Haibun X 3

Black

The python's tongue is a tiny flicker of black lightening as she examines my hand. Natasha's draped over Jeff's shoulders and down his left arm. She ripples forward, rests her head on my hand. Natasha starts to climb my arm. "Jeff, she's coming over." "That's okay, just don't make any sudden moves." As she flows, her scales massage my bare forearm. Natasha pauses when her head reaches my shoulder. No sudden moves. From the corner of my eye I see her looking toward my face. No sudden moves. Feel her tongue tickle my neck. No sudden moves. I can't see her head anymore. Natasha gently pokes her nose under my beard.

Sorry, Natasha
My beard holds no dead rats for
Your dinner tonight

Grey

East Berlin's pallet consists mainly of dark grey, dirty grey, and light grey here in the summer of 1978. Rustbucket ZAZ sedans in faded red and peeling white skitter down the streets dragging clouds of blueish exhaust. Charlie Company, 1/12 CAV, wearing our dress green uniforms, rode a tour bus across the Brandenburg Gate checkpoint this morning. Our Berlin Brigade hosts tell us we've got two hours to check out East Berlin's downtown. "Don't go off alone, stay out of trouble." The enlisted men clump together by platoon, their sergeants lead the way down gritty streets. Hawkeye Collins and I poke our heads into the Centrum department store. We don't have many East German Marks to spend but that's no problem because there's diddly squat to buy. Back on the sidewalk, I see my platoon following Sgt. Diaz like a flock of baby ducks trailing their mother. An elderly woman touches my arm, points at Sgt.Diaz, "Kuban?" "Nein, wir sind Amerikaner." I smile. She shakes her head, scuttles away.

Don't be scared, lady.
This Yankee only wants to
Go home to Texas

White

An inch of fresh powdery snow covers the half inch of ice that covers the Fayetteville sidewalks. Sarah and I, arm in arm, are strolling back to my apartment after watching Clockwork Orange at the student union. I'd forgotten just how rough that movie was, had asked Sarah if she wanted to leave after the first scene where Alex and his droogs dish out a bit of the old ultra-violence. She shook her head, stayed with me until the credits rolled. I see a thought balloon reading "what the hell were you thinking?" whenever I glance her way. Our path turns down a hill. My right foot starts to slide. Sarah jerks away. "Don't hold on to me! Don't hold on to me!" I get my feet under control, stand still as Sarah takes a step, immediately falls on her ass.

That's foreshadowing,
My darling Sarah, I wish
I'd recognized it