Southern Australia is now deep into autumnal days. We are experiencing what John Keats eloquently described as the 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.'  Our mornings are slightly cooler, the air crisp and clear. Afternoons, warm with gentle sunlight and the absence of wind. Flocks of white cockatoos have returned to feast on parkland grasses and the ever fitful twittering of rainbow lorikeets resounds from surrounding treetops, while lemons and olives ripen slowly in the garden. The ocean's surface at nearby Fisherman's Beach is smooth like freshly ironed sheets.  Over the next week, as we close in on Easter, April will deliver five consecutive days of above average temperatures. More to savour. Autumn is my favourite season as you might well notice.  So here are my autumn offerings. I'll leaf it there... Notes From Inside Autumn   We are sitting inside Autumn's edges The light,less harsh. The sun, Warm for the season, Delivers a block of mellow days. Au...

Today I'm highlighting the poetry of Peter Dixon. Peter Dixon was not just a poet. He was a performer, educationalist and artist.   He grew up in London during WW2, and as a boy his schooling was far from successful. He struggled with spelling and the understanding of word, form and grammar, so he tended to write secretly at home, drawing and writing of things largely ignored by schools.   Despite this difficult phase of his life, Peter eventually became a school teacher and then a senior lecturer in education. It often mystified him as to how all of this came to pass. As a teacher, he strived to be unbiased and did not neglect the children who experienced learning challenges.   Peter Dixon became a full time children’s writer and educational consultant. His first book was published in 1978. Whilst living in Winchester, Hampshire, with his family, he   contributed to over 100 poetry anthologies and had seven collections of his own work published including Grow Your O...

 During Covid when my home state of Victoria entered a protracted lockdown I started some personal poetry projects. One was 'Covid Chronicles,'  a collection of short poems of personal reflection which eventually were submitted to a time capsule intiated by Australia Post.  I also started posting poetry over two week intervals on a tree on the reserve behind our house. The reserve runs for approxiately 400 metres, between houses, before ending at Fisherman's Beach. People, families and dog walkers walk its length each day. I hear them from my writing cave. The poems were initially displayed under the banner- The Poet Tree . This humble project commenced in August 2020 and continued until September 2023, clearly immune to Covid. A huge storm completely blew away one of the posts and I took it as a sign to bring the project to a close. I was also looking at fresh projects to pursue, so it was timely.  Feedback indicated people missed the regular posting of poems, so in...

This week I'm sharing another Ars Poetica poem. The term loosely means the art of poetry.   The resultant poem is essentially a reflection on the writing of poetry. This ancient form goes all the way back to the Roman poet, Horace who first championed the form. These poems involve the writer examining aspects of poetry's purpose, methods and nature.  Ink In The Heart   There is no ink on my body Not a single tattoo I carry my ink in my veins Allowing it to escape through chosen words Laid down in poems   A river of inky thoughts flow forth Line by line Trickles and torrents Across a broad landscape of hungry pages   Thought transcribed Fertile revelations Pure and heartfelt Happy, angry and unharnessed They spill and spread out.   This enduring relationship Reveals to friend and stranger The strength of an inner call To which I willingly respond- Write, And continue to write Let the ink flow Reveal the word...

  I have just received a long awaited copy of the 'Collected Poems- Wendy Cope.' This comprehensive anthology provides an  impressive overview of the much admired U K poet's work, across several decades.  Wendy Cope has long impressed as a witty, insightful poet, whose work is both memorable and full of humourous intent. The human condition is extensively explored in her work.  Her first collection of poems was published in 1986. Eight further anthologies have followed as well as two poetry collections for children. She has further edited six additional anthologies.  I have been immediately inspired by my reading of the lengthy first line index at the back of 'Collected Poems.' It has inspired me to create a Cento poem. The Mystery Of A Poet’s Inspiration  -After Wendy Cope   Where do you get your ideas from? -An English meadow early in the morning A talented young chimpanzee A three letter beginning with f The fat boy in the seat across ...

