Submitted to dVerse for Haibun Monday
April 3, 2017
She awakened to the plaintive wail of the 7 a.m. train, and peered out the window to see it was yet another of those gray, bleak winter days. Shadows of bare tree limbs played across the dingy remnants of the last snowfall. With a sigh, she arose and shuffled to the kitchen, where she set about the daily routine of making her morning coffee. How she longed for the sense of well-being that comes with the first hint of Spring! It had been a long winter and each day seemed the same as the one before, a progression of sameness which left her struggling with boredom and depression. She opened the door, which gave the expected complaining squeak, and picked up the morning paper from its usual spot on the front step, noting that her own shadow mingled with that of the bare tree limbs, creating a lonely scene. Appropos, she thought, as she closed the door and shuffled back to the kitchen. Her first cup of coffee was always accompanied by the daily crossword, and she opened the paper, picked up her pencil and began the daily ritual. One across. Five letters. “A pervasive sense of boredom”. She penciled in the letters E-N-N-U-I, ennui … and the irony of the word did not escape her.
yesterday again
each day the same as the last
boredom reigns supreme
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A blog for the midnight epiphanies and idle thoughts of a hopeless wordaholic.
Yes. The irony does not escape one lost in the throes of grey days. The haiku sums it all up beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThat was well scripted, although leaving me with a tinge of understanding and sadness.
ReplyDeleteZQ
The repetitiveness of life is well-captured in this rich prose.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this tremendously Bev. A well penned picture of that creeping shadow called loneliness.
ReplyDeleteHere, in WA state, the gray wet winters, months without sun, breeds SAD & depression. I get so busy with indoor projects, I am immune I guess.
ReplyDelete'Yesterday again' POW! This is so well written that the tone oozes all over the table, onto the newspaper and puddles around the coffee cup.
ReplyDeleteI tell the kids... you're bored because you want to be. So much in this life to explore.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree. I have to admit I cheated a bit, and the scenario was pure fiction.
DeleteBoredom and depression together, one can only look forward to yesterdays again and again. Nice description of her shadow and those of the bare trees.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to the grey bleakness of winter, same old, same progression of sameness ~ Hopefully the puzzle and challenges for words keep the depression at bay ~ Keep those shadows away Bev ~
ReplyDeleteI've a confession. I fudged a bit, and the scenario was pure fiction. I am hopelessly optimistic, and when I'm feeling the tiniest bit bored, I find a new interest (which, by the way, is what led me to dVerse a couple of months ago)!
DeleteThe sense of sameness, the ever grey... oh when that first light comes and wipe the dread away. Enjoyed your haibun a lot
ReplyDeleteDepression does drain the world of colour. I really enjoyed your haibun, identified with it, and loved that final line:
ReplyDelete' She penciled in the letters E-N-N-U-I, ennui … and the irony of the word did not escape her'
i like how you tie up depression, boredom, loneliness with shadow...perfectly sketched....
ReplyDeleteBeen there, Beverly. A really evocative piece of work. Jane
ReplyDeleteboredom for some but order and routine that moves life forward for others, I loved the pace of your haibun, telling me how a day with you would be, soft and gentle, reflective and deep. I have lived life on both sides and as I get older prefer the boredom and routine.
ReplyDeleteDark, and so honest, inspiring.
ReplyDeleteIt is so vivid images here...the movement and the atmosphere...great!
ReplyDelete