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July 22, 2015

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Fairy Tent City

A sudden squall thunders.
Tent City springs up.
Way-sprites huddle –
wayfaring fae kin
dislike staying home.
They travel light:
just dancing feet,
a bit of music
and nature’s magic.
When rain pounds,
they hold fast
to one slippery slope and
conical roofs rise,
followed soon by tunes.
Fiddles sigh and drums thrum.
A lilting song climbs the scale –
a spirited counterpoint
to the pattering rain.
Birds hide under leaves
and bob their heads.
Chipmunks curl up
in their beds.
If only the music
would never stop.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 21, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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Forest Spirits

Forest spirits linger high and
wonder at the changing sky.
Sky blue interlaces with clouds
above summer mountains blue.
Below, dark gorges are punctuated
by sharp granite shoulders, themselves
overlaid by softening moss quilts.

The still quiet is
broken by the first raindrop,
a mouse scurries for cover,
and the Lost River roars welcome.

I lose my worries at the feet of granite giants,
feel them washed free by rain hunting
the Lost River, hidden deep underground.
Its voice emerges from caves,
behind glacial boulders and over waterfalls.
Even the forest spirits are silenced.

That powerful roar
intrigues and captivates.
In the waterfall is the full fury.
What were my worries?
They pale beside river spirits,
kinfolk to the forest spirits.
The Lost River surges,
its voice amplified by
last night’s thundershowers
coupled with today’s sprinkles.
My spirit expands.

Note: These photographs were taken today at the Lost River Gorge. Over 1300 steps led into and around the gorge, taking us on a hide-and-seek journey exploring the Lost River and its many secret places.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 20, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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Rhodie Abloom

proud full bloom
sprinkled with sage fairy dust
beckoning bees

Note: Hiking in New Hampshire today. Hot, sweltering with thunder shows hovering. I’ll hope for some fairy dust and a well-placed swimming hole. 🙂 Have a great week! Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 19, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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24 Comments

Bee Magic

Bee magic,
deft and sure,
never lingering to despair.
Bee light,
zip and zoom,
ignoring all but the nectar.
Bee strong,
tough and enduring,
working nonstop all summer.
Bee safe,
at risk of harm,
you give back more than you take.

Note: Despite colony collapse disorder, the bees are plentiful in the field. Without them, all of us would be out there with Q-tips, pollinating or perishing. Long live the bee!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 18, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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Fairy Queen’s Parasol

The white parasol twirls,
dips and bobs in the
Fairy Queen’s slender hand.

The midsummer sun
dapples her pale cheeks,
gilding her glossy curls.

Beetles play at her feet,
like infants in the grass.
Ruby Columbine drops

petals-tears the
flavor of honey nectar,
tasted beside a wild rose ruin.

Her sisters pass out starry bud cups.
The queen nods her thanks.
The sweet scent combines with

thyme and sage, making the air
alive with color and promise.
The Fairy Queen’s eyes hide

behind the tilt of lace as she
hobnobs with nabobs,
each of them drinking.

None may know
what she’s thinking.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 17, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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41 Comments

Butterfly Twilight

Used by permission of Jessica Hagan

Vanessa dances
at dusk in the begonias
scent of lavender

Note: Thanks to Jessica Hagan for letting me use her beautiful photograph of the American Lady Butterfly, Vanessa Virginiensis!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 7, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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66 Comments

River Drifting

River blooms green
Between water lily stars.
Swans nibble
Tender water moss
While minnows
Dart amid the bobbing
Carpet of green.
Water striders flee.
A hush falls as
The great blue heron
Lifts its wide wings.
He beats the air from his
Driftwood perch.
A redwinged blackbird
Flashes red and yellow stripes
Among the elderberries.
Mrs. Mallard pecks at
Arrow Arum.
A Canada goose stands
On one foot in the shallows.
The current carries us
Ever onward
Toward the sea,
The light in our eyes.

Note: I’ve been boating with the kids for three days straight. They took to stand-up paddle boarding. They might never canoe again.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

July 4, 2015

Posted under

Holiday, Photography

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31 Comments

Happy Red, White and Blue!

Happy U.S. Independence Day!

Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 30, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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45 Comments

Rain Chain

Raindrops linger in a
Caressing slide down
Purple trumpet petals.

Petals are lavender tutus
Worn by fae ballerinas
In endless pirouhette.

Pirouhette in the rain,
Cool on a hot brow,
Steamy from summer fun.

Fun is full moon magic,
On a long bright night.
Dew falls like raindrops.

Note: This poem is my variant of a chain poem. The last word of the stanza is used to start the next stanza, and then the last word of the poem loops back to the first word. Tonight my daughter couldn’t sleep with the full moon shining through her window. It’s the first full moon she ever remembers seeing, and it has a special magic for her. Do you remember seeing your first full moon?

Plus, YEAH to Carly Lloyd who again slotted home a Penalty Kick, leading the women’s U.S. soccer team to a semi-final win against Germany. Yeah to the whole U.S. women’s soccer team!! The final of the women’s world cup is Sunday, and I wish I could be there!!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 29, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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Ode to Baby Kale

Tiny green fans,
For cooling a sprite,
A nibble for children:
A snack to delight.
First, soaked as seed,
Then planted in soil,
Watered and lit from above,
Sprouted into a tiny coil.
Two oval leaves
Reached for the light,
Edges becoming scalloped
With veins of bright white.
Baby green kale,
Planted between sage,
Chives and thyme,
Becomes an herbal mage,
With the power
Of flavor and health,
Until devoured by rabbits
With predawn stealth.

Note: This ode is to my baby kale, photographed prior to devastation by bunnies, insatiable little beasts. They seem to prefer the things I grow from seed to any clover or sweet grass. They never eat my chives.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 22, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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46 Comments

Daisies Dear

No pruning,
No fertilizer,
No special care,
Still you bloom,
Wide open,
With smiling flair,
In field, meadow,
Roadside and
Everywhere.
Daisies sing a
Daisy song,
A quiet fanfare.

Note: Woo-hoo to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team who fought long and hard against Columbia tonight! Congrats to Abby Wombach, a great Captain. She hails from Rochester, NY, where I (mostly) grew up. Yeah Carly Lloyd for scoring on the (second!) PK and then stepping up as Captain! FIFA — International soccer tournaments should not be played on turf!! 130 degrees on the field/pitch?! Shoes MELTING?? Seriously?

Also, hello to Poetry Friday friends! Thanks to Carol at Carol’s Corner for hosting this week.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 21, 2015

Posted under

Holiday, Poetry

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32 Comments

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 3

Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricots and dewberries,
With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;
The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees,
And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs.
And light them at the fiery glow-worm eyes,
To have my love to bed and to arise;
And pluck the wings from painted butterflies
To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes:
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

Note: Happy Father’s Day to all fine Gentlemen! Happy Midsummer! And this is the third and final part of my Shakespeare Quotes offered for the 3-Day Quote Challenge, thanks to an invitation by Marlyn at Kintal. I’ve thanked my challenger, offered three quotes in three days and passed the challenge along to any who comment here and express interest. For a midsummer fairy tale, click here. Hope you had a great weekend!