Mr.Boo?

White ghost of a horse

Her name is Boo!
Her ears soft pink 

Her eyes are blue.
Like Mr. Ed,
She's loyal and true
 Speaks only when she's spoken to.

Pecans

Green ovals house

White wood 

At summer's end the husks 
Dry to brown, then black and split open.
The wood turns brown and brittle
 Nuts drop to the ground.
Hands and knees harvest them
On cool November afternoons.
 Crack the shells and find 
Pecan pies.

Sunshine In a Mason Jar

Sunflower

Summer's paintbrush

Dipped in gold sunlight,

Swirled in orange sunsets,

Stroked in dark soil,

Dabbled across oceans of sky,

Lighted with firefly beams, 

Spangled in dragonfly sparkles,

Splashed on the parchment of August.

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe

Musky bouquet of garden,

Smell of fresh-turned soil,

Fragrance of spring rain,

Whiff of orange and yellow butterflies,

Perfume of a gardener's prayers,

Scent of sunshine,

Essence of heat.

Stop and smell a cantaloupe.

It is summer.

Door

Don't be afraid

To turn the key

Twist the knob and push inside.

Don't be afraid 

To take a step

Open the door, open it wide.

Feathers

Birds wear feathers

We wish to wear them too.

I would like to fly, would you?

Pheasant feathers, 

Peacock plumes so fine.

I would choose bright blue for mine.

Cardinal's sleek red

Hummingbird's fluorescent.
I would down and wing be lent.

Yellow Goldfinch

Indigo bunting, blue.

I would like feathers, would you?

Sailboats

Yellow and blue,

Sunshine and sky,

Sailboats on water.

Cranker ice cream

 Served in sherbet glasses

 At Grandma's porch table. 

Summer past

 Where are you? 

Drifting on a summer breeze

 Through my memory.

Faded Blossom

Dog Days

The porch swing hangs heavy.

The potted plants sigh.

But none is so hot nor

So weary as I.

The music of crickets,

The buzz of the fly,

Is droning unanswered

Tired and dry.

The sun on the garden

Has dried every leaf.

The vines are all withered;

Gone summer’s feast.

The Queen Anne has faded,

Is no longer white.

All life waits in stillness

For coolness of night.

We watch for the promise

Of color on trees,

Of pears and of pumpkins

To come with the ease,

Of cooler and wetter

Oh, welcome relief

From the dog days of summer

The satin cerise

Of summer’s late sunsets

Those guarantee all

The geese winging southward

God sending us fall.

©Elece Hollis 

Hummingbird

Sipping sugar syrup,

Summer acrobat,

Keep those tiny wings a-hummin'

Lest you grow too fat!

Purple Zinnia

Summer isn't summer 'till the zinnias come to town

Set to dance in sun and wind where butterflies abound.
Summer turns fiesta, a most colorful revue.
Zinnias turn our hearts to autumn as nothing else can do.

Oil Lamp

We came through Oklahoma

On vacation. 

I was a child.

 We ate at the Ruby Dee in Tecumseh.

We visited Mama's relatives. 

Uncle Stony, Aunt Blanche

In a house with no electricity near Grand Lake

We ate supper by oil lamp light

I have loved oil lamps since.

Orchard Harvest

We planted apple trees

In faith, with hope.

Now most summers we

Have sweet yellow apples,

 With pink blushes.

I peel and cook them so,

In winter I will have

 Summer sunshine warm in a bowl 

With cinnamon.

Red Bloom

Under the flower's soft petals

Under the bloom's bright spray

Sepals that once housed and guarded the bud

Support her on her crowning day

Tomato Bowl

How many fruits have filled this bowl? 

How many tomatoes? How many apples

Were peeled into it's curves?

Golden honey-scented pears?

How many green beans were served

With new potatoes? Sliced sugary peaches?

Ears of yellow corn? Savory vegetable soup?

How many slices of cantaloupe? Blackberries?

I wonder whose bowl it was before it was mine?

Did she use it to mix a cake

Batter for her son's seventh birthday?

Did she love it like I do?

Sunflowers

Sunflowers, you face the sunlight

At sunset gently bow your heads

Reverent, you know where strength comes from.

You bloom where you are planted 

In a ditch or in a garden fair

You endure the heat.Yes, relish it!

Bring joy everywhere.

Tomatoes

Preparing food for winter

Winter? Really?

Who believes in winter

When it's so, so hot?

I do. We do.

We know God promised

Spring, summer, autumn, winter

To the end of time.

Really!