 This time I present for your edification and enjoyment, three examples of short verse. I have always been partial to this poetry form and returned to it quite often.  It possesses a pithiness that quickly resonates with a reader. Humour and incisiveness are frequent elements of this form. The challenge lies in the brevity of the poem. Something I willingly embrace.  Short form poetry has many supporters and you do not have to search far to discover them. Short poetry is actually quite diverse and comes in various poetic forms. -A variety of syllabic forms, rhyming verse like limericks, clerihews, couplets, synonym poems as well as free verse poems such as persona, list  poems all featuring quite frequently.  These 3 poems are part of an unpublished anthology of short form poems titled ' Taking The Short Way Home.' Hope you find them both short and sweet. Dog Days   There are those days When I feel I could Sit beside my dog And bark loudly At the ...

In this post I present another recently invented poetry form! I'm looking closely at the Viator poetic form, first created by author,  Robin Skelton. The rules are fairly simple: The poem has four stanzas, each of four lines The first line is a refrain and that refrain appears as the second line of the second stanza, third line of the third stanza, and so on for however many stanzas the poem has... The final line of the final stanza being the refrain. My poem deals with matters so  clearly connected to current times and the concerning rise of autocrats.  Sometimes as poets we feel moved to adopt a stance as either resistor, observer or commentator on world events. These became words refusing to be trapped inside, sheltered in silence. Thank you, Viator for loaning me your structure! The Uncivil Acts Of Autocrats Thin skinned egotists Prevail in these times With endless outrage and fragile self-importance. Bizarre statements from Thin skinned egotists Seeking vengeance Upo...

 Here are a couple of First Line Index Poem connected to the theme of school life. Short and sweet renditions of this poetry form, courtesy of  UK Poets, Alan Ahlberg and Michael Rosen. Schools returned back this week across Australia, so the  theme is most apt. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I liked making them. A Seagull Came To School -After Alan Ahlberg First day back at school The bell rings Everyone goes out to play I see a seagull In the playground It follows me into the classroom The teacher groans There’s something in Harrison’s desk -Boys will be boys. Alan j Wright   Random Conversation Walking Home From School -After Michael Rosen It was summertime I was walking home from school My friend Roger says People often say to me Wipe that face off your smile. Alan j Wright It is once again Poetry Friday. Our host is Jan from Bookseed Studio  . Jan shares lots  her favourite follow up links.   

  I recently purchased a copy of Wendy Cope's anthology, 'Two Cures For Love-Selected Poems 1979-2006. Wendy Cope is an English Poet who delights in quirky, observational poetry appealing to the reader's emotional self. A witty, contemporary poet, she cleverly mixes humour and serious thought provoking  moments in her wide ranging works. Wendy Cope also likes to experiment and play with form. I like that very much... I found myself most beguiled by the poet's treatment of nursery rhymes. In two of the poems she re-imagines these classic rhymes under the influence of master poets like William Wordsworth and T S Eliot.  This sparked an idea and I began to imagine an encounter between John Keats and the legendary nursery characters, Jack and Jill. Here is the resultant poem: John Keats Encounters Jack and Jill Twas the season of mists When two ascended the hill To fetcheth water in a pail One Jack One Jill Jack did tumble Breaking his crown Resulting in a burning forehead ...

  Here are five of the most popular Poetry  posts for 2024. Thank you for your continuing support and interest in teaching poetry and all it entails. Here's a chance to reconnect with poetic ideas. Ideas you can easily carry forward into 2025. Just click the link... Trinet Poems Revisited In this post I turned my attention back to the Trinet, a seven-line poetry form based purely on  its word count. Trinets are terrific fun to write! Run Roger Run- A Docupoetry Delight When writing docupoetry, the poet may arrange lines or phrases from the source texts to create poems, convey their interpretation of the documents through original poetry, or write poems that fall on somewhere between these various objectives. This poem features Roger Bannister, an English athlete who forst broke the four minute mile. This form of poetry instantly appealing.  A Bit Of Short Stuff- Poems As Brief Encounters When writing short verse each word seems to carry an increased load. You do not ...