One feather with vanes of red,
Laying on the ground so blue
Fills me with a sudden dread,
Now will all the leaves change, too?
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Tag Archives: fall
Garden Bright Haibun
As my children go back to school, the last blooms of the season burst like fireworks. The heat rises, homework swells, plans churn and change. Each day brings new wonders and new opportunities.
Wandering far,
On the borders of beauty,
Seeing zinnias and dahlias,
Sprawling in full bloom,
I am in the garden bright.
Snow might be coming,
But not until another day.
The seasons change gently, day by day, beginning with red leaves interspersed with the green. Berries replace flowers, and the sun’s rays dwindle. The squirrels chatter, chase and hide acorns frantically. All around me is late summer, but the preparation for winter is nigh.
harvest tomatoes
canning sauce made with basil
winter is coming
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: A haibun is a Japanese form of prose interspersed with poetry, often culminating in a haiku.
Golden Path Etheree
Leaf
Falling,
Citrine dream.
Windy swirling,
Gold honey blizzard,
Swirls of a fairy’s cloak.
Restless spirits soar higher
With each dancing leaf falling down
To the shifting, shadowy hemline.
Surfeit of beauty looking at fall’s gown.
Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This poem is an Etheree, starting with one syllable on the first line and increasing to ten, one syllable per line.
Smokebush in the Fall
Raspberry leaves dance on a chilly breeze.
Kissed by cold stardust, the violet-edged leaves
Outshine the fading summer’s flowers.
Luminous leafy ovals welcome the coming sleep.
Life force gathers into the stems, retreating root deep
And no cold winter can extinguish its secret powers.
Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
Summer suspended
A delightful riff on my autumnal music, here is the fairy of disenchantment’s magical take on fall. 🙂 Hugs all around, Brenda
Painted Fall Haiku
Blooms fade and turn brown,
Cold nights imperil garden.
Late blooms delight eyes.
Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
Shadow Haiku
Leaf golden orange,
Fell slowly and lightly down,
Shadows hug, let go.
Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
September Heat Wave Haiku
Luminous leaf fell,
Curled by hazy summer heat,
Embracing autumn.
Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
Signs of Fall Haiku
No! It can’t be fall!
Another year is fading;
One leaf has fallen.
Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
Prince Columbine
Prince Columbine hung his head like the flower he was named for. His father, King Pine, wanted him to become a judge in the court, but Prince Columbine never had the right words. His sister, Princess Starflower, could talk rings around him.
“I would give anything to sit in the court like you do,” she said, failing to understand how he could be sad about it, her golden hair falling in petals around her glowing face. “If you had just told Farmer Wednesday that you would check the records and get back to her about the boundary marker, all would have gone well. Why did you have to tell her that a foot one way or the other doesn’t matter? Of course it matters to her.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I get it. She was so angry. It just didn’t seem that important.”
The princess huffed and gave up on him. “Ugh, if I see one more bleeding cut, I’m going to throw up!” she insisted.
“Why don’t we switch for a day?” Prince Columbine had always enjoyed assisting the healer when he had the chance. He knew his father would disapprove, but he did not think he would be angry. “Let’s tell the healers and ministers we have father’s approval, and then hope he’s busy all day. Then he won’t notice! He has plans to tour the castle walls with his architects.”
“I love the idea!” And so they switched.
Friendly Fairy Tales 