Footsteps echo like ghosts.
Dust clogs the air, and
breezes rattle webs then
spin brown leaves
into dry devils.
Sentry swallows
dive from eaves,
startling us into
thumping dance steps:
one forward and two back.
A tiny beak chirps
from a mud cup.
The mother snaps
mosquitoes from midair,
hovering by the nest
like a tiny dragon,
eyes aflame with purpose.
We pace forward cautiously,
no longer sure of our primacy.
We emerge in sunshine,
glad to walk quietly.
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: We may build the bridge, but the folk who live there own it. Do you ever feel the past hanging heavily over a place?
44 thoughts on “Ghostly Echoes”
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Friendly Fairy Tales 
So beautiful Brenda, you are part of the bigger whole. Lovely~
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I left my traces, as you leave yours where you wander. I hope you have some curry in London. 🙂
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Great mix of poetry and photography. I adore this bridge. Actually, since this is my first visit to your site, I am thoroughly enjoying the gorgeous scenery. So different from the southern Minnesota landscape.
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Thanks for coming to see me. I saw a comment of yours on another site, and stopped by to visit. I visited MN as a teen, and really liked it. I’ll come by soon and take another look.
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Ooh! This is deep and haunting! Nice picture to accompany the poem as well!
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Thanks! I’ve always loved covered bridges, but I find them haunting, too.
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Yeah! Even a little mystery could spice up your life!
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Yes, a little spice is always welcome.
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More dragons – yay!
And to answer your question, yes.
There are a few places in Scotland where the past is present.
Glencoe and Culloden Moor are two notable spots.
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The blooming thistle ties it all together.
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Bridges are already symbolic to most if but you added another dimension. Most might visualize the builders or the means of transportation, like horse and buggy or men on foot, traveling across the countryside but I liked your focus on the natural elements surrounding, living within and without this bridge.
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The in-between in populous and magical to me. 🙂 Even in bridges.
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The “tiny beak chirping in a mud cup” was such a sweet detail, Brenda ♡
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Thanks, Robin! Hope you’re having a great Labor Day. XOXO
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I like all of your poems but this one stands out…..I extra like this one!
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Thank you! I extra like you, Zia!
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Awe shucks 😊….right back at you!
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XOXO
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Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
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thank goodness another pesky mosquito gone… 🙂 love the historical bridge…one can imagine all kinds of neat stories to tell such as this lovely poem. cheers!
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Thanks, you caught me. I was telling a story. I like to imagine a story everywhere I go. 🙂
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This is so beautiful just like you sweet Brenda I wanted to pop in and say hi and have a wonderful week! ❤
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I hope you’re having a wonderful week, too. I’m having a terrific time with my kids. They are always fun. 🙂
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Yay! I’m so happy to hear this! It’s almost time for school! Hopray
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We don’t start back to school until September! We still have weeks to go! 🙂
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A journey into a magical world, loved your image of dry leaves as devils and eyes aflame with purpose, such strong imagery taking me into your world.
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Thanks, Maria. I continue to work on my language use, making things as short as possible, but not losing the details. It’s fun. I’m glad you took the time to comment. 😀
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Very nice Brenda. When I visit older sites, I always think about the people who built them, lived in them, worked the land, etc. It’s so different. We drive up, walk around, take a few pictures and leave. People worked for years on some of the places I’ve visited for 20 minutes.
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I’ve been reading about the building of the Verrazanno Bridge. It’s amazing what the workers did, pulling that together. I feel that way when I look at what my cellphone can do. And the people who covered the bridges, as though building the bridge were not miraculous enough. It’s a wonderful world.
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That is an amazing bridge. I love reading about how they built things like that.
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Me, too. I’m trying to write a children’s book about it, but it’s way harder than I ever imagined!
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Good luck with that book!
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Thanks! I had an inspiration recently I want to try out, but time is the missing link!
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Great write!
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Thanks, Georgia!
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Welcome!
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Great job, Brenda! 🙂
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Thanks, Fabio!
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Magical! 🙂 🙂
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Thanks, Line!
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All the spirits dancing across and the tales within once told, I love this 🙂
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Thanks, Andy!
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powerful poem, brenda.
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Thanks, Beth!
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