From the window, she surveys
her garden. The barren ground calls,
begging to be transformed.
She walks outside to the empty
patch of dirt.

A smile extends across her face
as she kneels to the dirt. Deaf to
all sound, nothing interferes with
her goal. The scent of the earth fills
her nostrils; its warmth flows up her
fingers and through her body.

She is the master here, not the
disabled woman rejected by
the hearing world. Not the mother
I must protect daily from pointing
fingers and not so quiet whispers.

Mother answers the silent call,
plants her bulbs and awaits
the blooms. Deafness has
taught her many things, the
best lesson was that of patience.

She envisions a garden filled with
a rainbow of colors: red, white and pink
Amaryllis.
Mom has never heard music,
but in her silent world nature’s
colors create their own melody as
they heal a lonely heart.

Written by Arlene Antoinette – Valrico, Florida – USA

Feature Photo by PhotoAC

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Fiction

Non Fiction

Memoir

Poetry

Open. Candid Haiku about Everyday Life

by Z.E. Frey

 “There were “aha!” moments (It looks nice from here/ But I’m seeing piles of bills/Envy fades away) and moments of recognition (In order to grow /I must learn how to forgive/Damn. That’s a challenge.). Some of the haiku just beg to be copied on a post-it and stuck to my mirror (Eyes are like fire/When you speak arrows of truth/Killing the slander.)… Frey’s authentic voice is perhaps the best part. She shows so many individual facets of her mind and heart that she creates a wonderful mosaic of herself. “Open” is definitely worth the time to read. I suspect I will reread it.”

~Gail Sosinsky Wickman for Readers’ Favorite

This book is not your typical collection of haiku. Have you ever wanted to vent but not compromise the identity of whom or what you are complaining about? A haiku is the way to do it! Laugh and be inspired by 560 thought-provoking humorous and brazen haiku about love, betrayal, faith, work, and even the struggles of weight-loss.

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: IWA Publications/IWA Publishing Services July 4, 2012
• ISBN 978-1477625323
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.3 x 9 inches