Cyndi Lloyd on Michael Dylan Welch's "Something Lost"
Michael Dylan Welch's haibun title caught my attention right away – the familiarity of "something lost," something I can relate to (as I'm sure so many of us can).
Welch's childhood experience of almost losing an eye triggered a childhood incidence I haven't thought about in years. When I was 10 years old, I almost lost my right eye. As children, our parents are always telling us what to do and not do: don't get too close to the edge, wash your hands, don't talk to strangers, mind your manners, etc.
Welch was told, after his accident, "to stay back from the water." From a young age, my dad always told me to never ride another person's bicycle. One day, after having spent the night at my best friend's house, we rode bikes. As I didn't have my bicycle, my friend let me ride hers and she rode her brother's. I remember feeling different, special somehow, riding her bicycle – a purple and white bike with purple tassels streaming from the handlebars and a white basket in front. My bike was blue without any adornments. We sped downhill. A grip from one of her handlebars broke off and down I went, the corner of my eye crashing into the metal edge of the bar. I remember feeling stunned and seeing blood everywhere. The gash was deep enough to require a skin graft, which the doctor took from my hip area. After the accident, Dad grounded me. It was summer, and I lost a whole week of play time with friends. It's interesting how something can be lost whether or not we've listened to our parents.
I wonder whether this child will remember his first scar and how he got it. Life seems to begin with a "first scar," and as the years go by, each of us collects more scars, whether physical or psychological, small or big. And usually we end up wondering, What if….
Cyndi Lloyd lives in Utah with her husband and dog. She is runner-up in The Haiku Calendar Competition 2018 and recipient of an honorable mention for the first Haiku Moment Award, Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Vol. 1:2. Her "Aunt Karen" was selected as one of the best haibun of 2017 in old song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku. Her haiku, haibun, and tanka appear in various publications and several anthologies. Cyndi loves being in nature where she enjoys hiking and taking photographs.