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May 3, 2014

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Ideas Blossom at Writer’s Conference

Ideas blossom with a sweet fragrance,
Opening wider with rhythmic cadence,
Each part of nature has its special time,
Thoughts spring musically into joyful rhyme.

Note: Here is some pink for ThinkingPink. This weekend, I am away at the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators spring conference. Ideas are flowing, and I’m jazzed and inspired. If you aren’t a member of a writing organization and you have not yet been to a writer’s conference, I hope you’ll consider it. Not that WP isn’t great, but meeting people in person is powerful, too. I’ll be back next week, and hoping to catch up with everybody!

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

May 1, 2014

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Photography, Poetry

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May Queen

Sad May Queen and her court,
Drenched, washed by rain,
Cold droplets cascade off,
Heavy heads rise when
The torrent ceases, blue sky
Teases, clouds chase the wind.

Then state visits commence,
Foreign dignitaries hasten toward
The still glistening, but elegant
Tulip Magnolia Queen.
Bees kiss her hands, aquiver,
Trembling to touch her perfume.

A sensitive courtier
Drips tears onto the lawn.
Pink petals fall and
Lay like lotus blooms
On a glassy pond, quiet
Except for water dripping.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 30, 2014

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Photography, Poetry

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Waiting Flowers

On this rainy day,
Cold damp enters the stem,
Stiffening the buds.
Red veins dry to yellow.
Petals close tightly,
Waiting for the sun.
Waiting for the bees.
Waiting for the children.

Continue reading →

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 28, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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34 Comments

Silver Naiad Reflections

Silver Birch,
Forever dancing,
Wet roots deep, holding fast,
Trunk curved
Toward the far bank,
Always gazing across the way.

Silver Naiad,
Still and thoughtful,
Wet feet, connected to earth,
Body curved
Toward the water,
Gazing always toward Olympus.

Note: This poem is dedicated to Line, a magical being, eyes ever upward, wings brushing our cheeks with joy.

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Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 27, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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34 Comments

Hectic Mountain Laurel

The invisible spring wind
Shakes silky blooming branches
And tastes sweet flower petals.
The flower fairy fragrance swirls.
The tallest branches dance,
Encircle the sun, hug the wind.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 26, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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33 Comments

Longing for Daffodils

In Winter, I long
for color and flowers.
In Spring, I yearn
For Wordsworth.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

_______________________________________

Do you have a magic moment that fills your heart with joy at the memory? I will share one of mine with you. Years before we had kids, my husband and I shared papaya, salmon and pineapple sushi, on a balcony overlooking the pool at the Kauai Marriott Resort, which was on the ocean. If you want to see what it looked like, the Marriott site has lots of pictures. The sushi was the best I had ever tasted. I have many more, too, and I hope you do, too.

Warmly, Brenda

References:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174790

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lihhi-kauai-marriott-resort/

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 25, 2014

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Photography, Poetry

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Infernal Internal Poem: Fae Clan

Blue with missing sun’s hue,
Forlorn fungus is winter worn.
Spring, its insides begin to zing —
Humongous will grow the fungus.

See some color in the woods like me,
Hiding fairies will be giggling, gliding.
Pearly wings beat, sending air whirling.
Can you hear them? They are the Fae Clan!

Thin hibernating animals can now grin,
Food is aplenty, no time to brood.
Fairies plan to gather and be merry:
Sharing, dancing, laughing, caring.

Note: The Infernal Internal is a new poetry form I created. The first and last words within each line rhyme.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 24, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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59 Comments

Visual Haiku: Shadow Painting

Note: A visual haiku is a photograph that implies the presence of something not there. Here the shadows reminded me of Japanese Brush Painting, making the bark a canvas. Can you guess what made the shadows? For other visual haiku, click here and here.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 24, 2014

Posted under

Poetry

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7 Comments

When Children Laugh, Angels Smile

Here are some rhymes that speak to my inner child, playing in the garden with fairies. I hope you like them! My kids and I are enjoying vacation week! I’ll try hard to catch up with everyone next week. My reader has been losing my likes again! Have a magical long weekend!! Warmly, Brenda

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 23, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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51 Comments

Cherry Intoxication

Drunk with cherry blossom aroma,
The tiniest fairy weaves a crooked path,
Skating down pink branches and
Leaping petal to petal, wings beating happily.
The pollen coats her so thickly,
The bees start to pursue her.

She shimmers into her other form.
A pale white butterfly flutters
Where once a tiny girl with wings flew.
The bees give up the chase,
Turnings back to the cherry blooms,
Here for such a short time.

Erratically, the fae-butterfly flies,
Lighting finally on a juniper bush.
She changes back to a young girl,
Sipping nectar from the blue dew-cones.
Her transparent wings flitter, flutter.
Then on into spring she adventures.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 22, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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58 Comments

Triquain: Hyacinth

Hyacinth:
Flowers bow to morning,
Embracing hope for a warm spring,
Ready to rise up and have some fun in the sun,
Celebrating the warming spring days,
Dancing with new tulips:
Reverent.

Note: The triquain is a 7-line poem with syllables increasing then decreasing by threes: 3, 6, 9, 12, 9, 6, and 3. Longer versions and complicated repeating content are also common flavors, but I chose to keep it simple for my first try. This was inspired by the Paint Your World with Words Weekly Poetry Prompt, Triquain.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 22, 2014

Posted under

Holiday, Photography, Poetry

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28 Comments

Happy Earth Day!!

Earth Day could be Ocean Day, since the earth is 71 percent water by surface area. The Pacific Ocean alone covers nearly a third of the planet!! New England is merely a small smear on the coast of one continent, and my home just a tiny pinprick. And yet, my small neighborhood yields such beauty, especially considering it snowed last week.

Earth Day is April 22, and the first was in 1970 in the U.S. The U.S. holiday was meant to create a focal point for environmental awareness, because of the mess business interests had made of our land and waterways. Now, more than a billion people in 180 nations across the world celebrate Earth Day. Many people celebrate by planting trees, bushes or flowers. Many companies celebrate by starting recycling campaigns or cleanup initiatives.

I plan to celebrate by walking in the woods and by sharing this song of awe.

Planet of Connection

On a quiet day, nothing moves.
Yet, the earth flies around the sun
Faster than a bullet speeding from a gun.
Molten rock seethes deep in its inner core,
Air is hot at the equator but frozen at the poles.

Geysers spout, mountains fall,
Rivers carve stone and move ships.
Water is moving, as is the wind, the air
And the earth itself: tectonic plates shifting,
Earthquakes and weather spiraling.

The Moon pulls the life-filled oceans
Into ceaseless waves, even while lighting the night,
And aligning rhythms deep inside each of us.
Our blood and breath, always moving,
Like our thoughts, never still.

We are all connected, and yet
We are all separate, each mind alone.
The same elements make up each of us.
Whatever our color, religion or location.
We are all stardust, water and earth.

References: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/04/22/earth_day_2014_a_few_fun_facts_about_our_planet.html

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/illinois&id=9511926

http://www.earthday.org

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140421-earth-day-2014-facts-environment-epa/