Thankful  for the stillness
The rainfall in the wood
The lichens and the falling leaves
Where once a cabin stood

Grandma’s long departed
The wolf has gone away
No danger in the forest
No hunter here today

Not  Little Red but big and beige
Autumnal Riding Hood
That fearful day forgotten
Where once a cabin stood

Blessed by nature’s bounty
Befriended by the beast
Gathering  the berries
Savoring the  feast

Thanksgiving Day in the Napa Valley

by Dorothea Barth ©2011

Blessings and berries
blossoms and fairies
to me bring delight
music and light,
your colors of pen
so exquisite and then
bloom to perfection
with each new selection,
a Christmas Rose so lovely
so fragrant and holy
a petal like snow
wafts in repose.

S.K.Lindeman©2011 NY USA

Especially in Germany, the rose is an emblem of Christ. Legend has it that the one of the shepherd women, too poor to give a gift to the Christ child, was visited by an angel who caused the herb to appear and burst into bloom–the Christmas Rose. The woman then offered the rose to the infant Jesus.

The Christmas Rose (helleborus niger) is not actually a rose at all but a perennial herb with lobed leaves and a white five-petaled flower. Because it blooms in the middle of the winter, it is often called the Christmas Rose.

CHRISTMAS ROSE©Myrea Pettit

Maybe you can believe
If you take the time to dream
In the places in between
Things aren’t always as they seem

Gail Lawson White©2010 Cal USA

With an eye he saw
With vision he knew
Thousand points of light
He carried through
A flag of unity
Fluttering above
Patterns of peace soaring
On the winged bird of love.

A letter from the Poet S.K. Lindeman

My friend has a website called Sashiflag. I wrote that poem for her for the passing of a dear friend of hers. There is supposed to be a peace museum opening in London in June 2012 and they will have her flags of unity up there. In the summer of 2010 I looked out my window and saw all these lights.They were magical, tiny lights and I just stared and stared. Perhaps they were fireflies but they were enchanting. Immediately upon seeing it, I wrote that poem.

Off again we venture
Our never-ending quest
Looking for that wondrous place
Where magic is the best

Perhaps in rural rolling hills
That diamond lakes surround
Some say that’s where the fairies thrive
So magic must abound

But yonder north, past Puget Sound
Near Islands of San Juan
With eagles, orcas, alders red
Enchantment must be spun

Where birch and beech and maples turn
To tapestry of fire
The Smoky Mountains’ autumn spell
Does sorcery inspire

Does magic love the seasons
Or tropics’ languid sea
The needled snow-capped evergreen
Or fronded canopy?

Does magic sing in concert halls
Or on a lively street
Where does it resonate most rare
Elsewhere or where we meet?

Amidst these earnest questions
Don’t know from where it came
A  crystal song in unison
Rang  forth and did exclaim:

With painter’s brush, with poet’s pen
Or mindful meditation
Or culinary wizardry
Make magic your vocation

If ever you have found me
In flower, tree, or glen
Remember me, absorb me well
Reflect me back again

Slow now your restless venture
Facilitate your quest
Just share your magic everyplace
There magic will be best

Dorothea Barth 2011©

In mischief bold she skims my head
Alights on purple flowers
Anna hums amongst the sage
Their sweetness she devours

Fine energy in ocean greens
Her sparks of red announce
A purposeful intensity
In but a quarter ounce

A whirling blur of white-tipped wings
A feat it is to hover
Her heartbeat races onward
A banquet to discover

So Anna sips her nectar
For nestlings and herself
While I am left to wonder
Is she a bird or elf?

Dorothea Barth ©2011

Oh, take me to the sithen,
with small key in hand,
take me to the dreamland.
Under hill and glen.
To Faerie, we must  go,
poet, bard, and the like.
For tonight we dance under
Diana’s moon,
with the children of the light

Jane Rouse2011©Knoxville USA

Angelic presence
presents peace
Stirring sound
incubates release.

S.K.Lindeman©2011 NY USA

I have no knowledge
yet still I create
A blossom endeavors
her bloom to elate.

S.K.Lindeman©2011 NY USA

Come, inquisitive one, with  me,
To my forbidding tower,
With all your whispered questions,
And youth yet in flower.

