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May 5, 2014

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Flash Fiction, Humor, Photography, Poetry

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Flash Fiction: River Romance

The sun was setting, cherry blossoms perfumed the air, and Esme’s handsome boyfriend, Al, paddled at her side. His fine, green Mallard head feathers looked purple in the waning sunlight. She nibbled on bulrushes.

Nosy daffodils crowded round taking selfies. You’d think it was an award ceremony.

Esme would let nothing lessen the magic of the evening. There on the riverfront, she and Al sipped water laden with tasty seeds. The silvery twilight faded, and fairies flickered like fireflies. Al offered Esme a tasty tuber under the Three Birches. She sighed with pleasure.

Al raised his wings and drummed the water from happiness. Together they swam figures eights, intertwining their wakes, visible ripples of pleasure. Before Esme returned to her family’s nest on the far bank, her beak brushed Al’s farewell. A door had opened in her heart, perhaps Al would pass through one day.

sun sets on longings
solitary triangle of ripples
rushes bend in winds

Note: This is my farewell haibun dedicated to Al, but it’s fictional, so I called it a flash fiction in the title. Al has run the weekly Haibun Thinking prompt, which sadly has ended. I hope you don’t mind me making free with your moniker, Al! I am a bit late with my entry, but I was preparing for and attending a writer’s conference. I have to scale back my blogging in May. I will be rewriting my children’s chapter book. Wish me luck! My plan is to blog in the evenings if I have any energy. 🙂

References:

http://diet.yukozimo.com/what-do-mallard-ducks-eat/
http://www.ask.com/question/what-do-mallard-ducks-eat

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

May 1, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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31 Comments

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 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

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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21 Comments

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 15, 2014

Posted under

Fairy Tale for Girls, Photography, Poetry

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38 Comments

New Queen Quinzaine

Today we crowned the Fae Queen.
Did you hear her sing
Like a lark?

Note: Inspired by Paint the World with Words Poetry Prompt, the Quinzaine, which is a form of three-lined, unrhymed poetry, taking the form of a statement with a question in one or two parts, with a syllable count, 7/5/3.

Sample Quinzaines:

Life holds new adventures
Will I fear it
or will I grab it?

Flower pictures please me so;
Is it the colors
Or the bees?

References:
http://voices.yahoo.com/can-write-quinzaine-poem-681541.html?cat=38
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/quinzaine.htm
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/quinzaine.html
http://popularpoetryforms.blogspot.com/2013/12/quinzaine.html

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 15, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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34 Comments

Ashen Petals Haiku

last year’s ashen blooms
litter my path like wan ghosts
soon fading to green

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 14, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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38 Comments

Playful Spring Etheree

One
Tiny
Chickadee:
Playful, hungry,
Hopping, chattering,
Finding bird feeder seed,
Darting to her Red Roof Inn.
Squirrels chase along high wires,
Chittering, chattering, fat from greed.
Thin bird chides them, twittering, fluttering.

Note: This poem is an etheree, for another or an explanation of the form, click here.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 10, 2014

Posted under

Humor, Photography, Poetry

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38 Comments

Full Bloom Tanka

crocus embracing,
offering nectar to bees
tickling, tiny feet

petals dancing with laughter
honey blossoms with flavor

Note: Tanka is defined in Oak Leak Tanka. Please feel free to add your haiku or tanka here, if you are moved to join in. 🙂 In the past, Japanese poets would alternative haiku (3 lines, 5/7/5 syllables) with two 7/7 lines, playing off each other’s work. It’s fun, if you want to try.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 7, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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64 Comments

A Walk to the Lake Haibun

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
– Thích Nhất Hạnh

I walked today, despite my recent recovery from norovirus and a week of not eating properly. I started off slowly, stretching sluggish muscles. My feet curved into the familiar rhythm, welcoming the soft, spongy aqueduct pathways. I headed for the lake side, wanting sunlight glinting strongly into my eyes after a winter of weak, gray light. I passed many gardens, my eyes yearning for color, a contrast to brown and gray.

seed pods straining, listening for the song of the wind

The wind did not disappoint, but sang of ocean waves. Seabirds called distantly, crows nearer. Robins quarreled over grasses. A cardinal flashed by, a scarlet blur. The air warmed to the sixties and finally snow seems truly gone. Was it icy only a few weeks ago? The sunlight made me feel alive, inside and out, and I turned upward, smile opening wide. Neither did the gardens disappoint, providing color in miniature.

Yellow Spring Crocuses

saffron crocus
sunlight reincarnated
honey sweet scent

The yellow crocuses stopped me cold, so startled to see gold strewn on the ground, riches to my starved eyes. Most plants were still dormant, buds still tightly furled. Only the crocuses had thrown open the treasure box, spilling nature’s jewels. Words seem pitiful in comparison.

tiny crocus trio
blossoms dancing on breezes
music to my soul

Dovetailed deliciously with the Ligo Haibun Challenge, Quote Week.
Also includes a new form of poem, a monoku, that I cannot tell apart from the American Sentence Haiku.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 1, 2014

Posted under

Holiday, Humor, Photography

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26 Comments

Summer has arrived in New England!

April Fools! We had hail, sleet and rain yesterday: what the weather professionals call a “wintry mix.” I prefer my wintery mix to include a fire in the fireplace, hot chocolate, a foot rub and my dinner delivered by the culinarily gifted. I wonder if that will ever happen. At least the pizza place delivers. 🙂

Here are some brave early flowers, just poking up their heads and drinking some rain. The oak trees have started dropping leaves, and new green leaves are sure to be along any day. Warmth and sunlight are predicted, but who knows if the weather professions are just joking or serious.

Have a fun First!

Warmly, Brenda

Note: For any not familiar with the U.S.A. April First tradition, I will explain. The goal is to get someone to believe something diabolical, and wait for them to interject: “What!?!” Then you yell “April Fool’s!!” And laugh a lot while they groan.