Sunflower

 The first sunflower of August 

lifts a cup to drink light,

a Full Sturgeon Moon stamps

its fingerprint on royal-blue skies.

Golden coins spin from trees

on a pine-scented breeze,

walnuts plump to a carpet

of needles, squirrels gather food.

A wedge of wild geese honks

over the cornfield glittering with copper,

lilac asters bring bouquets to Swaims Road

as Hyatt-Mill Creek laughs through

a tunnel of Joe-pye weeds.

The tempo of nature increases:

creatures rush and prepare for winter,

kids get supplies, gear up for school.

                 --Brenda Kay Ledford

I wish all my blogger friends joy as autumn approaches.

Town Creek--the Little Mountain Stream

 

TOWN CREEK

Goldenrod waltz on the wind,

Tusquittee Mountains stretch their arms

to the crystal-cobalt skies.

The backwoods stream gurgles

over arrowheads the Cherokee Indians

carved at Spikebuck Town.

The poplar trees wave

their golden fans, the earth

cannot hold back fall.

Through the verdant valley,

beside an old-red barn,

the Town Creek murmurs.

She is just a brook,

no one looks up to her.

Wild geese honk in v-shape 

above the Lake Chatuge.

Your waters, little creek,

are the heart of her soul.

             --Brenda Kay Ledford

My daddy was a Baptist preacher.  One of his wise sayings was:  "Little is much if God is in it!"

Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

 I never saw it coming when Mama asked if I had checked on the chicken.

"No, has it flown the coop? I asked.

She laughed and told me this chicken didn't need deboning or defeathering.  Just pluck it from a dead tree.

"Are you kidding, Mama?  I've never heard of that."

She frowned.  "I thought I had taught my children to identify plants.  Chicken of the Woods is a mushroom."

Chicken of the Woods is fan-shaped and has an orange and yellow colors.  It grows on dead trees.

I gave Mama a puzzled look.  She put on her straw hat and grabbed a basket.

"Come child," she said with her honey voice.  "We'll gather some Chicken of the Woods Mushroom and make a salad for supper."

I learned an important botany lesson that day.  A chicken is not a bird!

by:  Brenda Kay Ledford 

SUMMER SOLSTICE

 

On the first day of summer,

the sun floated like a balloon

above the Bald Mountain

and ricocheted through the forest.

The Tiger lilies lifted cups

to drink the morning light,

a chorus of birds performed

outside my bedroom window.

Warmth wrapped my body

like a blanket as the raindrops

vanished with a wave

of the summer solstice.

The promise of long days

filled my heart with delight

as the sun nourished the crops

and night gave way to light.

                  --Brenda Kay Ledford

Happy Summer to all my blogger friends!

Father's Day

My brother, Harold Ledford, holding his baby granddaughter, Lucy Claire.  Harold was a wonderful father and loving grandfather.  He was softhearted as chocolate melting on a hot sidewalk toward children and animals.  Harold was a perfect example of fatherhood!

My father passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 1988.  My brother, Harold, also passed away two days before Thanksgiving two years ago.  Both of these men were wonderful fathers and loving grandfathers.  I'm so grateful that I had these two kind, gentlemen in my life.  

Fathers are very important.  President Barack Obama said, "Any man can father a child, but not all men are fathers."

The loving presence of fathers in the family is critical in the development of children.  Statistics state that many youth get into crime because they didn't have fathers as role models.  It's also important for little girls to have fathers who are kind to them.  It gives daughters confidence and to one day choose a husband who will love and be kind to the them.

As you can see in this photo, my brother, Harold, adored his little granddaughter, little Lucy Claire.  What a blessing to have such a warm, loving relationship.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

Brenda Kay Ledford Gives Program for Towns County Historical Society

 Brenda Kay Ledford will also be the featured reader at "Coffee With the Poets," on Wednesday, June 14th, 2023 at the Moss Memorial Library; Hayesville, NC at 10:30 AM.

She will read poetry from her new book, Leatherwood Falls, Blue Ridge Mountain Poems, that was released by Kelsay Books this year.

The public is invited to both of these free events.  An open mic will follow Ledford's reading at "Coffee With the Poets."  This event is sponsored by North Carolina Writer's Network-West.  

My Backyard Zoo

 My Backyard Zoo

The neighbor's lawn mower

mocks my yard popping

up with dandelions.

A bunny rabbit hops

and flips over

the clover-bud mat.

She's an acrobat

performing in time

to a mockingbird rapping.

Gracie, the groundhog,

stretches on her back paws,

then dips and  nips

the heads off buttercups.

No need to trim

this wayward wilderness,

the wildlife knows

a better way

to bright my day!

           

I hope my blogger friends are having a happy day filled with sunshine and beautiful flowers.

Love,

Brenda