O, do not fear me, sweet one,
For I am but a man;
For all my magick powers,
Do not fear me, Niniane.

You wish to learn my secrets
And all my hidden lore;
To read my books and dusty scrolls,
That magis wrote before,

And in exchange you offer love,
Which I have never known;
Your tender kiss, your gentle touch,
And that soft moan.

And should you take my power
And leave me powerless
Still I give it willingly
For your caress.

Copyright (C) 2004, John Bliven Morin

Inside the dusty-mirrored Victorian,
Down the tangerine-walled staircase
To the charcoal-black furnace,
Where sunlight itself is a
Foreign element in the gloom,
Past the drop-leafed table
With the torn, stained envelope,
The black-ribboned cradle rocks.

Copyright (C) 2006 by John Bliven Morin

My birthday party was such fun
With all my good friends there;
We laughed and sang and ate and drank
Without a frown or care.

When all had left I straightened up
And put each dish and pot
into the sink and went to bed;
Just one thing I forgot.

Upon my table, in my haste,
I left a jug of wine;
T’was nearly full and just uncorked,
imported from the Rhine.

I wish I hadn’t left it there;
I didn’t give a shrug;
I did not see disaster in
that tempting little jug.

I must explain the problem which
occurred when we had dined:
A wee one shares my house with me,
Who’s not of mortal kind.

To have a pixie such as mine,
My grandma used to say,
Meant my house had lots of luck,
And so I’ve let her stay.

In turn, my wee companion will,
with faerie magick spell,
clean my house all in a flash
and bring water from my well.

And so we’ve gotten on, we two,
As the last ten months have passed,
In the friendliest of manners,
That is, until the last.

I woke to a sudden crash that morn,
And laughter gaily sped
all from downstairs, as sleepily,
I got up from my bed.

I quickly dressed and started down
the stairs, when past me went
a dinner plate with moving wings;
I stopped in wonderment!

I shook my head, reminding me
that dinner plates don’t fly;
As I descended further down,
another passed me by.

The room I’d straightened up last night
was now a frightful mess,
with broken china everywhere,
and each with wings, no less!

The laughter now was close at hand,
along with hiccups, too,
All coming from the jug of wine,
now laying quite askew.

I picked it up and looked inside,
and all the wine was gone,
ingested by my pixie lass
before the break of dawn.

Before I could admonish her
for the damage all around,
The tiny thing began to snore,
So I put the wine jug down.

I wanted to clean up, of course,
but I was loath to touch
those broken plates with moving wings;
T’were just a bit too much.

So I went to my gardening;
all the long day toiled,
and not till eve’ning I returned,
sweating, hot and soiled.

The door swung open for me,
I was greeted by the scene;
The room was all in order,
Bright as before, and clean.

And as I passed the threshold,
I was comfortable and neat;
Clothes cleaned in an instant
Through a faerie magick feat.

And thus we live together
in my cottage on the Wye;
the strangest couple you will meet,
should you ever happen by.

You’re welcome to come in, my friends,
And with us chat and dine;
We’ve plenty of water from the well,
But we haven’t any wine!

John Bliven Morin 2011©Hawaii USA

The man was taken off his horse
as he traveled thru the land
he said he had done nothing wrong
he did not understand

You failed to pay
you failed to bow
and so you broke our law
I seize your horse and all you own
and still, there s so much more!

But I protest!
This isn t fair
I intended no such slight
I am a wizard from a far off land
I ll be gone before dawn s light!

The warrior smashed him deftly hard
he staggered to the ground
the blood ran from the wound it left
his hands were stoutly bound

Then dragged behind the warriors horse
back to the castle tall
he ran along
as best he could
lest be dragged
if he should fall

What have we here? the guard called out
A prisoner for our queen?
We ll hang him high inside the court
we ll stretch that neck
quite lean!

They took him then
and threw him down
unto a dungeon deep
but smile he did
that no one saw
and then he fell asleep

And woken in the morning light
and taken fore the queen
her hair was black
with narrow eyes
her countenance was
quite mean

How dare you, sir
come in my land
and not my homage do?
you shall be hanged
upon the morn
then head be
cut askew

He looked at her
and then at around
his eyes began to glow
blue fire then surrounded him
that all who looked
should know

It s not my time
But, it is yours
You ve upset the powers that be
You ve captured here a wizard great
you should have set me free!

