Some Poems For You to Enjoy.  Tap and Go! Sneaker Look https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ynuwe6k5m0s6p6/Sneaker%20Look%20Poem.m4a?dl=0 Eat It Up It's Good For You https://soundcloud.com/alwrite/eat-it-up-its-good-for-you Pasta Joke https://soundcloud.com/alwrite/pasta-joke-poem Soggy Beans https://soundcloud.com/alwrite/soggy-beans-poem-at-mornington Storm Watching https://soundcloud.com/alwrite/storm-watching-poem Bored https://www.dropbox.com/s/oimof5rq6wggqfj/Bored%20poem.m4a?dl=0

I have never been a fan of pen licences. As a student I didn't like them and as a teacher, and a left handed writer, I refused to implement them in my classes. I figured there were more authentic ways to encourage kids to write neatly. I would explain to kids that writing neatly was a way of showing respect for your readers, your audience. Whatever you write with -pen, pencil, marker, the same message applies- its about respecting your audience.  Having spent my entire writing life railing against the false prediction of my very first teacher who told me, 'Alan, you need to write with your right hand, otherwise you will never be a neat writer,' you can understand why I don't hold much store in pen licences. I am proud of my left handed writing. It may be slow and deliberate at times, but it is neat, quite neat.  My teacher's prediction proved to be way off the mark. Her words have motivated me to dispel her dire predictions for  my handwriting future.  So

Today I find myself looking at poetry as social commentary.  Many aspects of our lives have been irreversibly changed through the tsunami like effect of the digital revolution. It has been a mixed bag to say the least.  My poem is a satirical look at the phenomenon of 'selfies' and the advent of the selfie stick.  Satire is the application of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and/or criticize people's behaviour in the context of contemporary politics and topical issues.  It is observational  in nature.  Look At Me, Look At Me You’ve seen them I'm sure With their selfie sticks Their lofted totem Clicks and clicks Snap, snap, snap What do you see? In my selfie library 400 snaps of me, me, me -Look at me, looking at me Kissy face Kissy face Flout the pout Flout the pout Push out those luscious lips right out Jump, pose  Leap in the air Take the shot of me, somewhere Get my best side