A fair bit of grammatical word play in this poem. For me, word play remains a critical part of writing poetry.  I recall a wonderful story of two retired teachers, who regularly met for coffee. They both carried a stick of chalk with them just in case they had to correct the spelling, or grammar on various cafe noticeboards. As Ralph Fletcher wrote in his book, Pyrotechnics On The Page -  'Like most writers I know, I have always had an abiding interest in words for their own sake.'  I'm with Ralph on this. I indulge in wordplay for a number of conscious reasons. When I write like this, I am motivated by a need to be: Playful with words A bit surprising Deliberately irreverent Humorous Hope you enjoy this poem on Poetry Friday. The Grammar Police Anna Gram thought her teacher Miss Anthrop Was an undercover agent -for the Grammar Police. Anna feared for the words huddled in her notebook. …maybe her nouns were common And possessi

New words and terms enter our language all the time. In 2019 very few people knew the term, Covid-19. It is now spoken and written about, all around the world. Some words only stay in use for a short time and then gradually disappear from use, while others become part of everyday language. Words come and go continually. Like everyone else, I hope Covid-19 fades from our lips as quickly as possible... In recent years another term - 'fake news' has emerged and been regularly used in the print and visual media, by politicians (and one particular person, whose name I shall not mention here) and social commentators and influencers. Sometimes people use the term merely to stop others from reaching the truth. For this reason it has become a term that has been a source of a lot of argument and disagreement. It seems one person's fake news is seen as truth by another. It has become quite difficult to find the truth we all seek. It is easy to become confused regarding th

I quite consciously went looking for fun this week. It is important to let humour reach you, particularly in times of challenge. A necessary diversion. A place to get lost for a short while, before returning to the other world- the real world. So, I am sharing a poem about a dream I may or may not have had after eating way too much at a party once.  The poem was nestling in my current notebook. I wrote it back in late January. Hope you like it.  A Weird Dream I had a weird dream last night It is still inside my head Visions strange and curious Are filling me with dread Lions lounged beside a lake A small rat squatted on a birthday cake I gazed up at a tartan sky As a numbat chomped on a blackbird pie A llama in a leotard Cartwheeled down the street While possums danced in a conga line With gumboots on their feet Two young girls with barbed wire hair Threw fairydust into the air While high in a tree an elephant sat Singing songs to a mouse in a bowler hat

What is poetry? How do we open a young person's 'poet's heart'? This podcast presents a conversation with Alan Wright, poet and educator and Corine Kaplan, educator. It is Part 1 of the Arts Festival Poetry Contest. So, what is poetry? How do you open a young person’s ‘poet’s heart’? What have a suitcase and a fish tank got to do with it?  Join Corine and Alan for this fascinating discussion, part of the resources Independent Schools Victoria are providing for teachers, parents and students during their Student Poetry Competition. Click on the link below to listen.Hope you hear what you like, and like what you hear... https://artslearningfestival.com.au/news/what-is-poetry-in-conversation-with-alan-wright-and-corrine-kaplan/?fbclid=IwAR2V1N9rRRbKgaWomhZX0DPEERNsrc3CZdq45Sr2lU-PhfdBQ7h8BJ4d3Dk

  So, yesterday I spent my writing time in our small garden. It was the perfect morning for writing outdoors. Quiet, balmy air, sunshine, no traffic humming in the distance, no machine noise, solitude in the garden. I also took time to wander about and take photos. If my illustrating skills were better, maybe I could have indulged in some drawing as well. I had an idea... Maybe the photographs could spark some short little poetry pieces.  That way I could share with others, how the place we find ourselves located, can be quite an inspiration -if we sit still and observe closely. If we make a mindful effort to look around at what's in our immediate view. Ideas are all around us waiting to be discovered. ‘Sometimes the easiest way to start writing is not to try to think something up, but simply to write something down- and what better place to begin than with what’s is right in front of your eyes.’ Andy Griffiths, 'Once Upon A Slime' So, post