Red dragon, hidden on a green stalk,
Do you enjoy the cool rain?
You must bank your fires, release your heat,
To embrace your opposite.
Imagination spirals in the red,
Peace is possible for all.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Tag Archives: nature
Garden Bright Haibun
As my children go back to school, the last blooms of the season burst like fireworks. The heat rises, homework swells, plans churn and change. Each day brings new wonders and new opportunities.
Wandering far,
On the borders of beauty,
Seeing zinnias and dahlias,
Sprawling in full bloom,
I am in the garden bright.
Snow might be coming,
But not until another day.
The seasons change gently, day by day, beginning with red leaves interspersed with the green. Berries replace flowers, and the sun’s rays dwindle. The squirrels chatter, chase and hide acorns frantically. All around me is late summer, but the preparation for winter is nigh.
harvest tomatoes
canning sauce made with basil
winter is coming
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: A haibun is a Japanese form of prose interspersed with poetry, often culminating in a haiku.
Blue Wildflower
So many names, how can I choose?
Wild bachelor’s buttons,
Cornflowers,
Blue daisies,
Ragged sailors,
Chicory.
Your delicate, blue petals tremble in a breeze,
Tough stems stretch toward the sun,
Blue eyes open for one day only.
You are called hendibeh in the East,
Witloof in Belgium,
Succory to the Romans.
So many names, one humble flower.
Some say you open doors, deep magic.
I try to see through your fae portal.
You open to the sky, following the sun.
Some call you a weed, some add you to salad,
Some roast your taproot to balance coffee.
I’ll call you a wildflower.
I’ll admire you on the wayside,
A flower more ancient than humankind.
Your humble eyes look beyond me,
Your roots are in the distant past.
Perhaps your soft blue eyes
Will smile on my grandchildren,
Long after I’m gone.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This flower is chicory, a common wildflower all over the world, used as an herb, a coffee additive and its many names inspired this poem: blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, bunk, coffeeweed, common chicory, cornflower, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailors, succory, wild bachelor’s buttons, wild endive, witloof
Sunset Charm
A magic charm,
A balm for the soul —
Just add one sunset to
The first star of the night,
Throw in a child’s laugh,
And a heart-felt wish.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This sunset was in West Dennis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. I may not have had internet connectivity on my mini-break, but I had connections to the clouds, sunsets and stars. 🙂 I got home, and my internet connection is spotty, and loading webpages nearly impossible. I will try to visit you when we have solved this new problem. Have a wonderful week ahead, my friends.
In-Between Weekend
Salty breezes lift away cares.
Color spills across the water,
Too intense for the sky to contain.
Horseshoe crabs dance a blurry ballet,
Twisting and turning in the gentle waves.
Seabirds swim quietly, at peace.
Twilight wanes, in-between day and night.
Summer is ending; school is about to begin.
In-between holds powerful magic.
Tomorrow seems far away,
Yesterday, a pleasant, hazy memory.
The right-now is a time of beauty.
Fleeting, but all the more precious for it.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Happy Labor Day Weekend! This sunset was photographed on the West Dennis Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Full Bloom
Punch of peach,
Late summer bloom,
Labored year round,
For this shining moment
At the end of summer.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Happy Labor Day to all those in the United States!!
Note: This bloom is a daylily of a most unusual shade. It looks like a rose, doesn’t it?
Secret Folk
Deep in the wildwood,
Beneath the green leaves,
Hide a welter of wee folk.
They play tricks, keep their secrets,
Hobnob with toads and kiss dragonflies.
Tuesdays, they take tea with an elderly dragon,
Nibbling hazelnut tarts and sunshine flan.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Uncommon Dragonfly
Uncommon mother,
Uncommon tired,
Living for 36 days,
Still, evanescent, wired.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This dragonfly is a Common Whitetail mature female.
Adventure: A Sunlit Path
The way was crisscrossed with roots and rocky.
Bellissa, the wood nymph, carefully tread
The sunlit path of shadow and dappled light.
Her ears were full of the music playing:
The symphony of green rustling leaves and
The decrescendo of the cicadas.
A crescendo of a dog’s barking by the shore
Caught her attention, and she hid in the silver birch.
The excited pup romped, shaking off an avalanche of drips.
She climbed toward a peak, leaving the shore behind,
The wind grew stiffer and the trees bent.
Ahead lay possibility, wonder and magic.
Always moving toward the next place,
Where imagination filled in the wood with secrets,
Caves, trolls, dragons, gnomes, friends and foe.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Ode to a Japanese Beetle
Oval iridescent green body,
Wings of bronze, quiet and still,
Always hungry, tasting nature’s nectar,
Making lace of leaves, living life with a will.
Note: This is a Popillia Japonica or Japanese Beetle. The photo was taken in Dover, MA in the Noanet Woodlands.
Flower for a Friend
Friends are like flowers.
They bloom, and they inspire.
They make the world beautiful.
We never forget.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: I dedicate this post to the memory of Ajaytao. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He was a bright light in our world, and his spirit continues to brighten our memories. He was a good friend to me, welcoming me here, and I will miss him. I feel blessed to have shared the world with him. Namaste, Brenda
Rainy Renewal
Opposites: rain and sun,
The yin and yang of life.
Clear cooling drops
Cleanse and refresh.
Even as I welcome the rain,
I long for the sun.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Friendly Fairy Tales 