New to haibun? The form consists of one to a few paragraphs of prose—usually written in the present tense—that evoke an experience and are often non-fictional/autobiographical. They may be preceded or followed by one or more haiku—nature-based, using a seasonal image—that complement without directly repeating what the prose stated.

New to dVerse? Here is what you do:

• Write a haibun that alludes to late cherry blossoms.
• Post it on your personal site/blog.
• Include a link back to dVerse in your post.
• Copy your link onto the Mr. Linky.
• Remember to click the small checkbox about data protection.
• Read and comment on some of your fellow poets’ work.
• Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.
• Have fun!