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April 2, 2014

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Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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Dreaming in Cherry Blossoms

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Rain patters on the roof,
While the cardinal calls:
“Birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie.”
My eyes drift closed, heavy
With disappointment at the cold,
Wet spring and the absent sun.

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Azaleas flame in raspberry bursts.
The weeping cherry cries amber tears
Of swollen pollen from pale pink blossoms,
Sunshine heats the wet sidewalk,
And it breathes steamy sighs.
A mist curls up toward the blossoms.

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In my dream, my two arms multiply,
Turning to wings, to feathers, to thin limbs:
To an infant, a new weeping cherry.
My long arms tremble in air currents.
The cardinal lands on my highest shoulder
Calling “Birdie, birdie,” red crest proud.

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I hear again the sound of the rain,
My dry roots yearn toward the nectar
Shared by clouds, whispering of oceans.
I awake stretching my legs,
Moving freely, but stiff and cold;
Blossoms, an afterimage, on my closed eyes.

Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham

Note: Inspired by Michelle Marie, who was longing to see cherry blossoms.
These photographs are from last spring.

53 thoughts on “Dreaming in Cherry Blossoms”

  1. Pingback: Dreaming in Cherry Blossoms from Friendly Fairy Tales | Women Who Think Too Much by Jeanne Marie

  3. Wow this is such a beautiful post, words and photos alike! The third image is my favourite, that pink is sensational. A great blast of spring! 😀 x

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  6. I loved the dream, Brenda! I cherish the pretty photos of the blooming blossoms of the flowering weeping cherry tree! Here in Ohio, our male cardinal makes a song that to me calls me with, 2 long ‘whistles,’ and then 3 short ones. They are piercingly and lovingly sent out into the air. Our robins chirp and sound like, “Birdy, birdy” or “pretty, pretty!” I have not heard the chirping of a cardinal and I hope to hear it someday! Smiles, Robin

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    • Robin, I thought it was a robin at first, but it was a cardinal up in a tree. 🙂 My friend and I heard it on a walk. I love to hear the birds in springtime. They sound as happy as me. 🙂 Brenda

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  7. Beautiful photos. I took a day trip to Washington, DC last year to see the cherry blossoms. They bloomed early, but I did get to see a few. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂

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  8. hi brenda, I have awarded you with the Dragon’s Loyalty Award! If you want to accept, see my latest post for details. If you’re not into awards I truly understand, but just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your wonderful blog and all your visits.

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  10. Reblogged this on Tell me about it and commented:
    Brenda over at Friendly Fairy Tales posted these lovely photos of Weeping Cherry Blossoms I had never seen them before and I so love them. They look like little trails of cotton candy. I want some for my yard. They are so beautiful! 🙂

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  11. This is really beautiful – so elegant!! ❤ I love your cherry blossom picture, under the tree, wonderful! I absolutely love pink cherry blossom, and that looks like a dream. Is the cherry tree in your garden?

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    • Only the little one. A house nearby has three established ones, many years old, and they were the reason I bought one, and planted it for my daughter. 🙂

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  12. Absolutely gorgeous, Brenda. Gives hope of what to look forward to as we’re now in the middle of a spring snow storm in the Rockies having already received 8-10″ of snow already. 🙂

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  13. Brenda, When the Cherry Blossoms bloomed in DC it was amazingj. But so often they would only be out a day or so before a big storm came thru the area and knocked them from the trees, rarely did you have a week to 10 days to enjoy them. Take care, Bill

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    • Bill, the cherry blossoms are so beautiful, and they only look like that for a day to two, you are right. I am excited to see them again this year. Blessings, Brenda

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  14. So beautiful! I have a less romantic way I remember the cardinals call. . Cheeese-bur-ger, cheeese-bur-ger. 😃

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    • LOL I remember hearing that call as “Birdie, birdie, birdie,” from when I was really young. I always seem to have had cardinals living near me. 🙂

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  18. We had a cold wet spring down here in southern Australia last year. It was quite depressing. Your poem catches the feeling well. I hope you get some lovely clear days before summer arrives.

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  21. Oh my goodness these are beautiful! I have never seen weeping cheery blossom! They look like pink cotton candy! I see the weeping part as well like little tears like you said. This is beautiful! Thank you for showing me this! I want some! They are big for 5 years old! This is my new favorite tree! Can I reblog this?

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    • Sure! The full size trees are much older than 5 years, but the little one is probably near that. 🙂 I was happy to find them all. And retrieve the originals. Apparently I cannot back up modified pictures so I have stopped cropping unless strictly necessary.

      I hope your cherry tree(s) makes it. Perhaps you need a water bag, always full until your tree is much older, since it’s so hot where you are. I don’t know where you get them, but the conservancy here plants trees with 40 gallon green plastic sacs that you keep filled and it keeps the soil moist despite the heat. A few years of that might let the roots get deep enough to make it through the dry spells. That would be cheaper than buying new trees, surely.

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