The sky drew dark
thick clouds appeared
and thunder sounded round
and lightening bolts did fill the sky
and deftly struck the ground

I frighten not! yelled the queen
enraged at what she saw
No, wizard will overpower me
I d rather wager war!

And then a dragon
appeared from air
and grabbed her by the head
and shook it twice
then ripped it off
yes . . . she was surely dead

The warriors who had mistreated him
were burned to ash and dust
the chains that had once bound him there
fell off, all turned
to rust

Those who survived
bowed to the mage
and asked him Please, forgive!
they held hands out
and swore an oath
if He would let them live

He raised his hands unto the sky
and dragon swooped to ground
it dropped the head
of evil queen
the rest, was never found

I let you live on this day
but your castle is destroyed
your laws were bad
your queen was worse
you had me quite annoyed!

So, I did come
to teach you all
a lesson to be learned
that those who harm a traveler . . .
will have their castles burned!

And then the mage
turned into light
it almost made them blind
but on a rock near rubbled wall
did this inscription find:

Let no man harm a traveler
or dragons will appear
For wizards roam these lands you have
of Them
you best have fear

copyright 2011 by jon gutmacher

Once, long ago
a valiant knight
was in the forest
at dawn s first light
and stealthful as
a knight could be
he spied a dwarf
behind
a tree

Oh, what a treasure
what a find
to capture one
of this rare
kind
the Lords and Ladies
would gather round
and slap his back
at what
he found

He drew his bow
with arrow true
but the dwarf . . . did see
and before he slew
Did shout to knight
behind a tree
Oh, spare me, Sir
Let me go free!

The knight relaxed
the bow went down
and gazing with
a piercing frown
did ask the dwarf
why, he should
Now, tell me, Dwarf!
And make it
good!

I am a King
amongst my kind
I ll owe you, Sir
and you will find
that always will you
have my ear
and in these woods
you ll never
fear

The knight, he nodded
held high his hand
then walked away
back to his land
and went in thru
the castle gates
and kept the story
for his
own sake

Until one day
traveling deep through wood
guarding Queen and ladies
as he should
on lonely road
a bit too late
to castle far
where others wait

But there were varlets
in ambush deep
no care of knights
or those they keep
to take the queen
and ladies fair
to ransom them
without a care

The arrows came
two knights went down
He drew his sword
His heart did pound
He saw them come
upon the run
He swung his sword
now two were done

The queen did scream
her ladies, too
they were surrounded
and then he knew . . .
he would be slain
his duty lost
his companions slaughtered
oh, what
a cost!

And then an amazing thing occurred
a shout was heard
throughout the wood
and hundreds with
both shield and spear
the dwarfs came out
without a fear

They slew the varlets
they slew them good
they freed the queen
helped as they
could
patched wounded knights
with magic paste
saved all of them
from horrid
fates

And then Dwarf King
came thru the crowd
and said in voice
that was so proud
You spared my life
Now, I ve saved your queen
This . . . is something
that you ve seen.

Remember, hence
for all your sake
as you pass
our sacred lake
The friends you made
Whoever be
are friends for life
So, let it be!

And then as quick
as they appeared
they vanished all
cept King, who neared
and grasped the arm
of knight he saved
and pointed round
at all that laid

I told you then
you d not regret
for in these woods
for now, and yet
I honor what
I said that day
Now, the debt is yours
How will you
pay?

And
the knight
went to one knee
held out his sword
and said, to He

I wronged you, Sir
though I set you free
I thought you not
as good as me
But, I was wrong
I know that now
you have my friendship
if you, allow

And so, the Dwarf King
nodded twice
extended hand
shook
like a vice
and the two
forever knew
that they were friends
for life

And every feast
this tale is told
of once a knight
who was so bold
but spared a dwarf
thus saved a queen
in the Kingdom
of Farsporlant

Jon Gutmacher2011©Orlando USA

A birth day shadows
the fae foresee
A lion’s elixir
when drunk
with the sea.

For my godson, Dylan
S.K.Lindeman©2011 NY USA