I debated a long time before posting this. I see my Haibun taking new directions, more so into past images for some reason. This is written about my friend Mark who died in a car crash over the summer. I have been struggling over the thought to write about it and I know deep down that I need too. The events of that July 4th weekend I returned to BG, the funeral, the calling hours:it still haunts me. His parents, family, all of my friends, twenty of us staying at my small shitty rental house on Wooster St for three days-sleeping in the garage, cars, etc. Going through it together. There is something there, a story, an account, but a part of me feels it is to surreal for words. The greatest challenge I have is writing about myself (perhaps the hidden use of this blog).
What still haunts me is his facebook page, which has not yet been deactivated. People use it as a living electronic testament to him and still occasionally post things on his wall. Sometimes it's a reflection, sometimes its a simple "I miss you". They used his quotes on his info page in his calling hours as well as a few notes he had written. I find it remarkable and foreign at the same time.
Haibun 5
I am friends on facebook with a dead person. He is my true friend. And when he died innocently in a car crash, people posted on his wall. It’s still there seven months later. I still don’t know what to write.
electronic epitaph
elegies never spoken
I am wordless still
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Nathan, I think this is a good use for the haibun form. I started out with daily events only and then moved to writing about past events. I actually think a lot of the stuff in this blog entry could be in the haibun:
ReplyDeleteMark died in a car crash over the summer. It still haunts me. His parents, family, all of my friends, twenty of us staying at my small shitty rental house on Wooster St for three days--sleeping in the garage, cars. It is to surreal for words.
What still haunts me is his facebook page. People use it as a living electronic testament to him and still post things on his wall. It's been months. I still don’t know what to write.
(for your haiku portion, I'd suggest something different: a description of Mark, maybe?)
I missed some of the repetition, but you get the idea. Go from here to create your own special epitaph, and maybe put it on Mark's page.
ReplyDeleteMark died in a car crash over the summer. His parents, family, all of my friends, twenty of us staying at my small shitty rental house on Wooster St for three days--sleeping in the garage, cars. What still haunts me is his facebook page. It's been months. I still don’t know what to write.
(and then the haiku)