Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

January 1, 2014

Posted under

Humor, Poetry

Comments

60 Comments

Red Pajamas Shadorma

Little leaves
Buried in the snow,
Peeking out
Like children,
Dressed in their red pajamas,
Throwing off covers.

Note: This poem is called a Shadorma, which is a rhythmic six-line poetry form, each line having specific syllable counts of 3, 5, 3, 3, 7 and 5. It may be modern; it may be a revived older poetry form. Some attribute it to Spain, although to me it sounds Indian, for no other reason than it rhymes with Lamb Korma. No authority I found gave it a definitive origin, and I offer it to you as a beautiful form, allowing a licentious 26 syllables instead of the austere 17 permitted by haiku. It’s a heady freedom!

References:

http://risinghawkspeaks.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/noreaster/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadorma
http://www.poetrypages.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=16872
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poets/shadorma-a-highly-addictive-poetic-form-from-spain
http://popularpoetryforms.blogspot.com/2013/01/shadorma.html
http://caraholman.wordpress.com/tag/shadorma-poetry/

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 28, 2013

Posted under

Poetry

Comments

37 Comments

Winter’s Jewels Haiku

golden pine droplets

fairy cobblers harvest

resin slippers shine

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 26, 2013

Posted under

Poetry

Comments

43 Comments

Cabbage-Iris Haiku

summer blooms faded

vivid winter iris glows

some consolation

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 23, 2013

Posted under

Holiday

Comments

72 Comments

Making Spirits Bright

I hope you are all warm, safe and surrounded by love and magic this holiday season! May all the snow that falls be light, fluffy and shining like diamonds. May your dreams shine like the stars, and your dearest wishes come true. Joy to the World!! Merry Christmas!!

Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 21, 2013

Posted under

Holiday, Poetry

Comments

18 Comments

Midwinter Song

Midwinter fairies dancing,
Joyous reindeer prancing,
Colorful lights enhancing,

Continue reading →

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 17, 2013

Posted under

Poetry

Comments

32 Comments

Seasons Intersect Haiku

buds waiting for spring

reluctant leaves enduring

dreaming of summer

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 15, 2013

Posted under

Humor, Poetry

Comments

50 Comments

Dark Spaces Haiku

golden sunshine glows

fae hide in the dark spaces

writing to Santa

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 14, 2013

Posted under

Humor, Poetry

Comments

57 Comments

Sonnet to a Cabbage

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s bloom?
Thou art more hardy and vivid in snow.
Over charming cabbages, dark clouds loom,
Soft fall winter’s tears on curled leaf below.
Coldest days, the white sky fills with snowflakes
Their white color enhances your bolder.
The distant sun peeks, an opening makes,
Crystal sparkles enchant the beholder.
And yet, the blindness reminds of regrets,
Summer sprite and fae gardens are no more.
Gnomes and dwarves hibernate in cabbage beds,
Violet leaf consoles as we adore.
Even when we wearily shovel snow,
We are buoyed by your vibrant purple glow.

Copyright 2013 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (one of my favorites), after learning one of my readers had not read Shakespeare.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

December 14, 2013

Posted under

Poetry

Comments

79 Comments

Tree of Life Haībun

Used with permission of Managua Gunn

I dream here in this place of ancient magic, listening to the humming telephone wires. Oil wells beat like a thousand hearts. My roots stretch beneath the hill, into the frozen past. The dry desert sands cannot warm the hidden place where the Garden of Eden still flourishes, hidden from man these many thousand years. I was blown to this hill as a seed, more than 400 years ago.

mother lost in time
father wind threw me from her
alone in this place

A child fell, cutting his knee on a pottery shard. His blood watered the sand, pushing me into the soil. In his brief pain, he called to Enki, the Water God, who granted a year of beating rain. Was I blessed by Enki to outlive my kin or cursed to burn in the sun, gaped at by tourists?

Shajarat-al-Hayat
symbol of forgotten time
outliving all loves

Inspired by the weekly Haībun challenge.
References:
http://www.worldtoptop.com/mysterious-tree-of-life-bahrain/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_Life,_Bahrain
http://www.bahrain.com/en/vp/things-to-do/top-ten-sights/Pages/Tree-of-Life.aspx#.UqvbGyihDzI