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June 20, 2015

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Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 2

Once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin’s back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
That the rude sea grew civil at her song
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid’s music.

Note: Happy Saturday! Hope your weekend is going well. This is Part 2 of 3 Shakespeare Quotes offered for the 3-Day Quote Challenge, thanks to an invitation by Marlyn at Kintal. Find Part 1 for the rules and an invitation to participate for any quote lovers. For a midsummer fairy tale, click here. Check back tomorrow morning for the final part. Have a magical day!

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 19, 2015

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Poetry

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Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 1

Over hill, over dale,
Through bush, through brier,
Over park, over pale,
Through flood, through fire,
I do wander everywhere
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen.
To dew her orbs upon the green .
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see
Those be rubies, fairy favours ,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I’ll be gone:
Our queen and all our elves come here anon.

Notes:

Happy Friday!

This is Part 1 of 3 of my Shakespeare Quotes offered for the 3-Day Quote Challenge, thanks to an invitation by Marlyn at Kintal. I am bid to thank my challenger, offer three quotes in three days and pass the challenge along to three others. Instead of putting anyone on the spot: if you comment here and express interest, you’re invited to participate and link to my post.

This is also offered for Poetry Friday, this week hosted by A Year of Reading.

For a midsummer fairy tale, click here. Have a great weekend!

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 16, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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Travel theme: Off-Centre

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Note: This celebration of the seasons is inspired by Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack. She offered a fun quote by George Carlin: Think off-center. Achieving balance despite being off-center is one of my aims. Do you think I managed even though my subjects are off-center? My theme is in honor of the seasons because we are nearly in-between, moving here from spring to summer in a few days.

in-between
off-center
but in balance

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 14, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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31 Comments

World Building

brainstorming plot
world building with my son
ideas bloom

Note: I had the vast pleasure today of discussing a science fiction idea with my oldest son. I’ve been developing a young adult novel set on a moon colony. He was jazzed, and he contributed lots of ideas toward my world building. Now, he wants to work on writing his own SF novel this summer, and my second son wants to be part of it. Such fun!! Hope you have a great week!

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 11, 2015

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Photography, Poetry

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Behind the Ferns

Behind the ferns,
A dragon shakes the rain
From golden scales,
Yawns, stretches and
Rises from her rest.
Human eyes are fooled,
By shadow and light,
A color camouflage:
We see only
An iris at its best.

Note: This dragon is dedicated to gardeners, landscapers, garden center owners and nature lovers everywhere. To people whose lives are dedicated to the transient, yet enduring, beauty of nature. If you’ve ever planted a single bulb or watered a houseplant, this is for you, too. And it’s already time for Poetry Friday again! How did that happen so fast? This week is hosted by Jama at Jama’s Alphabet Soup, a haven of tasty poetry.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 6, 2015

Posted under

Photography

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27 Comments

Sunshine Captured

Sunshine potent,
Life-giving and pure.
Sunshine blooming
At our feet to cure
Any lingering blues
And let us endure.

Note: Thanks to those who offered solace to me! Once I healed up a bit, the shot in my shoulder has helped, and I’ve regained some range of motion. I’m blessed to again see the beauty in the small things, the free things, the things I walk by everyday. May the sun shine, even at your feet on rainy days.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 4, 2015

Posted under

Poetry

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Flying Carpet

A yellow peony takes me
Flying through time
Back to another garden
Another day
In the hot sun
Footsore
Sweating
Hearing water trickle
From a waterwheel
Wanting to plunge into the river
Wanting shade
Wanting water
Wanting my mother.
At least I found shade.

Note: Memories aren’t always cheerful. Sometimes they hurt. Have you ever had an X-ray guided cortisone shot? I had one in my shoulder today, and I’m the girl on fire. So in honor of my shoulder, and its temper tantrum, I watched Hunger Games. At least I’m not in danger of being eaten by wild dogs. Hope your weekend is wonderful. And this post is also my contribution to Poetry Friday, hosted this week at Buffy’s Blog.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

June 3, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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Purple Panoply (Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Purple)

Purple Loosestrife on the river

Butterfly bush longing for a butterfly

Awash in Asters

Two-purple Irises

Deepest Purple Iris

Note: Cee has called for purple this week. Purple Prose is writing that is unnecessarily flowery or ornate. In honor of my purple post, I will write some purple poetry:

Amethyst petals embrace the bee,
stamen and stigma anoint him
delicately
with amber pollen.
The drunken bee flies
erratically,
bringing back dusty manna of
lush lavender, iris,
loosestrife and pine tree,
into the humming hive
far up in the forest canopy.
Are his eyes still full of
wildflower fields and
purple panoply?
The drone
dances in the honeycomb,
transforming
gold dust into honey.
How does the tiny being do it?
What magic knows he
that none of us can see?

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

May 10, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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52 Comments

Cherry Blossoms for Mother’s Day

Our oldest love, our first love,
Unfolds with our own birth,
Grows as we take our first steps.
The love that makes us children again.
We love you, Mom!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

May 7, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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45 Comments

Duchesses

duchesses abloom
raspberry silk smiles
radiant, dancing

Note: Here’s a haiku in honor of the UK’s new Duchess of Cambridge and to celebrate May flowers. My son’s foot is healing, and he is proud that the grass seed he planted on Earth Day has sprouted already. He may be in pain, but he has a green thumb. And a mom who watered the seeds. 😉 This haiku is also another Poetry Friday offering, hosted this week by Today’s Little Ditty.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

May 4, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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34 Comments

Squill Overkill

Too
much Squill
is overkill.
The smallest spill —
tiny blooms of white,
lightly striped with blue starlight —
brings a taste of spring to excite.
Yet my neighbor’s grown a sapphire glade
that tempts me into yearning for cool shade.

Too much Squill or just enough?
Mother Nature struts her stuff.

Note: The first flowers are Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica or Striped Squill. I wrote a previous poem to the blue Squill. I hope the spring is singing to you, as it’s singing to me. Have a wonderful week!