Squirrels skitter past
On the treetop Autobahn
Catch a fuzzy glimpse
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Tag Archives: fall
Dragon Dreaming
“He had turned into a dragon while he was asleep.
Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart,
he had become a dragon himself.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
He napped on the wealth of the world,
The heart of the wildwood beating in his ears,
But his sleep outlasted the wood itself.
Over the years, earth and twigs covered him,
Turning his sunny glade into a fairy mound.
When he woke, his scales were soft as bracket fungus,
And his hide was frayed like the bark of a fallen spruce.
All around him, houses stared down with blank eyes.
A bridge crossed a brook where children swung on bars,
Screamed and chased each other around plastic cars.
The sweet smells of red woolen sweaters, sticky candy fingers,
Grilled cheese breath and ripening juniper berries
Teased his nose, so different than leaf mold and lichen.
He remembered the beating of the wildwood heart,
Loud as thunder, steady as rain, but he could not hear it.
His greedy heart stirred. His claws churned the earth.
Clink, clink, his treasure was safe. Gold gleamed below him.
Its musical ringing soothed him. He remembered winning it,
When the forest were young, kings foolish, and no amount
Of stone or brick could hide the scent of gold from him.
His youthful memories brought dreams and in the gloaming,
He dozed again, his green eyes dimming, his breath stilling.
The woods would return one day: the seeds were there.
The day of the dragon would return with the wildwood.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Were you the kind of child that imagined dragons under the hills and fairies inside the flowers? If not, maybe it’s not too late to be that child now. What would you think about, if you were a dragon awaking in suburbia?
Halloween Ballet
Autumn fairy ballet:
Ballerinas dip and spin,
Wings extend lightly and
Long costumes twirl.
A feast for the eyes:
Fall glows in shades of
Butternut squash and pumpkin,
With touches of berry and apple.
The wind lifts the dancers
Into allegro cabrioles, then
Holds another in a graceful arabesque.
The Fae Corps de Ballet
Performs every day.
Happy Halloween! Be spooky and be safe!
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Bare Branches Bloom
Bare branches are stripped
By wind and rain,
Saffron leaves
Reveal:
Bloom.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: The syllable of this poem dwindle, just as the leaves fall.
Gossamer Milkweed Etheree
Pods
Look like
Green gators,
Snapping at air,
Hungry mouths open,
Toothy grin spilling silk:
Brownies harvest, spin and weave
Gossamer Fairy Court dresses.
Milkweed’s a Monarch butterfly house:
Holds eggs and feeds baby caterpillars.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This poem is an etheree, a form that starts with one syllable on the first line and increases to 10, one syllable per line.
Tree Bling
When the trees bling
And the colors zing,
Joy is on an upswing.
My heart begins to sing,
My spirit takes wing,
Dancing a highland fling
As if I’m in a fairy ring.
Note: This weekend is Columbus Day Weekend here in New England. We harvest apples, press cider and hike in the woods. The holiday is controversial. In 1492, Columbus sailed the blue. Some claim he “discovered” America, but others argue he came rather late to the party. Asians had crossed the land bridge thousands of years before 1492, and millions already lived in the Americas. Viking and Chinese explorers had already beaten him to the Americas by sea as well. That’s water under the bridge now, and my family has been settled here for hundreds of years. When the leaves change, I am extra-thankful to be here, as magic reveals the luminous color underlying the green. The riverside becomes a place of otherworldly beauty. Whether or not you celebrate Columbus Day as a day of discovery, I hope you discover magic in the world today. It’s there every day, whether or not we recognize it.
Journey of the Rainbow Leaf
Citrine, amber, sage, russet, claret,
Green of tree and brown of earth:
Every autumn shade gleams
Between its yellow veins.
Tiny fairies ride wind swells on it:
A magic carpet to buzz bushes and skim ponds.
Three baby hedgehogs with shivering quills
Hide beneath it, from a cold rain.
Then it’s sewn into a cape for the Harvest Queen,
She of the forest and glen,
It swirls like an autumn rainbow.
Its folds flash between dancing courtiers,
As all the fairies make merry.
Soon the bitter winds will blow.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Thistle Bristle
Round purple hedgehogs
Rise above a bed of green thistle;
Bees circle them like moons,
Dodging spines that bristle.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This flower is Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro). The bees were too quick for me, none lingered to become famous on my blog. 🙂
Get Your Orange On
Happy October First!
Mornings are dark, wet and gloomy.
The time has come to fear the Worst!!
The veil separating us from the grave
Is thinning and opening windows and doors.
Before the thirty-first, decide who you will save!
Children will turn into Monsters, Heros, Bats,
Witches, Pumpkins and Spirits from Beyond!
Get your orange on and watch out for black cats…
Halloween is coming!
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This was inspired by Autumn, the changing leaves and the Spooky Writing Contest. Enter if you dare! If you want to see my contribution from last year, it was Halloween Scene Haiku. Other themed writing: Spellbook Haibun and Crankypot Halloween.
Sunflower Shining
Sun shines so bright,
She bows her head and squints.
As the summer fades,
Her petals wilt a bit, but
She is still aflame with color.
Sunflower drowses and dreams
Of golden days past.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Happy Fall!
Goldenrod has grown long yellow fingers.
A crowd of eager mums are mid-laugh as
Hedgehogs nibble skunk cabbage.
Even white snakeroot,
Abloom at the wood’s edge,
Looks deceptively harmless,
But the deer leave it be.
Purple asters open wide, tiny but cheery.
Summer fairies line their beds with milkweed down,
Make quilts of hydrangea petals and
Dodge spiky, armoured chestnuts.
Dahlias bloom, large as dinner plates.
Happy Fall!
Note: The autumnal equinox is September 23, 2014, and this is the day summer changes to fall in the Northern Hemisphere, where I live in the USA. The earth is now tilting away from the sun and we will have shorter days and less warmth for 6 months.
Roses are Red
Roses are red,
Shadows are blue,
Summer is fading,
It’s sad but true.
Acorns are falling,
Leaves are still green,
The season is poised,
For changes unseen.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Friendly Fairy Tales 