Haibun: Short Lived

 I remember how excited I would get as a kid for the county fair. My uncles around my age would tell me about what they hoped would be there this year and things they won in the past. I was ready.

My dad didn’t make much money when I was this age. When the fair came, I might get a ticket for a ride or two, maybe money for a snack, but never any money to play a game. 

I liked the ferris wheel, the ability to see the whole fair grounds, the trees by the river behind the fair grounds, and the hills that surrounded it. I could see it all. 

The problem was, as soon as it started, it was over. The ride went around once or twice and it was over, the fair was over. I was no longer a participant, just a little observer. 

It has taken me a few decades to learn that any experience generated by others will always be short-lived. 

the desert browns will soak

into the green as winter 

rain does the ground