In  this post I am sharing a poem that focuses on the sense of sound. For the last few days I have wandered into different rooms of our house, at different times of the day. I consciously sat still and listened to the sounds around me. I recorded them in my notebook. In writing my poem I took those notes and shuffled, shaved, chopped and polished them in order to achieve my desired line order.  You might consider finding an alternative quiet place for yourself-a park, a garden or green space, a riverbank, a  valley, a shoreline and sit undisturbed for a while and listen...   It is often said ideas surround us and if we sit still for a while they will reveal themselves. My poem is quite obviously a list poem but it is also an exercise of observance. Poets need to invoke the senses, either individually, or in concert. It sharpens your observational skills. Hope you enjoy the 'sound' of my poem... Heard Around The House Sit still, Listen, Can you hear them? The sharp slapping of b

I am currently in the city of Darwin located in Australia's 'top end.' I am working with schools and presenting teacher workshops across this week. I enjoy working with these educators and have been privileged to work with them since 2014. Today I present some poems that owe their origins to time spent in this tropical region where the wet and dry seasons impact lifestyle dramatically. Prehistoric Predator He glides through the murky water Eyes snap-locked on his prey Silent assassin Waiting for strike time Waiting Waiting For that certain moment He pounces The water churns Blood in his nostrils Teeth in his prey Death rolling fury Away Away The victim drowns  The monster dines Before gliding away Ancient reptile Calculating Crocodile . ©Alan j Wright Black Kites Gathering Against a clear blue sky curtain Of a Darwin day Black Kites flock Soaring effortlessly On the breezes of the dry season Twisting their forked tails Dipping Wheeling Sky dancing In a

First Line Index Poems I was recently reading 'The Writing Life' by Annie Dillard where the author made brief mention of the fact that some days she reads part of any poetry anthology's index page of first lines. These first lines were considered to possess the potential to set off a new writing direction, particularly the words that stood out as strong and suggestive of further thought and action. I pondered this action by Annie Dillard and decided  maybe, just maybe I could take this a little further... Could I use these first lines and jostle them about into a more or less cohesive list of lines that formed a poetry montage... Not every anthology has an index of first lines, it must be noted. However, I found some among my poetry collection that did and chose some from which to attempt this new challenge. The first was Roger McGough's 'You At the Back.' The second anthology was Dylan Thomas's, The Notebook Poems 1930-1934.  First Line Index Poem After Rog