Per Diem for June 2019: Parents and their Kids

This month, Per Diem features haiku selected by Dave Read that explores the complex relationship between parents and their children. As most parents would know, it can be a roller-coaster ride during which every imaginable emotion is experienced or endured. For that reason, Read’s collection is thought-provoking, relatable and poignant.

– Rob Scott

The theme of “Parents, and their Kids” explores the wide variety of experiences parents and children may share. While the parent-child relationship is typically thought of as nurturing, it can be as unique as the individuals involved. The haiku I have selected are steeped in thematic diversity. Here, one will find poems that range in tone from sentimental to desperate, protective to distant, loving to cold, joyous to grieving, and curious to disinterested. “Parents, and their Kids” intends to showcase the breadth and complexity of this fundamental relationship in our lives.

– Dave Read