Winter Crow Haibun

        I'm outside running late and I'm rushing. A thick veil of white fluffy flakes falls about me. I think about my class. I think about many things, but my class and stress, the stress of assignments, the assigned haibun for class. All of them swirl about me. All sounds and sights are muted. I approach the intersection that I cross to get to the metro. I can barely see the red light through the white snow. I listen for the roar of an approaching car engine and I hear nothing. I move to step off the curb, but I hear a crow scream from somewhere across the street. It's the only sound and very loud. I stop. I look for the crow in the branches of a tree on the opposite corner, but I can't see it. I pause at the roadside to really look for it. For a moment, I can hear the snowflakes crashing into everything: a quiet, continual, splashing sound. I see no crow. The red light turns green. There are still no cars in sight. I hurry on my way, but I am unsure of the crow. Had it been nothing? Had it been a warning to look, to listen, or had it just been playing with me? The trickster--had it noticed me at all?


snow flurry
I can't see, but I can hear
a crow's call