Hopeful

    Hopeful

    There has been rain for days
    and even weary flowers
    are longing for the sun.

    Finally the rain stops
    and through a break in the clouds
    the arch of a rainbow is revealed –
        a promise.

— Dan Hardison

For those in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.


The Wise Owl
May 2024

Waning Summer

    Waning Summer

    Shadows stretch longer
    slanting across the landscape
    as days grow shorter.

    The evening sun
    flaming in amazement
    as it drops on the horizon.

    Mornings awake
    from longer nights
    to a fine veil of pearly mist.

    Garden blooms are fewer
    as cornstalks and gourds
    join rust-colored wreaths.

    Nuts and burnished leaves
    are covering the ground
    as the air turns cooler.

    A dazzling display
    of elemental colors
    as autumn beckons.

— Dan Hardison


The Wise Owl
October Daily Verse 2024

Safe Haven

    Safe Haven

    The day is very hot
    with a chance of thunderstorms.

    As predicted, it begins to turn dark
    and then a distant rumble.

    As it grows darker,
    the sound of thunder grows louder.

    Then suddenly, a flash of light
    followed by a loud boom.

    Once the shock is gone
    comes the sound of rain

    with the dog and cat
    together in my lap.

— Dan Hardison


The Ravens Perch
May 2024

Turning Point

My poem Turning Point received Honorable Mention: 2024 Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, Craven Arts Council, New Bern, North Carolina. The contest was in conjunction with the 2024 Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition held at the Craven Arts Council gallery. "This competition showcases the link between different forms of art; the visual and the literary." My poem was paired with the painting Long Way Home by Cara Merritt, which also received an Honorable Mention in the exhibition.

    Turning Point

    The sea toils as it slowly
    makes its way to shore
    with waves lapping
       as it inches closer.

    At the end of its struggles,
    its destination reached,
    comes a moment of rest –
       a time of reflection.

    Then on the moon's signal
    it is time to begin again,
    to reverse course
       in this endless cycle.

— Dan Hardison

Long Way Home
by Cara Merritt
(30x40 Acrylic)


Craven Arts Council

The Garden Lost

    The Garden Lost

    Beneath a canopy of trees,
    through a maze of encircling shrubs,
    walkways of brick are lined
    with urns, planters, and pots.

    A pond and a gazebo,
    benches for rest and reflection,
    all about are statues
    with St. Francis keeping watch.

    Much work went into this space,
    its design and intent are clear,
    but flowers have long been absent here
    weeds and vines now occupy this place.

    Walking through what was a garden
    overgrown and all but forgotten
    one can imagine what had been
    and what could be again.

— Dan Hardison


The Ravens Perch
May 2024