Autumn walks are for me the most beautiful. I have been doing the same lap for months now, but I never tire of road, bridge, lane, past the boats and horses, and back round again, usually at the same after my evening meal.
lichen on the bridge
flowing into wintertime
the steadfast river
I get to see the same dog walkers, one of the horses knows my voice and comes over to greet me with a nod, and I am always stunned by the daily shifts in the landscape: green turning to yellow and red; berries on bush and tree; acorns crunching underfoot.
in ochre stubble
last vestiges of summer
solitary crow
But I also look up to the changing sky, which is often dramatic at this time of year, as the days grow shorter and long nights draw in. Perhaps I will take earlier walks so as not to miss a sunset.
sunset’s golden light
gently fades into twilight
the moon an old friend
Kim M. Russell, 26th September 2022
Xenia is our host for Haibun Monday this week, and her prompt has a timely title: September Song. September and October are my favourite months, so this is a welcome theme for me. Not only has she given us a lovely theme, but also some advice about writing haibun in the form of a quotes from Paresh Tiwari. I won’t forget: “If the prose is a meandering path, the haiku are birdcalls,” and Xenia’s lovely haibun example.
For today’s Haibun Monday, Xenia invites us to create haibun about September. She says that the prose can be narrative, lyrical or terse, and the ku can be either a three-line haiku or a monoku (haiku in a single line). We can have alternating blocks of prose and verse, as long as the total word count does not exceed 250 words.
writing in north norfolk 
A gorgeous haibun Kim and so sweet how the horse comes to greet you with a nod! I love the subtle internal rhymes in your haiku and how your focus shifts between the prose paragraphs. Thank you for letting us walk along with you here! 💛 xxx
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Ah, thank you, Xenia, for your careful reading and detailed comments. A few of the horses I know by name, but not the friendly piebald.
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This reminds me of the pandemic and working from home. Now we are almost fully back to work, and those walks are like last year’s memory.
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I am taking things very slowly. We did go away for a couple of days to Shrewsbury, but I spend most of my time at home or walking round the village. I’m much happier since I stopped using my walking stick, more confident and steadier on my feet. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal soon, when I visit my daughter.
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A beautiful meander, and it is true Autumn is particularly suited for this..
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Thank you!
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Oh, lovely Kim. So atmospheric.
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Thank you, Sarah. Sadly, I didn’t go for my walk yesterday as it was chucking it down. Hopefully today will be drier.
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🤞September has been beautiful, though.
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Your autumn is crisp and bright rather than our soft languid one. I miss it. And I very much like that first haiku. It’s a beauty.
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Thank you, Jane. The temperature has really dropped here, but I love that about autumn – I can wear jumpers, scarves and my new fingerless gloves!
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I could quite happily never have to wear a scarf again. Not indoors anyway 🙂
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I love autumn walks as well and enjoy the changing sky and trees. Love the steadfast river, the changing colors of the landscape and sunset’s golden light.
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Thank you, Grace.
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I very much enjoyed this haibun series, Kim. It felt like your steps as you walked ❤
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Thank you, Jade! It was, indeed, a haibun in my footsteps. 😉
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You’re welcome.
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So well crafted! An enjoyable stroll in its own right.
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Thank you, Susan!
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Beautiful Kim and I love the haiku in between the prose.
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Thanks so much, Mary!
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I really enjoyed the concise alternating prose and the familiar, yet changing details of autumn on your path. Each haiku was a treat. We walk after dinner as well. Today we noticed the goldenrod had already dulled from only a few days ago. I commented to my husband that I couldn’t quite describe the way the sky changes in the fall. I just know it does.
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Thank you so much for your detailed comment, Mish. I really appreciate it. I love how we are on opposite sides of the world and have similar experiences.
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Love, love, love, this!
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Thank you so much, Carol!
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You make it easy to picture your walks, idyllic, content equally with the changing as with the unchanging sights and sounds.
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Thank you, Dora.
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Unbelievably lovely … interspersing haiku a brilliant touch and well done. I used to live in Marietta GA and on my walks each evening after work, a pastured horse and I became best friends … he would patiently await my apple treat.
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Thank you, Helen. We’re not allowed to feed the horses, but the piebald always comes to me.
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I love how the haibun is a delight to the senses. I heard. I felt. I saw.
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So glad you enjoyed it!
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