> ## Content Index
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# If Only: A Burning Haibun by M.S. Marquart
- URL: https://wesocialwork.ghost.io/if-only-a-burning-haibun-by-m-s-marquart/
- Published: 2026-08-11T02:02:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T17:17:17.000Z
- Author: WeSocialWork
- Tags: Poems for Melanie, Remembering Melanie, Poetry

![Two smiling women take a selfie in an office beside a bookshelf. The woman on the left points toward a displayed copy of Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology, while books, framed awards, papers, and office materials appear in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/b2/c9b290c9-9027-4750-8821-ccc0457984cb/content/images/2026/10/cid_fcf075f3-694c-43e5-b9d8-718f3053308c.jpg)

![First page of If Only: A Burning Haibun by M.S. Marquart, in memory of Melanie Sage, reflecting on eternalism and shared memories in New York City.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/b2/c9b290c9-9027-4750-8821-ccc0457984cb/content/images/2026/10/if-only_a-burning-haibun_m-s--marquart-1_edited-jpeg.jpg)

![Second page of If Only: A Burning Haibun, moving from memories of Melanie’s support and death into a visual erasure poem, with most text covered by black blocks and selected phrases left visible.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/b2/c9b290c9-9027-4750-8821-ccc0457984cb/content/images/2026/10/if-only_a-burning-haibun_m-s--marquart-2_edited-jpeg.jpg)

![Third page of If Only: A Burning Haibun, using black erasure blocks to leave fragments about enchantment, friendship, support during disability paperwork, Melanie’s death, and the simultaneous ache and joy of memory.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/b2/c9b290c9-9027-4750-8821-ccc0457984cb/content/images/2026/10/if-only_a-burning-haibun_m-s--marquart-3edited-jpeg.jpg)

![Final page of If Only: A Burning Haibun, ending with a brief stanza that gathers memories of Melanie and her death “all at once,” followed by a footnote crediting torrin a. greathouse with creating the burning haibun form.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/b2/c9b290c9-9027-4750-8821-ccc0457984cb/content/images/2026/10/if-only_a-burning-haibun_m-s--marquart-4-edited-jpeg.jpg)