spring gusts …
a swirl of dead leaves
in the dugout
Published by
Anna Eklund-Cheong
Anna Eklund-Cheong, an American expat living in France, rediscovered writing haiku (a challenging, creative outlet!) after becoming an empty-nester. Her first published haiku appeared in Acorn in 2015. She also volunteers, gives tours, and leads haiku workshops for school groups in the Paris area. She has published haiku in Frogpond, The Heron's Nest, Modern Haiku, Blithe Spirit, Presence, Hedgerow, Mayfly, cattails, and other journals. She is on Instagram @ParisHaiku
View all posts by Anna Eklund-Cheong
Thank you, Tinywords! I feel so honored that you selected one of my haiku for publication. Take care and be well! Warm regards, Anna
hi Anna, I know the feeling– missing baseball a lot!
Excellent baseball haiku – I am able to catch much of spring, slipping into the woods, following a stream, but there is no replacement for this sport. I am really missing the season
I love a good baseball-ku. This is appropriate to the times. Well crafted—one of my favorite!
Baseball!?!?!? I thought you meant a boat! It works fine that way, too.. I did wonder why you didn't just call it a canoe.. :)
Also, the ghosts of Little League days in those swirling leaves. You never forget the highs and lows of the dugout.
It seems that many of us will remember spring 2020 as the spring without baseball … just swirling dead leaves in the dugouts … I am so happy to read here that my haiku stirred a few hearts. <3 Thank you for your comments, which I cherish.
spring gusts …
a swirl of dead leaves
in the dugout
—ANNA EKLUND-CHEONG
Wonderful!
Dugouts are iconic in TV series and movies, not to mention Peter Doig and Friday the 13th!
Thank you, Alan! Let's hope that in 2021 the dugouts will be filled with baseball players and not dead leaves … and the stadiums and arenas, stands and bleachers, filled with spectators, everywhere, too …
Ah, so it was baseball dugouts! :-)
I remember a fab Bristol (UK) nightclub called The Dug Out! :-)
The Dug Out Club in Bristol which closed down in 1986, is the inspiration for a new play at the Tobacco Factory. The nightclub in Park Row shaped the Bristol music scene in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The play is based on real events, such as the targeting of the city in 1974 by the IRA.
Now we have the invisible virus and no night clubs or pubs or cafes.
There may be stopgap vaccines but not a magical universal one for a while.
Perhaps we need to develop far more sophisticated holograms so we can be virtually with everyone else in the stadiums, but still pop to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, or snatch another brew from the fridge. :-)
My wife, Karen Hoy, attended Live Aid (Bob Geldof, U2, Queen etc…) but I can only bear to do 100,000 people events if I'm being paid myself, as I have been in the past. :-) I'm more of a 7 or 8 people haiku workshop person, currently via Zoom at the moment. :-)
Alan