Sunshine writes on each leaf
In a language I cannot read.
Nature connects to me, is my belief,
Granting succor, solace: things I need.
Golden leaves have much to say,
Dappled by daylight, joyful, calm.
Cheer and peace are mine today;
Nature’s beauty provide the balm.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
purple trumpets joyfully welcome spring, frantic sunshine music
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This is my second ever American Haiku. I still have a few posts left to make from my warm vacation. Tomorrow we have a snowstorm due. 🙂 The American Haiku or American Sentence form was created by Allen Ginsberg, who brought it away from nature toward our modern, urban lifestyle and left it high and dry on one line, as more similar to the original haiku form, which was not broken into lines. My first is Silent Bathhouse.
fading afternoon
vacation memories stored
moss darkens the day
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Roll back the clouds,
Bring me some sun.
Go away gray days,
It’s time for some fun!
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
There is no key to happiness.
The door is always open.
— Mother Teresa
Love comes to the door,
Peeking through the keyhole
Slipping through the letterbox,
Making its demands,
Leaving footprints on your clean floor.
Life is never the same.
Happiness follows with friends:
Laughter, feelings of flying,
Stomach turns somersaults,
Spinning in dizzy, dancing circles.
Then those friends grow up with you,
Happiness turning into contentment,
Laughter growing into smiles.
Spinning somersaults drift into a slow waltz.
Love settles into sharing and commiserations galore.
First our hearts are on our sleeves,
And then they are on our door.
In secret, they flutter still, quietly.
The sound of a roughened voice,
The slide of stubble against a smooth cheek.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Happy Valentine’s Day !!
To all those who love and are loved, whatever makes your heart flutter,
It’s a day to pause and be grateful for those tiny wings. 🙂
Warmly, Brenda
Sunlights slants through the trees, blinding me.
Smoke rises from the chimney carrying an acrid scent.
Wind showers me with sparkling fairy dust from the trees
Making me blink, blink, but then I feel like I can fly.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Used with Kind Permission of Tracy at Wanderlust
Never before photographed in the wild!
The elusive, secretive Ice Snails —
Ice Snails clinging
Before the big race
Little hearts singing
Hoping for speed and grace.
Cloaking devices active —
Only frost fairies see snails —
Rainbow refractive.
Snails leave glistening trails.
One will finish first,
Blest by the Frost Queen,
Putting on speed in a burst,
Winning rights to preen.
Fairies celebrate with hot cider,
Made from Autumn’s windfalls,
Berry tart and mushroom slider —
Feasting and fun within Fairy halls.
No wild life were harming in the making of this post. 😉
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Inspired by Tracy’s Ice photographs at Wanderlust. Check them out, they are awesome!
Anybody seen my other eye?
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Tempers ran high when the snow started to fall.
Frog would not come out of his palace at all.
Orla Fairy drank cup after cup of tea.
Jake the Forest Snip, belligerent was he.
Down the slippery village road he stalked.
Approaching all the closed doors: Bang! bang! he knocked.
A Siberian tiger paced and snarled,
Snow piled onto his fur, nails old and gnarled.
Forest Snip banged on the Weather Witch’s door,
Calling out, “What are you thinking, you great bore!”
“You tell her,” said the old tiger with a grin.
“Stop your banging!” came a shrill voice from within.
Out with demands came a magnificent mouse:
“Stop making a racket in front of my house!”
“We all talked and decided, it would be spring!”
Jake the Forest Snip’s words had a rousing ring.
Fairy Orla put down her tea, now resigned.
Outside, she said: “Mags, an accord was designed.”
“Don’t you dare call me Mags,” the Weather Witch grumped.
“But why did you change your mind? We are all stumped,”
Fairy Orla inquired. “Dear, we all see snow.”
“Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, you know!
How can I ignore that?” asked the Weather Witch.
The tiger’s black and white striped fur gave a twitch.
He growled: “Don’t tell me we have to wait six weeks!”
Fairy Orla sadly brushed snow from her cheeks.
“All this cold for a Pennsylvania rodent?”
Fairy Orla snapped, ending quite despondent.
The witch scratched her mouse whiskers with tiny nails.
“There might be a way, but if done wrong it fails.
Gather some helleborus, ginger root, moss,
Shrew coat clippings, raven feathers, grassy floss,”
The Witch listed, hugging her pink coat tightly.
“Gather all that, my friends, gather it sprightly.
A brew will I prepare that will end this storm,”
Gravely she spoke, looking at snowflakes, forlorn.
All but the ginger root came quickly to hand.
Not one could be found on fairy village land.
They bartered for roots with five passing tinkers,
But Forest Snip lost them dicing with drinkers.
Now all were snarling at Jake the Forest Snip.
He left to go south on an extended trip.
More and more snowflakes drifted quietly down.
“Each thing has its time,” quoth the mouse with a frown.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
The broken parts have the deepest beauty.
A road is just a road until you stop and see a turtle hiding.
The crack in perfection is where new life takes root.
Magic is in how you look at things.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Conjure me a warm day;
Bend holly into a wreath.
Leave trinkets where they lay,
Intertwine grasses from the heath.
Weave in some dried lavender,
Intersperse some winter berries,
Neglect not magical provender,
Add a curl of thyme for the fairies.
In the gloaming, carry it nigh.
“With some warmth, you’ll be blessed,”
Spake the White Witch’s soft sigh.
“I take with joy these things for my nest.”
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Notes: Inspired by the Sunday Whirl, Wordle 144.
To the drooling snow monster,
who swallowed my thoughts of spring whole,
the sun will be coming for you,
in a month or two.
A few budding artists were inspired to draw their own snow monsters:
By M.H., aged 5, via his mom at Complexity through Joy
Coloring Page by Kyle H., aged 9.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Thanks to Janna at Complexity through Joy for the kind permission for use of her snow monster.
The church is near but the road is all ice; the tavern is far but I’ll walk very carefully. Russian Proverb
Friendly Fairy Tales 