Daisies Dear

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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.

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

Daisy

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.

Poetry Friday with kids

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 3

Frog violining

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!

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 2

Cairn, Ocean, Beach

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!

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 1

White flowers on tree

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.

Poetry Friday with kids

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

Travel theme: Off-Centre

 

 

Dry Hydrangea on Ice

Winter

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Spring

Orange Mums

Summer

Golden Maple leaves

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

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

World Building

 

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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!

Behind the Ferns

Gold and Purple Iris

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.

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

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.

Sunshine Captured

Yellow Japanese Irises

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

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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.

Flying Carpet

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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.

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

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.

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

Purple loosestrife and ducks on river

Purple Loosestrife on the river

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Butterfly bush longing for a butterfly

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Awash in Asters

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Two-purple Irises

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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?

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

Azalea Magic

Pink Azalea Blooms

Fallen forsythia sunshine lines my path.
I linger in a bower circled by giant phlox.
Lady Spring casts her spell,
A come-hither invitation to embrace
The wind, scented with lilacs and irises.
Cottonwood fluff tangles in my hair.
Inchworms pulse on invisible silk.
Grass stalks tickle my ankles.
Dandelions smile at bluejays.
Swallows skim empty soccer fields.
Dogs woof and chase squirrels.
Maple leaves dapple the forest path,
Insects munch and rabbits lunch,
But azaleas steal the show.

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

Note: This poem is a celebration of my morning walk and New England. If you want to join your song to mine, leave a comment here with a link to your favorite poem or join Poetry Friday, this week hosted by Reflections on the Teche. Let your imagination soar and your words fly. Have a great weekend! Warmly, Brenda

Poetry Friday with kids

A Moment to Shine

Purple Iris

Troubles drop away,
Luck comes our way,
That’s our moment.
Everything turns out fine.
It’s our moment to shine.
Trouble may make us blue,
But that fades to dark
When we feel the spark.

Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham

Note: I’ve had bad years, with rare good moments. And good years with few bad moments. My heart holds onto the good times. I hope yours does, too. This poem was inspired by my latest rejection letter, which was not a shining moment, but another opportunity. Every door that remains shut helps us find the right door.