Depouillement*
A Haibun
Do falling leaves ache with the pain of letting go? Or do they revel in the freedom of floating and of the taste of earth? Did they boast of glorious colors that they wore in days before releasing their hold on life?
And the trees—do they grasp obsessively to their robes of glory, regret the day that finds them stripped, exposed and naked—vulnerable to cold and rain.
I am October now, buffeted by aging. I hurl my somethingness into the great unknown, one gift at a time. I face the imminence of winter, move beyond the sting of loss into the joy of unknown expectations. I am old but full of hope, in the springtime of new life. Beneath the soil life pulses.
Je suis depouilée
stripped bare like October trees
richness lies hidden
Photo: Victoria Slotto
*The French word depouillement means stripping. The verb depouiller is to strip. The first line of the haiku translates : I am stripped.
Happy to be able to jump in for OLN this week. I have tried to consider some of the wonderful prompts I have missed related to personal events–this one, especially, relates back to Kim’s prompt for Tuesday’s Poetics.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
Stripped. Brilliant.
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So beautifully written, Victoria. We ARE like stones, weathered and polished by time, wise in experience, and savoring the autumn of our lives!
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Truly beautiful. What perfect summary of autumn.
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Reblogged this on Victoria C. Slotto, Author.
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I think the richness is in the fact that nature is in that state of equanimity…in the Buddhist sense…and the leaves do not ache when they let go but accept what is with perfect grace. That somehow gives me comfort. Love this, Victoria and love your striking photo and your haiku.
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What a striking photograph! I enjoyed the haibun.Each word in your prose ringed true.
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Love the inclusion of French… I look outside and see the trees in difference between the trees, and your metaphor of aging is excellent. Then I started to think of those who seems evergreen who break at the weight of snow…
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Nature gifts us with so many metaphors for life, doesn’t she?
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I love how you have included French language in your haibun, Victoria! I also love the questions about falling leaves. I’d hope they ached a little as they let go and then blazed their colours as they floated. Either way, trees will look vulnerable and we are getting to know how they feel – we are October!
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A lovely post, Victoria. That photograph is simply stunning.
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