Welcome to Haibun Monday! Mish here as your host.

Summer has escaped me! Current house renovations have kept me rather home-bound, supervising (or thinking I am) and tackling a multitude of decisions. I seem to have missed the occasional lounging on the beach, pitchers of lemonade and buzzing of bumblebees. So when I was not paying attention, Autumn quietly snuck in. It has felt more like a sudden push than a gentle transition.

I was thinking about the seasonal term “Fall” and wondering why we interchange this with “Autumn”. The latter was first introduced in the 1300’s, originating from the Latin word “autumnous”. Prior to this, the word “Harvest” was the common name, but since it also referred to the actual practice of harvesting, it became confusing. So how did the word “Fall” become another representation of the season? Blame the poets. Apparently, there were many poems written during the 1600’s that referred to the season as “the fall of the leaf”, a phrase that stuck and was eventually shortened to “Fall”. When English settlers brought the term “Fall” to America, it became popular and a less formal name for the season. So that is my tidbit of literary history for today. Let’s write!

I’d like us to focus on “the fall“or “falling” as we write our haibun today.

Choose one of the following themes for inspiration.

• The Falling of Leaves
• Falling in Love
• Falling Down (oops)
• The Fall of Society
• Falling of Fruit or Nuts
• A Waterfall
• A Downfall or Decline
• A Free Fall Experience

Your haibun should consist of one to a few tight paragraphs of non-fiction / autobiographical prose usually written in present tense, followed by a nature-based, seasonal haiku. The haiku is a whisper or another layer, perhaps deepening the meaning of the prose. You are welcome to use any of my images included in this prompt.

Here’s how to join in:

• Write a haibun in response to the prompt and post it on your blog or website.
• Click on Mr. Linky. Add your name and direct link to your work.
• Kindly add a link to dVerse so others can find us.
• Click on the links to other poets to read and comment. Come back again as the Haibun prompt is open all week.
• Drop into the pub to say hello.