When I grew up we had a weekend house an hour’s drive from town. It was located at the end of a gravel road behind a spruce tree hedge. We always went there on Friday evening and I remember how my mother used to fill bottles with warm water so we could sleep in the cold beds. The house was far from any lights and on moonless nights I remember running from the outhouse to the house being haunted by the fear of monsters and the hoots from the tawny owl. The days were spent with forestry and chopping wood, but in the evening we would sit in front of the fireplace while reading books.
silver moonlight
singe of paws in fallen leaves —
green eyes shimmer
Untitled (owl) by Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes
Today it’s Haibun Monday at dVerse and Victoria hosts and wants us to write about Fukuroo – the Owl. Owl is a winter kigo but you can write about any season. Please keep the prose to under 200 words and write you
—
November 13,2017
We have tawny owls here too. I an see how they could scare a child, but I love them! Your haibun is very evocative in its sparse but telling details, choosing just the right ones to relate..
*can see
I could feel the cold and the fear. The haiku is so evocative of the end of autumn.
Your childhood memories conjure up great times and images.
Ha. I grew up surrounded by the woods. There was a time I was scared of what was in the woods at night. Maybe that had more to do with the graveyard. The woods are alive with noise, everything moving that you can not see. Though it gets intensely silent when they realize you are there.
We used to play games though, hiding in the woods at night. It amped up the fear factor. I grew to love that silence .
Had a tree fall in the back yard, so spent he weekend chopping. I use the axe over the chainsaw. Its more therapeutic.
like the use of singe in the haiku – very nice.
Wonderful recollection here, Bjorn. I love owls…most especially their eyes and the way they can turn their heads. Your haku is wonderful as is the illustration. Enjoyed this read very much!
Great write. My folks used to tell me if I walked around at night (as I was wont to do) the owls would take me away. I didn’t believe them then. the only thing I have ever been afraid of in the night are humans. The tension is this is wonderful Bjorn.
That’s one thing I have never been – scared of owls. I love the sound they make and their graceful movement. I was fascinated by an owl that lived in a very tall tree on my way to school. It would sit very still and occasionally you could see its head move.
I enjoyed your depiction of childhood fears. I grew up in a town, so the fears were different…
What an experience that is Bjorn ~ Still days spent in forestry and reading books at night, are a boy’s adventure ~ Love your silver moonlight haiku ~
What a gorgeous haiku. I very much enjoyed the story as well.
I especially like this sentence: “The house was far from any lights and on moonless nights I remember running from the outhouse” … and the idea of sleeping with water bottles. My and my girls love to sleep with heating pads wrapped around us. 🙂
Sitting in front of the fireplace on cold nights….possibly with owls hooting outside. Very good imagery!
A lovely memory- you captured the essence well, especially the fear and running. Beautiful Haiku.
Your weekend house sounds rather like my home. Except for the hedge.
I can imagine that the hoots of an owl would suggest monsters and a haunted house.
What a great contrast between the forest during the day and at night! I love how your inclusion of tawny owls adds to the sense of dread!
Lovely to hear an owl, but can imagine a child’s fear, in the dark of night……….I am intrigued by the singe of paws in fallen leaves.
The sound of an owl can be a bit haunting as one becomes aware of the darkness that surround us.
They can sound eerie! I wasn’t afraid of owls when a child. I was afraid of my basement!
Ah, reading by the fireplace. I would love that despite the scary hoots. 😀
What would you give for those weekends again 🙂
Those were some cherished moments of childhood. What struck me most is the fear of darkness and mother’s love. Love the haiku.
Fun image in the Haibun and the haiku — though I wonder whose “paws” you speak of.
What a nice memory…a part of who you are, reading before the fire.
childhood can be such a scary time. thanks for sharing this memory and haiku
Reading in front of the fire at night – wonderful – while there’s mayhem outside!
A fear, or a healthy respect?
Your haiku has such a eerie atmosphere to it. I enjoyed the narrative of your childhood weekends, a weekend home away from the hustle and bustle sounds nice, except for the scary night excursions
love the “silver moonlight”, the “green eyes shimmer” — the two lines play off each other because I am imagining the eyes shimmering in the moonlight. lovely childhood memories. I probably would have been scared too–when I went camping as a kid, I wouldn’t leave the tent at night — too scared. But I always hoped to see the animals during the day but we were too noisy so no such luck. Easy to see you were an imaginative kid fed with book. love the haibun
I can imagine the sound of the owls in the darkness would be very scary. The atmosphere inside the house–books, family, and mom-filled hot water bottles–sounds so cozy. It’s a nice contrast to the cold and dark outside, where monster may lurk.
Your childhood sounds wonderful!
I really enjoyed the peek into your childhood past and the nostalgic feel of this haibun. Oh that owl haunted me too as I read this.
This is stunning. What a lovely memory – wonderfully sketched. The content, I think, lends itself particularly well to the haibun form.