Departed soul (haibun) In memory of Bruno

© clr A true Rock Star, he will be missed

Yesterday marked one week that a friend and colleague died, Sunday morning, July 20th. I wrote a series of haiku/senryû, last week with the vivid image of Bruno when I last saw him mid May of this year. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for well over a year at that time and still accepted that I visit him and he posed for a book that was being compiled to give to another colleague who is battling breast cancer. Bruno believed in thinking positive at ALL times. He believed in the fight and never gave up, nor did he stop encouraging our friend who is still under treatment and we KNOW she will rise above this insidious disease. She is the loving and most generous person (much like Bruno) who phoned me to give me the sad news that our friend had passed. I feel so blessed to have heard from you, Leslie, you have no idea how much it meant to me.

Here is the series I wrote the day I learned of his passing…

Care Bear Hugs

I’ll miss that smile
soothing presence like balm
Care Bear hugs.
*
those innuendos
making me feel young and sexy
twinkle in your {lie} eye
*
they’ll all split their wings
you’ll have them laughing so hard
angels in heaven

(c) Cheryl-Lynn 2014-07-21 (aka Tournesol)

originally posted: Care Bear Hugs

Today it is raining. It is grey and my mood is morose. I called in sick today as my body would not respond and seemed to be listening to my soul…I feel as if I am 99 today…a time to rest. In the shower I weep tears of grief and let the water wash them away. I have written in another post how I asked, “Why not take me? I am older, my family is raised, even my grandson is older than Bruno’s son. Why not take me?” The world is a mystery and the Great Spirit acts in mysterious ways. What do I know? Who am I in this vast sea of souls? But I do know that Bruno was a mind, heart, soul and body of pure essence filled with compassion and love. Anyone who has had the chance to meet him even if briefly, is blessed having been touched by an angel.

Reading Bruno’s orbituary in the Montreal Gazette, minutes ago, here at Second Cup, I am sad and yet could not help but smile when I read that his blood type was B Positive! Of course, what else could it have been? This reading along with Chèvrefeuille’s prompt on writing with the theme “A departed Soul”, has stirred up the following lines…

Departed Soul

dawn smiled

clouds made way

an angel

*

an angel

soars over sad hearts

begging for smiles

*

begging for smiles

his loud roar thundered

B positive

*

B positive

his lifetime message

gift

–

(c) Clr – Tournesol ’14-07-28

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This was a difficult prompt for me as I think of Shiki dying so young and his generous heart and passion for writing, found some energy to write his last haiku, truly touched me.

sponge gourd has bloomed
choked by phlegm
a departed soul

© Masaoka Shiki

One of Shiki’s desciple, Hekigoto, was by his bedside when he died. He wrote this…

from a bathing tub
I throw water into the lake –
slight muddiness appears

© Hekigoto

Hekigoto started the New Trend Haiku Movement. He experimented with disregarding the seventeen syllable pattern.

far fireworks
sounding, otherwise
not a thing

© Hekigoto

And this prompt created and hosted by Chèvrefeuille has contributed this:

morning dew
evaporates in the early sunlight –
spirit climbs to the sky

© Chèvrefeuille

Submitted for CPHK #527 – Shiki – A Departed Soul