"Seasonal"

Seasonal

"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes
from the summer cottons into its winter wools."  Henry Beston

Leaves have yet to fall,
yet to flush golden, crimson, fire.
Horses yet to shed summer coats,
stand nose to tail beneath heavily laden trees.

Rose-purple blazing stars, rioting asters
drape field and valley.
Bees absorb Autumn's sun
as storm clouds gather.

Cattle tagged and fattened;
idyllic days slumbering - numbered,
as are canopies of olive, lime, and jade.

A flip of the calendar page or season's first frost.
Security and fate change as quickly as that.

by Margaret Bednar, September, 29, 2014

This is linked with "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Open Link Monday"

and Magpie Tales #239 where the image prompt is below.  I pondered the "security" offered beneath grand old trees and the change from summer to fall …

Autumn in Madeira by Jacek Yerka used with Magpie Tales #239

"Shades"

Shades

Silver Lake whispers seduction
beneath summer's cloudless sky,

shades of green, yellow, blue
dapple warmth behind closed eyes.

Seagulls cry, pelicans glide,
blond haired boy strums shades

of cool 'cross my skin.
Rope hammock swings to and fro

   shades of light
        shades of blue
              shades of cool

and I'll be damned
if I ever move a muscle again.

by Margaret Bednar, September 28, 2014



My son playing his ukelele and performing a song he wrote while we vacationed on Ocracoke Island this past summer.

This is for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Play it Again, Toads"  I chose to attempt Isadora Gruye's "Out of Standard - Invoking the Goog" - use the Google search box, type in a word, and use in the order listed - but they can be broken up with other words.  My word:  shades

"The Hoarders"

   A

bandid

woolly

bear

inches toward wintry

crevis, waylaid momentarily, tossed,

turned, by terrier nose and toddler toes, curious

to see where it goes.  Indignant squirrel shakes its tail

as unearthed is its precious stash and toddler laughs to see

the little brown “bedtime” cap -   Buzzin’ bees dart to and fro

between goldenrods and astor,  gentle noise disrupted

by six legs and a tail blazing a trail off the beaten path.

Two heads together, tousled and weary, lick and giggle 

as they reminisce, regale day's numerous adventures,

tongue and cheek no longer flushed, but cooled

against cotton pillow, softly breathing their way

to sleep, dreaming of a tomorrow of down-

filled coats and well stocked pantry

their hoarding a little 

less urgent.

Zzz

by Margaret Bednar

Just thought it would be fun to repost this poem.  

"The Gathering"

Photography of Brooke Shaden

The Gathering 

Early dusk reverberates
with geese trailing petticoats in the sky
restlessly following horizon's light

and I among swirling leaves
spin, lift sensitive chin,
absorb Autumn's fulfillment

before fields whisper winter's song,
willow surrenders bare limbs to weeping,
and I burrow into silence.

by Margaret Bednar, September 23, 2014


This is for "dVerse - Poetics - Passion of Brooke Shaden" - a photographer gracious enough to share her art with us and allow us to write to her images.   I selected "the leaves of linden avenue".   Please give yourself a treat and visit her website "Brooke Shaden" and her blog "Promoting Passion".

"Lantana"

Lantana

What good will it do to offer September
miniature nosegays kissed with morning's dew,

beg her hold at bay Autumn's chilly hand?

No.  She'll caress with biting breath
all the pretty colors.  Offer one last dance.

I've learned to be a wall-flower come Winter,
guard happy thoughts.

No matter how pious, grayness finds me
spiraling Lantana's roots

questioning once again if Spring will set me free.


by Margaret Bednar, September 21, 2014

This is for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Swedish poetry and Karin Boye"

This is a response to my reading the poetry of Karin Boye - a Swedish poet.  HERE are some of her translated poems.  I found much of her poetry sad and depressing in a beautiful way - she wove nature into her poetry, as well as rhythm and rhyme (which I did not do). If you want to learn more about her follow the above link.

This was a hard poem for me to write as I don't often write with so much despair…  I do know some people who can't abide the grayness of winter and get depressed if they are surrounded by the color gray.  (I love gray as a neutral color - it soothes me - mix it with creams and a touch of green or blue…HERE is a room I think is cool - it just needs a bookcase)  Which is funny, because I currently have a lot of red in my bedroom and traditional furniture - which is completely opposite this room.

Where I live in North Carolina, Lantana blooms in summer and fall and if we remain frost free, it should act as a perennial.

Note:  nosegay - (or posy) is a small flower bouquet.

"Pokemon"

Pokemon

It's about strategy,
this training for battle;
of knowing one's weakness

one's resistance, of retreats and
tactics behind eyes bright with ardor

for water, fire, grass,
art painted on every card,
soft pocket monsters tenderly held

whose theme song
inspires a rallying cry

for unifying hearts,
building an alliance,
capturing destiny.

It's about six year old warriors
playing the game.


by Margaret Bednar, September 17, 2014


This is for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Get Listed - The Art of War",  I used nine of the words - two I slightly altered.

I've been hearing the Pokemon theme song now for 19 years.  I DO know how to play this complicated card game - how many mom's can say that?

One thing I like about Pokemon is they don't kill each other.  And they are rather cute.

"Overload"

Overload

Tucked away amongst tombs and palaces I wander,

become one with exotic and frenetic.
Inhale lentil soup,
sesame-covered peanuts,
dried apricots piled nine feet high,
figs, snails, pumpkin seeds, dates,
splashing fountains, citrus trees, mosaics,

and fetid disguised with sprigs of mint.

