Global Haiku • July 2022
Dr. Randy Brooks

Empty Mailbox

by
Makennah Hollon

candlelit dinner
he reaches in his pocket
a ring box

closed eyes
focused on my breath
I lift

pink ballet shoes
in the back of the closet
never to be worn again

empty mailbox
     I open it one more time
          hoping a letter will appear

millions of miles apart
I pull your sweatshirt
closer

long car ride leads
to one last kiss
in the rain

even the lonely
marker is paired with
an eraser

safe
behind the camera lens
she hides

clutching my father’s arm
heart pounding
I face him at the alter

the final school bell rings
children running
into the afternoon sun

standing at the platform
salty, wet cheeks
one last kiss for awhile

the rain pours
harder on the windowsill
I begin writing my last letter

a single firefly
I watch
as the light slowly dims

summer heat
a dirt trail
two bike tracks line the sides

an empty playground
the trees loom
over the forgotten park

painted artwork
under the bridge
belonging to no one