one autumn per second
a collection of autumn haibun (september 2024)
ninth moon, sixth day, 2024
sitting on a bench by the stream. while reading Buson’s haikus, a man and a lady came to talk about planting a tree there by the benches. the lady was pointing out that there used to be a tree there with multiple branches and she was saddened when it was cut down. i knew what tree she was talking about because i loved that tree as well. i told them that there was indeed a tree two to three ago. i pointed where exactly it stood. i actually have a piece of it in my room as memorabilia. now, i think i heard them talking about planting a plum tree or any flowering tree with multiple branches. i can’t help but imagine that it’s already there, standing tall with its blossoms falling gracefully in spring. oh, how lovely would that be?
on a bench
wondering what kind of tree
will fill my sky
ninth moon, ninth day, 2024
another fall like weather. i sat on a bench on this little courtyard between the apartment buildings. i always go there every autumn to watch the maple leaves turn orange and fall to ground. it's just so beautiful. i have it all for myself. nobody really sits there. today i brought a cinnamon roll and cookie with me as i was craving for some sweets.
cinnamon roll
the flavor of maple leaves
rustling above me
ninth moon, tenth day, 2024
at the courtyard again. i will probably be here mostly every day starting today until the very last leaf falls.
autumn courtyard
squirrels fill
the empty seats
ninth moon, eleventh day, 2024
while walking home, i saw one of the cutest thing in the world. a baby squirrel! it was with its mother under an abandoned shopping cart stuck between bushes. i’ve always wanted to see one. i’ve seen some before but i think this was the closest and the one i got to look at for a long time. sadly i can’t come any more closer as that will scare both of them. i didn’t want that to happen so i just watched from a distance. the baby was playing with a pinecone.
a baby squirrel
hugging its mother
mother on alert
ninth moon, fourteenth day, 2024
i decided to lie down on a bench at that little courtyard for some change. i’ve been lying down before, but for some reason, i stopped... i’m not sure why... but it felt so nice again to see things in a different perspective. it’s so refreshing to see the oranging maple leaves in this angle. it’s also so nice to see the blue sky and feel the warmth of the sun.
lying on a bench
gazing at the treetops
tips turning orange
while walking home, i saw an elderly neighbor sitting outside his apartment.
autumn morn
sewing his shirt
next to his marigolds
ninth moon, fifteenth day, 2024
i finally saw the full moon again after three long months. i got out of work, looked up, and saw the beautiful harvest moon up in the evening sky. it was huge and yellow. i’m going to try and see if i can moongaze with my telescope tonight. it looks a little bit hazy but we shall see.
pale yellow moon
in a pale pink sky
orange streetlights
ninth moon, seventeenth day, 2024
i saw the moon again last night outside the nursing home. it was a little bit more hazy than yesterday making it appear dreamy. as i was gazing at it, i noticed all the windows along the building. i wondered what each elderly residents in each room were doing that night? what are their stories? what were they like when they were younger?
hazy harvest moon
stories in each window
glowing in orange
ninth moon, nineteenth day, 2024
thinking about the full moon from two days ago. it was just so beautiful. i almost didn’t see it that night as i was already in bed trying to fall asleep. thankfully i peaked through the curtain and saw it. it was perfectly framed for my eyes. i got up and quickly set my telescope up for moongazing.
after gazing at the moon, i was feeling reluctant to sleep as i didn’t know when will i be able to see it again... i really wanted to stay up all night but alas, i was very sleepy and i really needed energy for the next day. so, what i did instead was open the curtain just a tiny bit to let some of the moonlight in.
leaving a gap
between my curtains
moonlight
every time the harvest moon is up, mooncakes fill my mind. sadly, we don't have any this year. we're trying to save money. but i just keep dreaming about a september night where i'm looking at the moon, eating mooncakes without any worries.
harvest moon
no moon cakes
just dreams
sitting on a bench in the little courtyard, still thinking about the moon. i was trying to make another haiku about it but this one just wrote itself.
falling leaves
trying to find
the right words
while eating a poppy seed roll, a gentle breeze blew through the maple trees.
falling maple leaves
mother and daughter
runs to the school bus
ninth moon, twentieth day, 2024
i saw another blue heron at the bridge this morning. this time it was flying. it came from the west side of the brook and flew across towards the east. it was very brief. what does it mean this time? blue herons has been a very important figure for me symbolically. they always appear during key points in my life. i saw one for the first time when i started writing “a wish that bloomed in fall.” second, when i finished writing it. third, when i started publishing it. fourth, when we got saved from getting evicted early this year. and fifth, today during the last days of summer and when i finally got my first paycheck from my job. they’re always there. always looking beautiful and majestic. the first time i saw a blue heron it flew underneath the bridge. it was magical. its wingspan was so huge it almost touched the tips of the stream. i will never forget that day. it’s one of the moments that made me realize that the real world is beautiful.
blue heron
it closes summer
with falling leaves
ninth moon, twenty-first day, 2024
last day of summer. i was admiring the walnut leaves that were scattered all over the bridge. they were everywhere. it’s not a lot yet but it’s enough to grab your attention. there were some on the riverbed too. they’re colorful specially the ones that were being hit by the sunlight. as i was facing downstream, a gust of wind blew behind my back and leaves started falling into the stream. i was in awe. it was simply beautiful. it brought a smile to my face.