Resist goat head, brains,
and snake charming vendors
from stall number eight,
dodge overloaded donkey carts,
duck into labyrinths of textiles, herbs,
metal work, silk and leather.

Brand my skin with henna

as musical notes ride swirling dust,
follow scents of warm flatbread, honey,
and fresh squeezed juice of orange,
loose myself in filtered light, unnavigable souks,
dead-ending in spicy reds, golds, browns,
rustic oranges, tropical greens, pulsating blues.

Unmindful if I ever find my way back.

by Margaret Bednar, updated September 16, 2104

This is for "dVerse Poetics - Travel Poetry" - I updated a poem I wrote over two years ago about Morocco - or kind of.  About the only experience of Disney World I DID enjoy was Epcot.  I think I spent the most time in Morocco.  

"Indian Summer"

Indian Summer

Barefoot with a cool breeze,
Indian-summer kissed my shoulders
and my pony's rump.  It meant
reclaiming farmers' fields
shorn and stripped of summer's glory.

A golden-green canvas yawned
beneath our slow-rhythm tread,
and unlike spring's bursting frenzy
release was reflective, a weekend's respite
from school uniforms and social status -

where tears couldn't be seen,
voice raised in song, not heard,
and my wish to stay a child, sheltered.

It never lasted long, but sufficed
as the temporary fortification I needed
to persevere.

by Margaret Bednar, September 14, 2014

Middle school and high school were not easy for me.  I was very shy and a slow-bloomer.  Thank goodness I overcame shyness as it is quite a crutch and some who know me know might wish for a quieter me.  :)

This is for "Imaginary Garden of Real Toads - Sunday Mini-Challenge: September Sky".

"Sagittarius"

Sagittarius

Little girls worship purple,
adorn bedrooms
with lavender, violet, and grape,

but I'm a woman now,
arch over wandering days
with amethyst in my pocket,

tender as a petal, fierce as a storm.
Yes, soothe me with air,
but earth and water beware.

by Margaret Bednar, September 12, 2014

This is for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads" Artistic Interpretations - Mineral Rainbow".

Also linked with "dVerse Open Link Night September".

Note:  Zodiac symbol for sagittarius is "the archer" as well as the "traveler" of the zodiac hence my second stanza.  The zodiac signs don't all get along, supposedly.  Sagittarius is fire - hence the last two lines.  

"Irresistible"

Image used for Magpie Tales #236

"Irresistible"

In the heat of the night
I swoon, become a moth,
abandon indiscretion -

flutter towards the icebox,
press Ben & Jerry to my breast
and indulge.

by Margaret Bednar, September 7, 2014

This is for Magpie Tales #236.

"Preparations"

"Preparations"

Caramel drizzled apples, wood stacked,
bonfire ready.  Evening's still too humid,

yet a leaf spirals down, crimson tipped -
heralds, "Soon.  Soon".

I fickly proclaim Autumn "my favorite",
weary of sun-filled,  heat-drenched days.

Beneath my kitchen window
the fawn's still speckled, buck's antlers fuzzy.

Just a pane of glass divides
sweet green grass and apple pie.

by Margaret Bednar, September 7, 2014

Fall is around the corner (September 22) and I am ready - the pool has lost its charm and I can't wait to hear the sound of crinkled leaves beneath my feet.

This is for "Imaginary Garden of Real Toads - Flash Fiction 55.  (or non-fiction - prose, poetry - but it must be 55 words - no more, no less)   For my way of counting, hyphenated words count as one :)

"Gratitude"

"Gratitude"

Grandness often seems far beyond my reach,
often overlook simplicity, plainness
as frugal providence.

I'm guilty of shallow breathing, of peripheral vision
instead of clear eyed perseverance.

A steady, four-mile mountain trail up, up, up… I tread slowly,
pause, wipe sweaty brow, battle fatigue, defeat;

inhale deeply soul-invigorating Virginia air,
notice nature's unpretentious ornamentals -
their unique patterns, bursting colors.

You forge ahead, undaunted conquerer,
but come back.  Offer water, encouragement.

Reward this day will not be the noble, majestic view
but the struggle of achievement and appreciation
of your steadfast soul which helps me along the way.

Margaret Bednar, September 4, 2014

 

This if for "dVerse - Meeting The Bar - a nod to Rilke"

McAfee's Knob, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Roanoke, Virginia - (I think I saw your house, Brian:)

"Abundance"

from Claudia Schoenfeld's Flickr Page

"Abundance"

I walked a rainbow
today, no curve or arch,
but between a radiance
so pure.

I breathed it in,
held the high, exhaled,
even fondled a few
I shouldn't.  Found myself
wishing I liked beets.

Went overboard
with the strawberries.
Some I'll blend with orange,
banana, blueberries,
add two cups spinach
(the kids will never know)

the rest are mounded
upon kitchen counter
overflowing with
sun and rain's caress.

Googled and found
"20 Favorite Strawberry Recipes",
slip on my apron (it always
gives me confidence).
Remind myself to breath it in.
I've got this.

by Margaret Bednar, September 2, 2014

"20 Favorite Strawberry Recipes" and "Strawberry Smoothie"

This is for "dVerse Poetics - Sketch in Out"  Claudia Schoenfeld is sharing her Flickr watercolor sketches with us today.   Mine is from a sketch she calls "Farmers Market".

p.s.  The Strawberry-Mint Sparkling Limeade is amazing.  HERE