Final Destination
It was Chicago, a weekend in June, 2011, and friends gathered, met face-to-face for the first time. A blues club. A boat tour on the river and lake. The Poetry Foundation. Slam poetry at The Green Mill. Music, words and laughter, mixed, mingled, with friendships made stronger, lasting. A spark was born, and September saw our return, just you and I, with a festival of jazz providing the score. As that week ended, we knew we were meant to be together. Traveling back and forth… northeast, mid-west, Finger Lakes, St. Louis, Niagara Falls, precious moments with interludes of separation. But then, a year later, we were together. For good.
my mind running wild
too many miles between us
needing your presence
a state of calm by your side
my final destination
Using calm and wild, this haibun is my response to a challenge from Colleen Chesebro: Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge – #Haiku #Tanka #Haibun: CALM & WILD.
rivrvlogr 
The emotion in this one is palpable.
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Ah, yes. Indeed.
Thank you.
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I recognise those emotions. Beautifully expressed…
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🙂 Thank you, Sue.
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🙂
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That is a beautiful shot of my favourite city.
The words are tender and loving–
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Thank you. It’s special to us.
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distance resolved – nice tanka – and Chicago was always one of my favorite cities, though I haven’t been since 2000
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Thank you. My last time there was in 2014, and each year means being more selective about where to go. A friend we’ve visited, just west of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, is leaving Chicago and moving back to Wisconsin after 30 years. She’s been active with community action and the police liaison for years, but she’s finally had enough. She’s watched gentrification slowly move through her neighborhood, and knows that her house will sell in a heartbeat, while shootings occur nearby on a regular basis.
I really would like to get back there for another jazz festival, but it looks like the next time we see her it will be in Wisconsin.
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my heart breaks for their suffering
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The mind running wild…it does with strong emotion, doesn’t it? I like that image. (K)
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🙂 I like knowing it’s behind me, now.
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Whew! I felt the meaning of every single word in your Haibun. That Tanka at the end is perfect. I really loved this. Glad to see you back. 😀
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Hello, and thank you!
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Wow–I love this one, Ken! It’s filled with such rhythm and emotion.
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beautiful and so very lovely ❤
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Thank you, Kim.
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Pingback: Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge – #Haiku #Tanka #Haibun: HEAT & CONFUSE | Colleen Chesebro ~ Fairy Whisperer
A wonderful love story, beautifully expressed. 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂
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