Bend in the River

From a willow bough, a tiny flycatcher flutters up, hovers in the setting sun, wings and body backlit to a golden halo. It could be one of the newly hatched mayflies it's after, but imagine instead that the bird is dancing to the song of the meandering stream. Or simply dancing.

hands stained purple
from Saskatoon berries
why did she leave?
reaching again
for a too high berry

published in Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose, Issue 1, Summer 2009.