Embraced

    Embraced

    A storm rolled through last night
    that shook the house with thunder,
    sent rain drumming across the roof,
    and wind howling through the trees.

    After the storm had passed
    and the light of day had come
    it was time to survey the aftermath
    of what the storm had left.

    Venturing out for a walk
    all appeared to be well
    but then I saw it . . .
    a tree branch had fallen.

    Only the branch
    never reached the ground
    but was caught by a lower branch
    and now they clung to each other.

    The branches now embraced
    were holding to each other
    like lovers refusing to part
    hoping to weather the next storm.

    — Dan Hardison


Calliope
Summer 2026

Haiga

DailyHaiga
July, 2026

Penmanship

Postcard: Appalachian Scenic Highway, Crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains
Linen Era (1930-1945), postmarked 1941

    Penmanship

    For the young person
    who stood staring blankly
    at the old postcard
    the message on the back
    could have been written
    in a foreign language.

    Maybe a form of shorthand
    or it could be encrypted,
    perhaps an ancient glyph
    whose cypher has been lost,
    certainly a long-ago language
    now impossible to comprehend.

    But I remember school days
    spent learning to write in cursive
    practicing the joining of letters
    to create a flowing script
    patterned after the alphabet
    in cursive hanging on the wall.

    The postcard with its words
    elegantly and painstakingly
    written from edge to edge
    whether ornamental or elegant,
    conventional or personal in style,
    is now in need of a translator.

    — Dan Hardison

Translation:

Took a seven mile
hike up the mtn.
to a place called
the Eagle’s Nest &
am still alive to tell
the story. This is
lovely country & I’m
having a grand time
taking in the sights.

Eleanore

The Ekphrastic Review
July 2026

Haiga

DailyHaiga
July 1, 2026

A Boy Feeds the Koi

    A Boy Feeds the Koi

    The people passing by
    are no strangers to the koi
    living in the pond;
    anyone and everyone
    is a friend in waiting.

    As a young boy
    approached the water’s edge
    the surface erupted;
    fish of all colors and sizes
    congregated at his feet.

    As the koi jostled for position
    the boy took a handful
    of fish kibble and skimmed it
    across the water’s surface
    sending them into a frenzy.

    The boy and the fish dancing
    to music only they could hear
    a call and response again and again
    until the food was gone and they
    each took a bow and fell silent.

    — Dan Hardison

    Image: Carp with Wisteria by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
    woodblock 1889
    Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Ekphrastic Review
June 2026