Biblio-arbre Haibun

Hi Biscuit Breakers!

Yay, I’m finally getting the hang of just writing the blog post before I forget…

This week’s #WriteFromHome workshop was held by the brilliant Malika Booker. She is an award winning poet and is also a mentor for the Writing Squad which I am lucky to be a member of.

The theme was Haiku’s and Haibun’s. These are traditional Japanese forms which are so beautiful and focus on a place and a sense it brings to you. This week’s piece was inspired by my college’s library which I miss immensely. It always reminded me of a tree, so that’s the kind of imagery I went with.

The full video is below:

The faded moss green carpet grounds the array of thick mahogany desk legs. With each step the fluctuating scents of stale sweat, must and old books seem to sink the rising bile, reminding that this is sanctuary. Faces with pens flick through the tea and tear stained pages in unison, frantically writing and memorising as much as they can in sixty minutes. Leaves of post-it notes fall, mimicking the autumnal scene outside. The branch-like banisters curl up the walls, strong enough to withstand the heavy winds of stress and anxiety. The large glass windows beam dappled orange sunlight onto the bookshelves, illuminating each printed word. An empty desk, covered in etchings of a procrastinating student repeating “Just keep swimming”, forcing the words onto the wood but their ink ran dry years ago

A smiley face hides

In the shadows of the room

Reassuring you.

– Henna