In my home state of Victoria, Australia, we have just emerged from a prolonged Covid 19 lockdown surrounding the greater Melbourne area. We are cautiously stepping back into a world of slightly relaxed settings. After experiencing times where there were in excess of 22,000 active cases, we are now registering days of zero infections. After being in lockdown for months (for me since March 17th) we Melbournians are out in the world again, be it nervously. It feels strange to encounter so many people walking about on the street (mask wearing is mandatory) and to see so many cars on the road.  There is a fog of unfamiliarity about certain routines. It is good to experience these increased freedoms, but I find myself watchful and trepidacious.   This morning I had a sit down coffee for the first time in many months!  The sun was shining. The air around me was warm. Summer is nigh in the big south land.    Beyond my pandemic ponderings, it is summer that fills my...

Mood means a lot to a poet. It influences the very words they write. Sometimes my mood is reflective and serious, Sometimes I write out of frustration and disappointment.  Today though, my mood is clearly playful as you will see in these new poems I am about to share with you. I am feeling word playful. I am particularly pleased that they have emerged at a time when the world is facing a challenge. Let me explain... Some of my writing during this time has addressed these matters, but I also believe we need a dash of fun and optimism too. It lightens the mood. It feeds the human spirit. I believe this is vitally important. There are already too many gloomsters out there. I choose not to be one of them. Simple as that. For as long as I can recall I have enjoyed playing around with words and meanings. I am constantly wanting to have fun with language. I want to reshape it and make it do my bidding as a writer. It is a trait I keenly embrace. I love it so much, I practice even when I'm...

  This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Janice Scully  @ Salt City Verse where Janice shares some original words and offers us a taste of Thomas Carlyle to ponder. I encourage you to join a host of poets from all around the globe and visit Janice's page... Almost two years to the day, I wrote a post featuring the poem 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston. The poem was included in Brian's first book of poetry, 'You Took The Last Bus Home.' A very powerful Reverso poem and technically brilliant.  A Reverso poem can be read from top to bottom or bottom to top. It will often express opposite opinions depending on which way you read it. Such poems really make us think. A Reverso poem is like a picture turned upside down, a frowning face upended to reveal a smiling one. The poem read in reverse, contradicts itself with an opposing message. In 'Refugee' Brian Bilston focuses on a societal issue that tends to polarize feelings and the opposing views are clearly in eviden...

It's Poetry Friday and if you are keen to find out more then slide across to this week's generous host Bridget Magee's blog site   http://www.weewordsforweeones.com/  . Here you'll discover exactly what a host of poets are presently exploring and sharing. Be curious- learn lots! This week I'm looking at you and me and that person over there. It's all about us! When it comes to writing poems about people, it is difficult to know where to start. To write a poem about a person requires you to closely observe your subject with a keen eye for detail.  You must also consider your feelings about them and then try to express those feeling and observations in the best possible way. Some of that detail may be about physical appearance, some stand out feature, maybe what they wear.  You will most certainly consider their personality and particular qualities the person displays- both good and not so good. When we write in this way we are trying to create an impression of th...

I am experiencing quite a productive writing time at present following a few slow writing days. Days where I felt I was pushing the words out and onto the page. The flow of words had diminished.   Part of the answer for my renewed writing energy may lie in starting a new notebook. I am always energized by the prospect of a new notebook. It is gleefully receiving my words across its unmarked, hungry pages.  It may also lie in the fact I have been reading lots of poetry. Poetry prompting me to think and consider form and idea. There has been much rehearsing of words in my head and lots of daily walking to clarify my thoughts and determine my preferred actions.  The extended Covid Lockdown has no doubt impacted my thoughts and responses of late. A range of heightened  and varied emotions have made my recent notebook entries range from more introspective pieces through to light hearted fun filled and frivolous entries. I recognize wordplay as a strong motivator for ...