Sun shines so bright,
She bows her head and squints.
As the summer fades,
Her petals wilt a bit, but
She is still aflame with color.
Sunflower drowses and dreams
Of golden days past.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Tag Archives: photograph
American Lady Butterfly
I called for you, and you came!
Magic is in the air, holding you aloft,
Magic is in the color of your wings
And your graceful dancing flight.
You pause and look at me as intensely
As I look at you, my American Lady.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: I published a post recently called Butterflies Wanted, and then right afterwards, I was delighted to see an American Lady butterfly three or four times. This once, she even let me have a photograph. Although I still have not seen a Monarch, I feel quite happy with my Lady.
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.
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.
Fae Rose Fairy
With treacle, a radish and bee’s knees,
Fae Rose grew apricot roses with ease.
She turned away blight,
With joy and delight,
And her ladybugs gave aphids a squeeze.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This poem is a limerick, rhyming AABBA.
Frog, Alone
Frog was completely alone! Toad was worried: was Frog sad? Frog answered: “I am happy. I am very happy. This morning when I woke up, I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a frog. And I felt good because I have you for a friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think about how fine everything is.”
— Arnold Lobel, from Days with Frog and Toad, Alone
Today the sun was shining,
Breeze and sense of ease, entwining.
The frogs were swimming,
All the world was grinning.
Dragonfly fairies danced,
The scent of lilies entranced.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Silvery Sea Foam
Wet sand between my toes,
My feet sink lower with each wave.
Toes wiggling, soon I’m ankle deep,
Losing my balance and entranced by
Silvery sea foam, cresting the waves and
Soaking my rolled up jeans.
I laugh with each cold shock.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Seabird Sentinel
Seabirds dip and dive,
Catching crabs and fish.
A seagull watches children play,
From his lonely perch on the sand.
He lives always in between,
On the edge between sea and land,
Soaring far above them both,
Never joining in the games.
His hoarse caw echoes
Past the dry curls of seaweed,
Mingling with the salty air.
Sometimes, on the inside,
Each of us is like that seabird,
Watching others play,
Outside, on the edge of other things.
And yet, what would the sea be
Without the seabird, standing watch?
Each of us is needed, ever part and apart.
Note: I dedicate this post of all those affected by the two lost Malaysian airplanes, one found (MH17) and one not (MH 370). My heart goes out to the victims and their families. We are all needed, and their loss is our loss.
Stonehenge by the Sea
Rocks protrude, waves crash,
Mist embraces the shore.
What giant moved these rocks here,
To fight the tide and battle time?
This enchanted place calls to me,
Like Stonehenge by the Sea,
A crossroads between the past and future,
Nothing settled, always changing.
Even the sky changes in a heartbeat,
Water battling earth, air carrying their cries:
Elemental soundings, missing only fire.
Magic enfolds, perhaps the fire is in me.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Bumblebee, Bumblebee,
What do you see?
Are flowers as big to you as a tree to me?
Are stamens your tightrope?
Is that wet petal like a mountain slope?
Do you dream? What is your hope?
Bumblebee, bumblebee,
I care about you, you see.
Without you, there might be no me.
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Tenacity: a Visual Haiku
blue dormancy
bitter winter winds cease
lavender in March
HAIKU INVITATION! Please feel free to leave your own haiku here, in the comments, to celebrate spring and the tenacity of all creatures who survive the bitter winds of winter. So much more could be said, perhaps by you!
Note: The photograph is a visual haiku: a photograph suggesting more than is there. In this case, the photograph made me think of the tenacity of life, to go dormant, slumber throughout the cold, and then wake to sunshine and spring. Another Visual Haiku is at Come and Gone.
Spring is Sprung
The fairies have been busy.
Under the deepest snow,
They have sprinkled vernal equinox sparkles,
And everywhere spring is springing!
Irises Hear Spring’s Song
Hyacinths Yearn toward the Sun
Crocuses Create a Green Crescendo
Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham
Friendly Fairy Tales 