Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 2, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

33 Comments

Ghost Leaf

Oak leaf rimed,
Bleached winter white,
Stark skeleton aglow.

A bit of starlight,
Its light grown white,
A transient in the universe,

The writing is plain:
An early calling card
Of Lady Spring’s visit.

Perhaps I’ll pour the tea,
Remembering heat,
Wishing for sunlight.

Note: I’ll lift my teacup in a toast to Lady Spring, whose velvety green cloak will swirl around us any day. And I’ll dedicate this ghostly post to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by a wonderful children’s poet, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, at her blog, The Poem Farm. It’s National Poetry Month, and the kidlitosphere is lit by the radiance of many special events, some listed by Jama, the Poetry Potentate. If you like poetry, you can dine until sated this month!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 30, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

40 Comments

Sycamore at Sunset

Winter light dwindles to a pale sunset.
Sycamore bark peels in patches.
Ever on sentry duty, an eye on the horizon,
Glowing like a desert landscape,
The silent tree watches for
Spring, as winter melts away.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 22, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

55 Comments

The Love Challenge

There are four questions of value in life, Don Octavio.
What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made?
What is worth living for and what is worth dying for?
The answer to each is the same. Only love.

— Lord Byron

Purple flowers in stone wall

Love is elusive prey,
Love curves and flows
Down lonely love’s path,
Can I find love?

Love’s flower-shaped bell rings:
Love calls to hearts,
Stony in love’s graveyard,
Can love find me?

Love weighs like stone,
Yet, somehow, love floats.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

— Maya Angelou (from Touched by an Angel)

Note: Perhaps you read and enjoyed my poem. Perhaps you thought, that’s not how I would write about love. Perhaps the quotes have inspired you. Whatever you may have thought, I invite you to please take up your pen or let your fingers dance over the keyboard. I welcome you to join in the Love Challenge, just comment here and give me a link. I will be happy to read your poem.

I dedicate this poem to Marlyn, who invited me to take up the Love Challenge, and gave me these rules (some of which I even followed):

Write about love using only 10 lines.
Use “love” in every line.
Each line can only be 4 words long.
Nominate 10 or so others who are up for the challenge.
Let them know about the challenge.
Title the post, Love in Ten Lines.
Include a quote about love.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 18, 2015

Posted under

Photography

Comments

16 Comments

Wordless Song of Seasons

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 11, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

30 Comments

Remembering Leaves

With puddles and ice
Lining sidewalks and streets,
I remember leaves.

First, the tease of buds.

Then the unfurling of
New leaves, palest green,
Sidewalks awash in bud casings.

Leaves as backdrop to the blooming of
Dogwoods, tulip magnolias, pink cherries,
White pear and apple,
Mauve plum and citrine cassia.
Continue reading →

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 8, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

39 Comments

Calla Curl

Pink
Twirl,
Calla curl,
Silky swirl.
Snow may hide
New England’s color,
But trucked-in treasure
Startles and entrances,
My heart dances —
A wild whirl.

Notes:

On the poem: This is a concrete or shape poem, meant in this case to take the shape of a calla lily.

On the weather: We’ve had one day of sunshine, with temperatures above freezing. Old Man Winter is not gone, but at least he’s growing sleepy. The Calla Lilies are from Trader Joe’s, where the floral section is a summer garden. Here is a picture better reflecting what it still looks like outdoors here:

On Poetry Friday: super-late this week, but life gets in the way at times. Thanks to Robyn Campbell, Kids Author and Poet, for hosting!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

February 23, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

38 Comments

Winter Symphony

Fingertips of trees
Gusts of wind bear thistledown
Symphony in gray

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

February 19, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

52 Comments

Speak for Compassion

On this bench, many times I have contemplated skinned knees, heard stories of woe or watched battles royal fought by three- and four-foot folk. Now the snow and cold drives us indoors, where children’s pains seem more internal as well.

Speak softly
Without haste,
For a word,
Ill-placed,
May strike a blow
To one hurt
On the inside.
This we can avert.

Reflect on any
Plans or actions.
Evil arises from
Creation of factions.
Harsh words divide,
Conquer and defeat.
Imagine being the other.
Use compassion. Repeat.

Whether we are talking about children, adults, religions, towns or countries, we all need to pause and reflect. To imagine life as the other.

I don’t like to moralize,
Or antagonize,
But in the face of evil
Speak I will.
Choose an action
From compassion.

Note: The combination of poetry, interspersed in prose, is called a haibun. This recent rash of school shootings, terrorism and racial and religious violence moved me to speak together with many others, in a movement started by Yvonne Spence. Let’s create a better world for our children, a magical, safe world where differences are celebrated rather than used to divide and ridicule.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

February 11, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

25 Comments

Very Red Berry

Berry Cordial,
Cherry Pie,
Wild treats
Made under the sky.
Winter crimson,
Sudden and rare,
Makes me imagine,
Makes me stare.

Note: We are buried in snow in NE. An ocean of snow as far as the eye can see, walls of snow over our heads. And it’s snowing!! With more to storms predicted for later this week. It was all fun and games until the snowblower broke.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

February 8, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

43 Comments

Wild and Stormy

Snow creatures fly through the night,
Swat the tree and stick there tight.
The storm is wild; the creatures light.
Next day they remain, mossy and white.

Note: I hope to catch up on your blog posts tomorrow when my traveling is done. Hope you have a great week ahead, all my friends! Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

February 6, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

Comments

33 Comments

Three Tree

Fairies rocket down the Three Tree,
On zooming toboggans, happy as can be.
Can you see them tumbling and swerving?
Oh to be tiny, magic and free. Yearning.

Note: This poem is offered as part of Poetry Friday. Thanks to Elizabeth Steinglass for hosting this week. I am out of town, but I will be back in a few days. I look forward to catching up with all of you when I’m back. Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

January 28, 2015

Posted under

Humor, Photography, Poetry

Comments

53 Comments

Now You See It, Now You Don’t

Here is the bench before the Nor’easter,

And where is the bench now?

Now you see it, now you don’t!
Mother Nature’s sleight of hand
Is more magical than any of man.
What could be hiding under there?
Perhaps a family of icy hedgehogs
And a passing brownie sipping chai.
Under the bench, they stop to say Hi,
Peeking out at other passers-by.

Note: New England was blessed with over two feet of snow in 24 hours and two snow days! We shoveled four times. We went sledding twice. We had one epic snowball battle. We drank hot chocolate with friends. We had a weekend in the middle of the week! Stay warm! 🙂 School is on again tomorrow.