I found my attention drawn back to light verse this week.  Light Verse is often based on observation of everyday matters. It may be about relationships such as marriage, family, suburban existence, childrearing, work, sport, animals, food, generational differences and the pressures associated with modern life. It can also concern itself with matters political.  The writers of light verse sometimes specialize in a particular topic or issue.Some stick to a particular poetic form. Light verse, according to poet and light verse writer,  Richard Armour is written in the spirit of play. Light verse is capable of reaching a wide audience, such is its universal appeal. In its best presentations, it is possessed of rhythm, rhyme and a dollop of humour -all accessible elements to everyday readers. Light verse also frequently  calls upon wordplay and alliteration. I think that is what draws me to it... One of the most famous exponents of light verse was Odgen Nash (see below). ...

I have just returned from a week in a remote locality in Eastern Gippsland, in the state of Victoria called, Combienbar (Com-bi-en-bar). It is a place that used to be. The only physical signs of community, apart from a few widely spread dwellings, is a community hall and a phone booth. The school, the post- office andd the logging mill have all faded into history. The locals cling to a fragile sense of community. No internet, no mobile phone reception, totally off the grid. The outside world ceased to distract us during our stay in this wild, largely untamed setting. Our lives were thrown back to a simpler, less complex existence. It was wonderful to be a guest of the natural world.  We were able to experience stillpoints where we became totally immersed in what we were doing and matters beyond ceased to concern us. We were provided with a slowly growing sense of calm. There was a wonderful sense of appreciation of being in a natural setting. We began to give close attention to all...

While away in Bali recently, I had time to write quite a lot of new poetry. A couple of the poems that emerged in my notebook clearly fell into the category of 'ars poetica.' This term trranlates to 'The art of poetry.' Such poems examine the role of poets themselves as subjects, revealing their relationship to poetry, and the very act of writing. This type of poem goes all the way back to Horace who actually called his poem 'Ars Poetica.' It was written between 20Bc and !3 BC and outlined the principles of poetry as he saw it. Horace was both a poet and a critic. 'To write about poetry is to believe that there are answers to some of the questions poets ask of their art, or at least that there are reasons for writing it,'  Michael Weigers  Our respective processes as poets are worthy of consideration. They often prove to be quite revealing. We can find commonality and uniqueness from such investigations.  So, here are the poems for you to consider. Wish ...