Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

October 1, 2014

Posted under

Holiday, Humor, Photography, Poetry

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37 Comments

Get Your Orange On

Happy October First!
Mornings are dark, wet and gloomy.
The time has come to fear the Worst!!

The veil separating us from the grave
Is thinning and opening windows and doors.
Before the thirty-first, decide who you will save!

Children will turn into Monsters, Heros, Bats,
Witches, Pumpkins and Spirits from Beyond!
Get your orange on and watch out for black cats…

Halloween is coming!

Note: This was inspired by Autumn, the changing leaves and the Spooky Writing Contest. Enter if you dare! If you want to see my contribution from last year, it was Halloween Scene Haiku. Other themed writing: Spellbook Haibun and Crankypot Halloween.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 29, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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27 Comments

A Pine Tree Wakes

When I wake from my long dreaming,
I first look up at the sky.
Far above me, magic dances in white clouds.
Mother Oak holds me fast, in her roots.
Poetry is the movement of her leaves.
Far below me, the river sings its longing for the sea.

Rivulets sink toward the secret aqueduct far below,
The dark, watery womb of all life.
Some droplets rise to adorn cloud castles.
Singing waters plunge over falls,
Scenting the embrace of Lake Ontario.
Flocks of starlings bank and turn.

Wildflowers thirst, drink the spray,
And tremble on the cliffs.
The leaves feel the passing of the season,
As the water does not. As I do not.
We are constant, the water and the pine.
I hold fast to my cliff; I sink back into my dreams.

Note: These photographs were taken at Letchworth State Park, where the Genesee River has carved a deep canyon in its headlong rush to join Lake Ontario, the Easternmost Great Lake, that lies between the US and Canada.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 28, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

41 Comments

Sunflower Shining

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.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 26, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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11 Comments

Pink Lady Smiles

Awash in pink,
Joyous and young,
Heart singing,
Have lots of fun!

Note: I am on the road right now. I will catch up with all of you when I get back. I’m going to help celebrate my kids’ great-grandfather’s 101 birthday!! Wow!

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 24, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

30 Comments

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.

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.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 22, 2014

Posted under

Holiday, Photography, Poetry

Comments

34 Comments

Happy Fall!

Goldenrod has grown long yellow fingers.
A crowd of eager mums are mid-laugh as
Hedgehogs nibble skunk cabbage.
Even white snakeroot,
Abloom at the wood’s edge,
Looks deceptively harmless,
But the deer leave it be.
Purple asters open wide, tiny but cheery.
Summer fairies line their beds with milkweed down,
Make quilts of hydrangea petals and
Dodge spiky, armoured chestnuts.
Dahlias bloom, large as dinner plates.

Happy Fall!

Note: The autumnal equinox is September 23, 2014, and this is the day summer changes to fall in the Northern Hemisphere, where I live in the USA. The earth is now tilting away from the sun and we will have shorter days and less warmth for 6 months.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 19, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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32 Comments

Dragon Spines

In my mind’s eye, I see them fly:
Spiny leaves become dragons on high.
They chase my dreams in the moonlight
Following dust devils up out of sight.
Day comes, catching them in the sky.
They sleep like puppies, and so do I.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 18, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

27 Comments

Song for a Friend

My love is like the rose of Sharon and the lily,
Abloom among brambles,
So is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree thrives in the wood,
So is my love among the sons.
I sit among them with great delight.
The flowers open on the earth;
The birds sing, and even the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
The winter is past, and the rain has gone.
O my dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliffs,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For sweet is your voice.
— Paraphrased from Chapter 2, Song of Solomon (KJV and ESV)

To a friend whose inner beauty
Casts a radiance that warms us all,
And who finds peace and joy in this world
Despite her underlying sadness.
Even as your spirit grieves,
May you be showered with love.

Note: This is dedicated to Morgan, whose loss is fresh. To have been loved is the best feeling of all, and it never fades.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 17, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

46 Comments

Butterflies Wanted

Butterflies wanted,
Butterflies sadly missed.
Long blooms languish,
For want of their friends.
One swallowtail came, all alone.
Two cabbage butterflies danced and played,
But where have the Monarchs gone?
I remember them from my youth.
Now my youth is gone and so are the Monarchs.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 14, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

35 Comments

Red Feather

One feather with vanes of red,
Laying on the ground so blue
Fills me with a sudden dread,
Now will all the leaves change, too?

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 8, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

41 Comments

Witchy Flowers Three

Wonderful witchy flowers
Vivid visions
Spread smiles
Sing in sunshine
Fascinate fairies
Enchant elves
Bewitch bees
Weaken my knees
Even the sky weeps
With longing

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

September 5, 2014

Posted under

Poetry

Comments

41 Comments

Red Dragon Flower

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.