A haibun
Nearly twenty years ago when I was in my mid-twenties, I drove to the District of Columbia from my parents’ home in New Jersey to meet an online friend of mine in person. This was during the famed National Cherry Blossom Festival, and we walked about together, chatting outside under the hot spring sun, enjoying the fantastic flowers in bloom.
The following day, back at home in New Jersey, I gingerly patted the top of my head and, with much surprise, discovered a painful sunburn. That was when I came to realize that I was balding.
crystal-like pink gleam majestic sakura sun ultraviolet
d’Verse
Haibun: Cherry Blossoms
Today at d’Verse, poets were prompted to write haibuns about cherry blossoms. This particular memory of my youth that I’ve shared with you came to my mind immediately.
The Skeptic's Kaddish ๐ฎ๐ฑ 
Every kind of light reveals something we can’t see. Great haibun. Sunburn on your. Head, ouch!!
What a treat, David, to experience the National Cherry Blossom Festival, but Iโm sorry about the sunburn. My husband started losing his hair in his twenties and has to wear a hat outside even when it is mildly sunny. And yes, he too has a beard!
๐๐ธ๐ Thanks for sharing, Kim ๐๐ธ๐
Wow, awesome.
๐
That was indeed unexpected! ๐ Cherry blossoms are beautiful! It is funny how you still have such a distinct memory of your discovery
Yes ๐
It is quite funny to me too, Nandika.
Yours,
David
Sakura, one of my favourite trees
Sorry about that naked bun forming around your head David.
Shoo life๐
Lovely meeting under the cherry blossom tree. Stories that movies are made of.
๐งก Indeed, Abi ๐งก
Enticing Haiku…I vote for magenta over ultraviolet, though Iโm not the poet here and I know it. ๐
KT, I know this may sound silly, but I am deeply convinced that we can all be poets!
๐ Thank you ๐
Yours,
David
My pleasure reading. ๐
I love cherry blossoms! Lovely haibun๐๐โค๏ธ
๐ Diana ๐
nice Halibun David. The cherry trees and your balding remind me of my BF from grammar school and I sitting in my hot tub when I was pregnant with my 4 th child. She had never had children. I said well, “it’s awesome I didn’t get stretch marks” and she looked at the bottom of my stomach which I couldn’t see and pointed and said “well what are those”? ๐คฃSure enough we got a hand mirror out to see and I have the road map to prove it. ๐คฃ๐คฃ We had a lot of laughs over that. ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐
That is really funny, Cindy ๐คฃ
Thank you for sharing that anecdote!
โค
David
Thanks for writing so I could remember. ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
Now when I look at my belly I laugh when I see a hot tub and I’ll laugh and think of you as my cherry blossoms bloom. ๐๐คฃ๐คฃ
xo. what a beautiful memory C
Nice, funny “twist” about the going bald image with the pink. โบ
True story, M.!
โค
David
Well, this piece took an unexpected turn or should I write, a painful burn. Ouch! I thought you were going to write that you found blossoms on your head. That would be a no, to cherry blossoms found on your head and a no to hairy blossoms from your head. ๐
๐คฃ๐ Michele ๐๐คฃ
๐๐
Always a suprise when viewing Cherry blossoms. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks to you, Frankโฃ๏ธ
Yours,
David
And how do you feel about balding? (K)
I’m totally fine with it – doesn’t bother me at all. I have difficulty relating to men who are bothered by it.
๐คท
David
Me too. My father tried a. combover for a long time, but looked much better when he just gave in to it. And I know far too many men my age who insist on wearing baseball caps to cover their baldness.
when I am in public, my head is always covered – but that’s because I’m a Jew. I am not insecure about my baldness at all.