Country Roses Tea Cup

A cup of morning coffee,

Tea in the afternoon,

Bright company  

Sweet fellowship

No need of sugar to sweeten it.

A word of friendship spoken,

With a sip of neighborly. 

Come sit a while, 

Let's talk and be 

Closer for the camaraderie.

Pink Begonia

Though small, you sing

In bright splashes of sound.

You carry melodies that birds 

Have sung in passing.

You hold golden notes 

Of sunlight in your centers

Trill soprano/alto harmonies.

Red Jar

The clouds drift by 

In the hot clear sky

A shade of pale white blue.

Reflected in a potter's jar

Who brought his clay from the river far

Away and stained it fire red.

The jar, a fountain bubbling cool,

Breaks the potter's holding rule

Instead spouts drink for roses pink.

Leaf Lighted

White bright July sun

Roasting, drying,

Baking, frying,

Burning, beaming down 

Melting, cooking

Lighting, shining,

Growing, ripening,

Blessing, beaming down.

Coloring, illuminating!

POOL

Rippled reflection

Rocky projection

Sunlit confection

Watery perfection

Fruit Bowl

Green and red

Red and green.

Like Christmas,

Like cardinals in pine trees,

Like strawberries under leaves,

Like Irish plaid.

Like roses against stems,

Like salsa and lime,

Like tulips in spring.

Like watermelon and rind.

Green and red.

Red and green.

Like apples and tomatoes.

Baby Girl

Baby girl

Head of curls

Skin of pearl

Dance and twirl!

Ribbon and bows

From head to toes

Peek and see

Full of curiosity.

Green Apples

When I was a child

I loved to climb to hide in

My special apple tree

I'd take my book from the library

Settle in the branches happily.

Reach above my head and pluck

A smooth and shiny light green orb,

Bite a green apple, sour, sour,

Sour, tart, pucker your mouth sour.

Trickle down your throat juicy,

Sour, sour, sweet, good!

As good as my story,

As sweet as my hiding place. 

Zinnias

Zinnias are circus flowers.

They have pizzazz!

They make the passerby shout with glee.

Make him recall an old melody.

Zinnias are not the slightest tad shy; 

They shout and wave

As you walk by, "Look at me.

 Look at me. Look at me! 

I'm as bright as bright can be!

 Butterflies love to dance atop me.

On tippet-toe they ride the breeze,

They light and flutter merrily."

 Zinnias, you make quite a show,

 With colors and shapes that

 Swirl and glow, that shout, that sing,

 That mesmerize flocks of bumblebees!

Glads for Sale

Gladiolas 

Glads for sale!

Happys for sale!

Joys for sale!

Wonderful Cheers 

And 

Grins for sale!

Ohs and Ahs! 

And

 Wows for sale!

Hoorays! 

Whoopees!

 And

 Hallelujahs! 

Yes!

Red Basket

Who thought to dye this basket

The brightest grandest red?

Who thought to trim it up with blue

And carved the handle grip instead

Of plain, dull, and heartless, utilitarian?

I think it was a farmer's wife; 
Who hoped when she planted an apple tree, 
Who prayed as she watered it carefully, 
Who knew that someday she'd joyously climb 
And harvest it full of apples like these!

Red-Orange

Color of my favorite crayon in third grade.

Color of a sunset on a winter day.

Color of tomatoes sliced on a plate,

On a summer day when we eat supper late.

Color of the velvet leaves on an autumn dress

Color of the flame licking bright and blessed

Color of plum jelly in a quilted glass jar

Or the harvest moon shining from afar.

Spoon Maker

Her hands still ladylike and soft,

But strong from working hard.

The spoonmaker sat straddle her blue tool box

Dressed in pink and blue check day-dress and an apron

Embellished with pink trim.

Ignoring the crowd and the noonday sun,

She pounded with her wooden mallet.

She chiseled out pieces of wood. 

Her gray/white hair strayed in her face

She didn't mind. She was making

Something useful, something fine.

Something beautiful.

Farmer's Market

Colors, tastes, shapes

A work of art

Red, green, purple, green, red, green,

Orange, green, yellow, green, 

Black, green

Green, green, green

Bulbous, round, oval, pointed, curved,

Cylindrical
Sweet, tart, hot, mild.

Someone knelt and planted seed.

Someone watered. 

God gave sunlight.

Time, more rain, time.

God sent rain.

A back bent,

A hand harvested.

An artist arranged.

Butterfly

Copper tiptoeing on an orange flower

On thin legs like rough threads

With wing spots like dusty silver;

Work while the flowers bloom,

Fly in the copper sunlight,

While summer reigns glorious

On the face of the year.