Trees

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A Summer Place

Memories

-CJ Holm

I knew a special place just beyond the glen
Where summer never ended and I would lead my men
Just below the treetops, far beyond the fray
A sturdy wooden warship, where my dreams would always stay

Sailing for adventure in the cottonwood leaves,
Branches were my ladders on these open seas
My wooden saber slashing, risking a certain death
I fought till the foe was beaten or I was out of breath.

We’d capture a pirate’s treasure, that my mates would store away,
Then sing a seaman’s shanty, till daylight turned to grey.
When mother called time for supper, I would turn and say,
We had set sail for adventure, tomorrow is another day.

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I Write Her Weekly Haiku/Senryu Challenge #13

My first submissions to Susi Bocks Haiku/Senryu 5/7/5 Challenge 

Senryu – Major Tom

calling ground control
seven thirty seven max
landed in the trees

Haiku – In The Forest

Deep in the forest
among the emerald pines
imagination

Senryu – Hope

Every problem
presents its own solution
-given enough time

                                                        -CJ Holm
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The Ash Tree

ash-tree

I lost an Ash tree
That had been part of my yard
It was there before me
And I had watched it grow large.

I had climbed it and cursed it,
Made it part of a wall.
I watered and trimmed it,
And raked its’ leaves last Fall.

It served up a shadow,
Cool respite from the sun.
It shielded my garden,
From harsh winds from the West

I noticed lost branches,
At first just a few.
They broke off in windstorms
And littered the yard.

Last summer I witnessed
The shade had grown smaller.
Large limbs had grown brittle,
So many were gone.

The trunk had grown hollow
Now it was home for the ants.
The blackbirds still chattered
But the red robins had moved on.

I spoke with a neighbor,
I was concerned for a barn.
If the tree were to fall over,
It might cause great harm.

We brought out our axes
And went on with the task.
We took down the Ash tree,
Now just a memory of the past.

-cj holm

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Sometimes Mother Nature Screams — Look At Me!

Springtime Peach Blossoms - a Minnesota (4/48/2015) Photo - Clarence Holm

Springtime Peach Blossoms – a
Minnesota (4/48/2015)
Photo – Clarence Holm

For fifty one weeks a year, my neighbor’s tree stands quietly in his front yard blending in with the suburban neighborhood, an unremarkable background tree just off an asphalt driveway. But for one week, just as winter’s frost has lifted, it blossoms into a show stopping canopy of fragrant pink and white flowers that slows traffic and warms the coldest heart.

Springtime Peach Blossoms - b Minnesota (4/48/2015) Photo - Clarence Holm

Springtime Peach Blossoms – b
Minnesota (4/48/2015)
Photo – Clarence Holm

Then, just as quickly as it burst forth, a steady breeze ends the show, plummeting petals of softness into the night, clearing the stage for spring’s next performer.

Springtime Peach Blossoms - c Minnesota (4/48/2015) Photo - Clarence Holm

Springtime Peach Blossoms – c
Minnesota (4/48/2015)
Photo – Clarence Holm

(My best guess as to type of tree)