for Oskar
ink-black:
smoke trails a life
from the north tower
Another sleepless night. Winter moonlight on the empty side of her bed. From the bedside table, she picks up A Place of Remembrance: The Official Photo Book of 9/11. She stares at the book for a moment. The tears roll down her face as she rips out some of the pages. With a sigh, she puts the torn-out pages in reverse order. When she flips through them, dozens of people are flying through the windows back into the building.
Editor's Choice Haibun,Cattails, May, 2015
Comment by
Cattails Haibun Editor Sonam Chhoki: The power of Chen-ou Liu’s haibun,
An Unofficial Story for Oskar lies in its closing sentence: “When she flips through them, dozens of people are flying through the windows back into the building.” It is amazingly evocative image that has echoes of redemption and freedom from the tyranny of time.
