Often we celebrate the shape of a poem or the patterns it presents. This poem is all about the sounds of the words, in particular the sounds of a host of towns and suburbs in Australia. These rich and varied places owe their names to our first peoples, our indigenous Australians. The names have meaning attached.  Yackandandah for example, means, ' one boulder on top of another at the junction of two creeks.'  The town I grew up in, Monbulk, means  'hiding place in the hills.' The names of these places possess a musicality  unique to Australia. Proud to say I've visited many of them. Come with me now and get your mouth ready to dance with delight. I’ve Never Been to Tumbarumba Australian towns Have memorable names Some of them astounding They dance upon my tongue Delightful in their sounding I’ve always known in Yarrawonga That I should try to linger longer But should I try to chitter-chatter If I find myself in Cabramatta? All the kind folk ...

 I became aware of the incredible achievements of Charles Blondin watching a  television progam a little while back and was prompted to go in search of more information concerning this fabulously talented funambulist. What an amazing life Charles Blondin lived... As someone who has always struggled with heights I found myself in awe of this man's incredible mastery of tight rope walking, his superb balancing capabilities. He crossed Niagara Falls numerous times. I've been there once. I was happy to view the falls from a safe position.  Anyway, my curiosity was sparked and the subsequent research has resulted in another docupoem. I shall be adding it to my ever expanding collection of these poems.  Docupoems are reliant on realism, written from an observer’s standpoint, and shaped with a desire for revelation. They share truth in collaboration with the poet's voice. Readers, I present The Mighty Blondin!   The Mighty Blondin Famous French funambulist Charle...