The colors of life,
of all things growing,
form a complex rainbow
in any season.
They linger as autumn
slips seamlessly into winter. Continue reading
Tag Archives: spring
Vibrant all Year – WPC
Juniper Jewels
Jewel-bright juniper berries
dangled like azure fairies
amidst needles unfurled,
seeking the eyes of every bird.
Berries stayed sugar sweet
until fermenting was complete.
Early spring, greedy bluejays
fell down tipsy over two days,
leaving feathers ruffled aft.
How the crows laughed.
Copyright 2016 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Some birds actually eat too many fermented berries and behave badly. Once I discovered that, I just had to write a poem about it. I also ran across a hilarious video of African animals overindulging on Marula fruit. A more serious poem about juniper berries is here. Have a great week!
Travel theme: Off-Centre
Winter
Spring
Summer
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
Behind the Ferns
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.
Purple Panoply (Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Purple)
Purple Loosestrife on the river
Butterfly bush longing for a butterfly
Awash in Asters
Two-purple Irises
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
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
A Moment to Shine
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.
What Peace Looks Like
Lilies of the Valley
Was the scent my grandmother wore.
Her warm hugging arms filled me with
Boundless approval.
The tiny white bells
Remind me of a baby bonnet
And wrappings my children wore
Coming home.
Each spring
The lilies bring back moments
When I was heart-full, cherished and
At peace.
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Artists4Peace are taking submissions for June with the theme: What Peace Looks Like. If you want to add your voice, you can find June’s submissions call with one click. Peace is a way of life!
Flowers Unlaced, An Invitation
pinwheels of nectar
enjoy their moment in the sun
bees kiss and flirt
gold dusts my skin from
wildflowers unlaced
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: You are invited to add a haiku or even another tanka in the comments below. For those new to haiku and tanka: they are brief, present-tense observations of the world. They are written as snapshots of moments with meaning. They often relate to nature and the season, in this case spring. A haiku is often framed as three lines with syllables of 5, 7 then 5. A tanka contains the haiku and then two lines of 7 syllables added. These are guidelines, rather than strict rules, and I have seen haiku of only one line. These are the basic rules, but there are many, many more. You can spend a lifetime perfecting poetry, but only if you write it.
Spring Rain Crescendo
Raindrops
Rain plops
Plink, plink
Pitter, patter
Crack of thunder
Howling gusts
Shake the windows
Rain drums sideways
Young plants flatten
Trees bend sideways
Dry earth drinks deep
Lemon tulip petals scatter
Blacktop steams and hisses
Pollen washes into soil
Puddles swell to lakes
Wind softens, sighs
Drip, drop, stop
Greens deepen
Flowers glisten
Birds sing
I listen
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: We are having a dry spring, and we need rain. If we don’t get rain soon, we might be dancing for it like the children in the fairy tale, Rain Dance. This poem is a prayer for rain and a celebration of Poetry Friday, where poetry falls like rain on a dry earth. The host and poetry gathering point this week is Random Noodling. The hostess, Diane, offers a quote by Mark Twain and a poem about sanity. Worth a look! Write a poem for kids or quote one by another, and you can join the fun by visiting and contributing your link. Here is a bonus poem by a favorite author:
April Rain
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
Squill Overkill
Too
much Squill
is overkill.
The smallest spill —
tiny blooms of white,
lightly striped with blue starlight —
brings a taste of spring to excite.
Yet my neighbor’s grown a sapphire glade
that tempts me into yearning for cool shade.
Too much Squill or just enough?
Mother Nature struts her stuff.
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: The first flowers are Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica or Striped Squill. I wrote a previous poem to the blue Squill. I hope the spring is singing to you, as it’s singing to me. Have a wonderful week!
Friendly Fairy Tales 