Once there was a boy who walked along the beach with his grandfather. The boy could barely match his tall grandfather’s gait but he did not give up, jumping and skipping next to him sticking his chest out when he caught up to him.
They approached some drift wood and GrandPapa led the little one to sit by him and watch the waves forming rows and rows of petticoats. “Ah, cela me fait souvenir des bons moments quand ta mamie était toute jeune.” He sighed and appeared to be in his own world for a long time. Jonathan was only half listening to his grandfather because he often talked about times that he knew very little about.
He started fidgeting from sitting for too long and fell to his knees taking handfuls of sand and putting his ear to it as he slowly let the sand sift through his fingers. GrandPapa looked at Johnathan and started chuckling. He asked him, why he was putting the sand to his ear like that.
His grandson looked up at his grandfather with a slight air of annoyance. « Bien voyons, GrandPapa. J’écoute. Mon prof m’a dit que dans le sable il y a des milliers d’histoires…alors, j’écoute »
waves carry tomes
drifting from faraway
yesteryear’s tales
©Tournesol’17/03/24
Translations:
Ah, cela me fait souvenir des bons moments quand ta mamie était toute jeune. Ah, that brings wonderful moments to mind when your nana was very young. Bien voyons, GrandPapa, J’écoute. Mon prof m’a dit que dans le sable il y a des milliers d’histoires…alors, j’écoute » Come now, Grandpa, I’m listening. My teacher told me that in the sand, there are millions of stories…so, I’m listening.” N.B. in French "histoire" means story but also history.
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
I love he opening, the way it paints such a warm feeling. Goes so well with the haiku, also.
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Thank you…that is the idea [smiling] a haibun is a narrative with a haiku that completes the narrative 🙂 BTW, I am sooooo enjoying your book!!! I am recommending to our clinical staff!
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Charmant !
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Merci!
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This was just such a beautiful piece – et le dialogue était super. Great idea to keep leur conversation “en originale” – somehow it made it all the more powerful.
I sm not sure exactly where you can go with this genre, but I know it is a wonderful new genre for haibun, and needs to be further explored – probably different, random characters each time.
There was a lot of sincerity, depth and charm, and so well-written I ferl it has come from the pages of great philodophie.
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Thanks so much, Hamish!! I have enjoyed writing short stories this way on my other blog. I find a micro story ending with a haiku gives it more meaning allowing the reader to ponder a moment or two.
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drifting from faraway
yesteryear’s tales
They have a way of being narrated so others are informed!
Hank
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Wouldn’t it be nice if a handful of sand whispered history in a universal language?
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Wow a nice haibun and what that little boy said is so true. Sand tells us a lot of stories as does the wind or the sea. Thank you for sharing.
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I’m pleased you enjoyed it,Kristjaan. Thank you!
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Beautiful! You make me work to read the French and see if I can figure it out before seeing the translation. Love you, Janice.
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Ah,you’re so cute! Looking it up helps you remember some of the words.
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