Haibun - Country Church with Rose Window

Country Church with Rose Window

Breathless on the path, she holds onto
the gate around the church. The statue
of the Madonna beckons her. Aching,
she makes it from the back to a front
pew to rest awhile.

There, in the midst of pain, she feels the
glow of glass petals - their hues fall gently
through the window of Our Lady of the
Rosary. Released, her last breath rises at
one with the roses.

climbing the trellis
the sweetness of attar
reaches the sky