Prayer Flags

Flags in the garden, each with a prayer
Tied to a string with love and care.

Flags in the garden hanging in the trees
Gently sway in the spring time breeze.

"I have flags too!" said a voice from below
"Come over and see, but on tip-toe."

I quietly walked to a shady place
Where a big plant grew, then I saw her face.
The winged one smiled and spoke to me
As she hung her flags from her little tree.

"This plant is called a Bleeding Heart
In the early spring they are works of art.
The pink and red hearts all hang all in a row
And tinkle and laugh when the breezes blow.

"Each little heart is like a prayer
Filled with kindness, love and care.

And when the wind blows, they gently sway
And then the prayers can fly away!

"Tenderly they fly like wings on a dove 
To people and places that needs some love."

I smiled at her and she smiled at me
And the love between our hearts we both could see.

I tip toed back to my special tree
Where my flags all hung in front of me.
A little wind blew and I watched them sway
And one by one, the prayers all flew away!

To all kinds of people, big and small
Where love is needed, the flags hear their call.

Now a secret we all can share
In the garden are all kinds of prayer.

written and illustrated by Christine Summerfield © April 23, 2020

                  Coats of Blue
       Two little friends in coats of blue
       Went walking one rainy day
       There was no sun
       But they had fun
       Singing along the way!

       The raindrops fell
       Pell and mell
       You might say "my oh my!"
       But 'neath that umbrella you could tell
       That they were warm and dry.

       And then they stopped to take a look
       At birdies one and two
       Under an umbrella big
       With feathers bright and blue!

   I     

​            They too were singing in the rain
            Yet they were warm and dry
            Underneath a mushroom cap
            Big, and fat and wide!

           So when you walk out with a friend
           Who likes to sing with you
           You might just see another pair
​           Wearing coats of blue.
          

Tiny Purple Grapes
On my morning walk one day I saw a funny thing
Tiny clumps of purple grapes blooming in the spring!

Usually they grow on vines and get picked in the fall
But these tiny little grapes were standing straight and tall.

And then I heard a gentle laugh coming from below
He wore a funny purple hat and said "my name is Joe!"

"You see, these are grape hyacinths growing in a clump
Their flowers look like little grapes, they're fat, and round and plump!
But these little purple grapes, these you cannot eat
The honey bees they love them so, for them, they are a treat!"

And then that fairy smiled at me and with his purple hat
He bowed just like a gentleman, can you imagine that!

And when he put his cap back on, he gave a little wink
Then he was gone in a flash, before I could even blink!

And now I smile to myself, because now I know
​How in the fall and in the spring, purple grapes can grow!

Foxes in the Grass

A family of foxes hiding in the grass
Showed off their rusty tails as I walked past.
A family of foxes hiding on the hill
Not a sound did they make, hiding oh so still.

A tiny yellow bird landed on the biggest one
Pecking, poking here and there and having lots of fun.
As quickly as she landed, she gently flew away
​I wondered why the foxes let her poke them in this way.

And then that tiny little bird whispered in my ear
"Go and touch that furry tail, you do not need to fear."
And so I tip toed in the grass to that family
And touched the biggest rusty tail oh so carefully.
It wasn't soft and fluffy, but really kind of dry
"It's not a fox at all, but a big old weed!" I cried.

I rubbed and rubbed that big old tail in my dirty hand
And lots of tiny seeds fell like little grains of sand.
"That, my friend is a curly dock" the happy birdie said
"I like to eat their tiny seeds, so rich and scarlet red."

And as the birdie flew away, I gave a little laugh
​How fun it is to think of foxes hiding in the grass!

Brown and grey
Brown and grey
What does the winter garden do all day?

White and brown
White and brown
Nothing much to hear, it doesn't make a sound.

Ho and hum
Ho and hum
Grey and brown makes me feel all glum.

Then a voice said "ho!"
"Look below!
Take a little moment now and say 'hello!'"

Beside my boot
In his green suit
He said "I am the one who tends the root!"

"You might say
It's brown and grey
But just you wait til one spring day!"

"Soon the roots
Will send up shoots
And you'll see flowers in the month of May!"

Then the wee gnome
Hid behind a stone
And burrowed down below to his earthen home.

Though brown and grey
On this winter's day
The garden really DID have a lot to say!

 written by Christine Summerfield / March 7, 2019

Jewel in the Crown
                                                                                          
A field full of weeds
   as the summer sun burns...
The old ones recede
   and the new take their turns...

Blossoming now on the warm summer stage
Enters the King as we turn the page...

Standing tall with scepter of thorns
His purple flowers await to be born.
Filling his crown with flowers bright
​Like amethyst jewels they shine in the light.

With his prickles sharp, no one comes near
Instilling respect and a wee bit of fear!
But the winged ones know of his royal treasures
They dig for his gold with fervor and pleasure!
For his flowers are softer to the touch
​The bees and the butterflies like them so much!

​And when the jewels fade away from the crown
They change to brittle, dry rusty brown
But the gold finch knows of the treasures inside
Quickly she lands and knows where they hide. 
She mines all day in a cloudy white puff
Filling her beak with seeds from the fluff!

After the seeds from the rusty old crown
The last gift remains, the gift of the down.
Silky and soft, the gentlest of all
Will line the nests of the finches so small.

A Wall of Happy Houses

A wall of happy houses is just along the street
Full of every color for the birds who like to sing tweet tweet!
 
The colors make a rainbow of yellow, blue and green
Orange bright and violet and pinks of shiny sheen!
 
This neighborhood’s for winged ones, for finches red and blue
Who play and fly and sing all day: “Tra Lee, Tra Lah, Tra Loo!”
 
They never seem to argue or get into a fight
They’re much too busy singing and playing in the light!