
a burbling song
wind in leaves harmonizes,
summer arpeggios
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading

a burbling song
wind in leaves harmonizes,
summer arpeggios
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading

time-brewed
birch bark-scented
wisdom
wait
listen
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham

she rose above
her naysayers and nodded yes,
you can do it, too
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading

pink petals
scent rises like hope
music on the wind
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading

sea holly hats,
fascinators on the thinnest stems
with royal collars
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading
the cheeriest blooms
bring the sun
out of hiding
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading
Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
— William Shakespeare

Warning, more geekery here! I was fascinated to read Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by April Chu, Creston Books, 2015. It confirms what I’ve always suspected: Girls Rock!! Continue reading

purple and yellow
delicate spires and broad leaves
but contrast succeeds
when we are free to disagree,
we make each other stronger
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading

sun-filled petals,
scalloped and scented,
soft as new baby’s skin
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading
Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
— William Shakespeare

If you love books pulsing with voice, that magical quality that brings characters to life, you’ll love It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk, by Josh Funk, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, Two Lions, 2017. Continue reading

firecracker red roses
bring back sangria-sweetened
hot afternoons
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham Continue reading
Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
— William Shakespeare

Finally an author explores an impulse I’ve had: to explore an abandoned house. Julie Fogliano’s new book, A House That Once Was, illustrated by the phenomenal Lane Smith, is that book with stellar imagination and vivid color-magic! It makes me remember such a house in rural, Kudzu-draped North Carolina and another stripped of color by the salty, Maine air.
I wanted to explore an abandoned barn, far in Northern Michigan when I was a kid, but my father told me the floorboards might be rotten. That makes it all the more magical to see this in a book — no risk of life or limb! Having always wanted to go inside…
Copyright 2018 Brenda Davis Harsham
Notes: What is more magical than possibility and wonder?