blackberries
~
blackberries
~
floricanes bend
with August weight
shape an archway
show the path
~
through brambles
to lake
pergola unfastens
gate, entices
~
pickers
into wicked thorns
sweet indigo
temptation
~
primocanes snag
hems of gloves
ankles of socks
handles of baskets
~
angry scratch
for every berry
~
~
Copyright Jane Tims 2019
~
Hope you are enjoying this blackberry summer.
All my best,
Jane
root cellar
~
root cellar
~
over the hill
cold earth sequesters
seeps of water
and lichened stone
roots in dry sand
preserves on shelves
of rough-hewn boards
~
mice gnaw on the seam
of a gunny sack of corn
blue mold on the surface
of a jar of apple jelly
Mama just scoops it away
pumpkins never keep
past December
~
~
Copyright Jane Tims 2019
~
All my best,
Jane
dandelion fluff
~
dandelion fluff
~
purse lips
and puff
make a wish
scatter seeds
to wind
and follow
into sun
~
~
Copyright Jane Tims 2019
~
All my best,
Jane
Pearly everlasting
~
Pearly Everlasting
Anaphalis margaritacea L.
~
Pearly Everlasting
sign of summer’s passing
yet – immortelle
picked by the road
by the armload
hung from rafters
children’s laughter
runs beneath
~
downy leaf, woolly stem
white diadem
perfectly matched flowers
thatched in gold
dry and old
~
Linnaeus named
for Marguarite
memory sweet
paper petals keep
pale perfume
summer grace
in a winter room
~
~
Published as: ‘Pearly Everlasting’, The Antingonish Review 92, 1993 and at niche poetry and prose, August 20, 2012 here
Copyright Jane Tims 2012
~
~
All my best,
Jane
in an orchard
~
orchard
~
between apples, twigs and leaves
stems and branches
are glimpses
of sky
~
sapphire and cerulean
panes of leaded
transparent
glass
~
molten in motions of wind
edges in
malleable
light
~
fragile as blades of bent grass
stiffened by frozen
morning
dew
~
~
Copyright 2019 Jane Tims
~
All my best,
Jane
fetching water
~
fetching water
~
‘Strength in those arms,’
says Mama. ‘Fetch
me a bucket
of cold water
from the well.’
~
‘Need one of those
pumps,’ says Papa.
‘Painted iron,
hornbeam handle.’
~
‘No need,’ says Thomas.
‘I know how to drop
the bucket
so she fills
the first time.
~
‘Echoes lift
from well-stones.
My face down there,
winks on the water.
Strength in these arms.’
~
~
Copyright 2019 Jane Tims
~
All my best,
Jane
hauling wood
~
hauling wood
~
The draft horse answers
to a click, a shake
of the reins, the squawk
of a blue jay, flushed
from the thicket. Long
tail hairs scatter flies.
Chain rings, loops around
the log, its cut end
a brake, ploughs up duff.
Nostrils flare and hooves
find gain in gather
of leaves, paw for ground.
Lather under tack,
he lowers his head.
Takes the woodlot incline
as though he’s navigated
these hardwoods
all of his life.
~
~
Copyright 2019 Jane Tims
~
All my best,
Jane
Free e-book next five days
Do you like a good love story? Like to explore alien worlds? Love adventure and a bit of mystery?
The Meniscus Science Fiction Series follows the story of human survival on a distant planet.
The seventh book in the series, Meniscus: Oral Traditions, tells the story of two people as they journey across alien landscapes to reach safety.
Meet aliens who do not share our ideas of right and wrong. Explore a city built at the edge of a churning sea. Join Tagret and Rist as they tell stories around a fire. Find out about the vow Rist has taken and why it will break Tagret’s heart.
Meniscus: Oral Traditions is a great entry point to the series for readers who think they’d like to find out more about the aliens and humans on Meniscus. Each Meniscus book is written as a readable long poem and is illustrated by the author. The books are a quick read, and include both adventure and romance. For the science fiction lover there are maps, a glossary of alien terms and a Gel-speak dictionary.
~
For five days this week (August 5 to 9, 2019), I am running a Kindle Free Book Deal and the e-version of Meniscus: Oral Traditions is free at Amazon. here
Kindle Free Book Deal: Intro to the Meniscus Sci-Fi Series
Meniscus — a planet far from Earth. When humans are taken there, they face a life of hardship and servitude. But humans are resilient. Follow the story of the humans who struggle to escape from the oppressive Dock-winders and build a home in an alien world.
~
~
In the sixth book of the Meniscus series, Meniscus: Oral Traditions, meet Tagret. The Dock-winders have taken her from Earth and deposited her on the streets of the alien city of Sintha. Tagret feels helpless, but she soon meets other humans who will help her get along in this strange and dangerous place.
One of these is Rist, a Slain, a genetically modified human who has forged a life for himself. He does not want or need a tag-along to burden his days. But when Tagret is sold at a Dock-winder auction, Rist uses all his tickets to save her from a terrible fate. Tagret feels safe with Rist and makes plans for the future.
But Rist has a secret …
~
Meniscus: Oral Traditions is a great entry point for readers who think they’d like to find out more about the humans on Meniscus. Each Meniscus book is written as a readable long poem and is illustrated by the author. The books are a quick read, and include both adventure and romance.
~
For five days next week (August 5 to 9, 2019), I will be running a Kindle Free Book Deal and the e-version of Meniscus: Oral Traditions will be free at Amazon. here
~
~
I will be sending reminders during the Kindle Free Book Deal, so stay tuned!!!!!
~
All my best,
Alexandra Tims
(a.k.a. Jane)
How Her Garden Grew
Mid-summer and my little garden is doing well. The plants are growing in planters on my deck: three parsley plants, three climbing beans, three snow peas and one cucumber. I have to ‘weed’ every day as the maple keys keep sprouting!
~
With a small garden, I have lots of time to read. Right now I am reading the forth in the Lane Winslow Mysteries, set in Canada in British Columbia after WW II here. I love mysteries and now I have one of my own. ‘How Her Garden Grew’ tells the story of a mom and her kids who find a packet of old letters and follow a trail of mayhem and murder to summer’s end. This is the first in a series of three Kaye Eliot Mysteries, set in Nova Scotia in 1995.
~
‘How Her Garden Grew‘ is available on-line here. Or at Westminster Books in Fredericton (you should see their new store at 88 York Street!)
~
~
I am spending my summer (when I am not pulling maple sprouts) writing the sequel to ‘How Her Garden Grew’. It will be called ‘Something the Sundial Said’ and take readers on another cozy mystery adventure.
~
Enjoy your summer reading!
~
All my best,
Jane