falling leaves
loving the way autumn
greeted me
spending summer’s last day
painting the trees orange
ninth moon, twenty-third day, 2024
yesterday was the first day of fall. i decided to walk outside. the weather was beautiful. the sky was blue, the wind was chilly, and the moon was up above. i saw my neighbor Monica walking her tiny dog named Chase. she’s using a two-wheeled walker now, reminding me of the passage of time. we greeted each other and she asked me if i could accompany her back to her apartment. i decided to hold Chase for her. Chase is a very happy and playful dog. i believe Monica told me he’s a mix of poodle, maltese, and a terrier. it was a nice little stroll. we talked about nature, God, and faith.
falling leaves
walking my neighbor’s dog
the sound of her walker
when we passed by some dumpsters, Monica saw a toy tambourine and a wooden tic tac toe sitting on a railing. she wanted me to grab it so she can give it to her five-year-old grandson.
by the dumpster
i grab the tambourine
for her grandson
before Monica and Chase went inside their apartment, we sat by the door and talked more about a lot of things. like the time she left Colombia at ten and arrived here during winter. she remembered the heavy snow and how her family wore thick brown coats. it made me remember the first time we came here. we also arrived during winter. there was no snow but it was very very cold. it was a coldness i have never felt before specially i am someone who grew up in a tropical island.
first day of fall
she tells me about
her first snow
today was a little cloudy and a lot of trees now have some orange leaves in them. i passed by some very cozy looking apartment complex surrounded by pine trees. the sun was shining softly through them. the lighting and the scenery made me feel so nostalgic. it made me remember the past. specifically the last time of everything. the last time i talked to my childhood friends back in the village i grew up in, the last time i watched my favorite dinosaur series on a very comfortable blue foldable bed, the last time i saw my high school friends back in the Philippines, the last time i saw my mother in the airport, the last time i ate my favorite shawarma that my father and uncle used to buy for me, the last time i played with our pet dogs before we gave them away, the last days of my school life, and lot lot more. it made me realized that things just end, without any warning. we never know this could be our last day too. this is a great reminder that we should try to live to the fullest every single day. be in the present, because that's where all the beautiful things reside.
autumn in sepia
never knowing when
would be the last
ninth moon, twenty-fourth day, 2024
i was overjoyed when i saw a young tree planted by the benches next to the stream. they really did plant one. i’m not sure what kind of tree it is though. i forgot to examine it closer but it’s definitely not a maple based on the leaves. it’s still very young. it’s supported by a bracer around its thin trunk. there were also three wooden sticks holding it steady with ropes. as i was admiring it, it dawned on me that it’ll take many years before it reaches its full size. i was suddenly filled with deep sadness as i imagined all the things that can happen in between now and the time the tree matures. i wonder what kind of person will i become on its twentieth autumn? i wonder if i’m still alive. i wonder if my loved ones are. do i still live here on its fiftieth autumn? will i be here to enjoy its dappled lights and falling leaves? will the squirrels around here still know me? will this tree survive the many storms of summer? how about the heavy snows of winter? oh it pains me to think about all this. but i am happy, nonetheless. i am happy there’s a new tree for us to enjoy. i will watch it grow with me, shed its leaves with me, and bloom flowers with me whenever i can.
this young tree and i
growing old
one autumn per second
ninth moon, twenty-sixth day, 2024
it was misty this morning. drizzly as well. i decided to lay down on a bench and let the rain fall on my face. it was peaceful. it was quiet. it was just me and the sound of rain tapping the maple leaves up above me.
autumn rain
falling through the treetops
falling on my face
ninth moon, twenty-eight day, 2024
i am feeling a little relieved today. we managed to pay our rent for the month of august two days ago. we’re slowly recovering. at least we won’t get any eviction letter anytime soon. i also managed to recover the buffers for my comic. i published four of it a few weeks ago in order to reach my goal for this year. it’s just such a relief finishing all these specially i’ve been in constant battle this september. i had to adapt to my new job as well. i was doing all the onboarding stuff like filling out forms, getting my checks, setting up direct deposit, training, meeting people, and all that. today feels like a breathing space. i decided not to do anything. i decided to be lazy. just like the leaves floating still in the stream this morning. they’re just there, enjoying the rain. they’re not going down towards the ocean. the ocean can wait. it’s always there. it’ll never disappear.
floating leaves
i too shall enjoy
today’s autumn rain
lots of falling leaves today. it was especially beautiful around the stream. yellow walnut leaves were falling like ballerinas everywhere. they were accompanied by tiny droplets of rain as they fell onto the surface of the water. other leaves like maple leaves and pine needles gather on some spots near the tiny waterfall. they were simply beautiful.
while feeding a squirrel:
falling leaves
a squirrel mistaking one
for a peanut
i always find this funny. there was a time where i threw a peanut to the squirrel and before it can land, a tiny leaf flew over the squirrel’s head. the squirrel chased the leaf on and on until it touched the grass. sometimes, the squirrels would also mistake flies and wasps for nuts.
ninth moon, thirtieth day, 2024
while reading my haiku book at the courtyard, a soft gust of wind blew through the maple trees. tiny leftover raindrops fell like sunshower.
autumn breeze
a sunshower of leftover rain
falls on my book
about the author
Thomas is the creator of a wish that bloomed in fall. he is also a haiku poet, origamist, and a squirrel whisperer. he loves spending time in nature and writing poems about the little things in life.
a wish that bloomed in fall
a heartwarming slice-of-life story about Emma, a girl who meets a cute little squirrel named Cinnamon, who will inspire her to pursue her dream of becoming a comic artist. you can read it here!
“Yet, even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. It is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist.”
- Hayao Miyazaki