Haibun are prose pieces finished by a haiku. Lovers of haiku and haibun will be charmed by Steven Carter’s delectable new collection, Paper Cuts, and if you’re new to the genre, here’s a taste:

Plum Logic

Disgusted, my nearly toothless 93-year-old father-in-law pushes his plate away.
“This meat is as tough as boiled owl,” he grumbles.
Amused, my wife touches her dad’s sleeve gently.
“Have you ever eaten boiled owl?” she asks.
“No! And this”–he taps the plate with a wrinkled forefinger–“is indicative of why I don’t eat boiled owl.”
plums missing from the kitchen
wheelchair
rounding the corner