I am always looking for ways to link poetry to broader pursuits. Mathematics is one such area. Today i get to share a poem that includes numbers. The beauty of poetry is that just like mathematics it involves patterns. Both poetry and mathematics employ symbols and both involve  comparisons.  Mathematics involves precise definitions and specific terminology- and so to poetry. There appears to exist plenty of commonality between the two. I think I need to explore this relationship further.  In the meantime, here is a poem prompted by school memories and mathematical moments... Turning the Tables All through primary school Amanda struggled to remember the answer to six times nine. It remained her times table blackspot. No fast recall at all… Amanda now almost forty years old  Still hesitates when making this demon calculation. The numbers she needs always run and hide  Deep inside her head. The fog of confusion sweeps across her min...

I want to share a poem today from Eve Merriam, titled, 'How to Eat a Poem.' In this short poem, Eve Merriam invites us to embrace an appetite for both food and poetry. I found this poem at the back of a book called 'Eat This Poem- a Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry, by Nicole Gulotta. The poem provides a fitting final piece in this in this artful book.  The book, a gift from a friend, celebrates two of life's essential ingredients- food and poetry. My friend knows me extremely well. The book strikes a continuing chord in my personal life.   Connecting food and poetry opens up fresh ways for readers to access poetry as well as adding deeper meaning to the food we cook for family and friends. This book is a wonderful gift for poetry lovers and doubly so for those with a passion for food and cooking. I have no wish to analyse this poem. I merely offer it to you as one would offer a guest a tasty delight. Bon appetit! How To Eat a Poem by Eve ...

I went rummaging through my poet's suitcase and found a gem of a poem from the late Australian poet, Max Fatchen. Max was born on the Adelaide plains in South Australia in 1920. and grew up on a farm among hayfields and huge Clydesdale horses, which he drove in a plough that made quite crooked furrows (Max's assessment). Max died in 2012.  Max later became a journalist working on Adelaide newspapers and worked throughout Australia and overseas. He most enjoyed writing stories about people.  Four decades of writing for children, especially those of primary school age, began in 1966 with 'The River Kings.'  He wrote 20 books; his novels appear in seven countries and his poetry throughout the English-speaking world. As well as novels he  a collection of short stories and several books of verse for young readers.  His verse is frequently included in anthologies. Max had a wry sense of humour and this comes through in a lot of his writing. Since then it has b...