As I have stated many times, poetry and wordplay are the best of friends. We should never pass up an opportunity to play with language. The more we practice, the easier it becomes. This poem contains a lot of action words. This is deliberate. Verbs are the muscles of writing- they do the heavy lifting. I have chosen words I frequently  hear used in everyday idiomatic language. I have quite deliberately tried to reposition them to deliver a different kind of message. I had fun creating a picture of Felix focusing on his somewhat questionable behaviour.  Action Without Traction  Felix was a fitness fanatic Who spent his days- Leaping to the wrong conclusion While  jumping the gun Racing against the clock And skipping meals Bending the rules And skirting issues He would throw tantrums And dash all hope Felix was spreading the word While catching his breath Bouncing ideas around And frequently stretching the truth In such questionable ac...

I recently presented a poetry workshop for teachers in Hobart. Kate Neasy was one of those who attended. Kate followed up by emailing me one of her poems last week. It was a wow moment... Kate Neasy, a.k.a Kathryn Rae has written a poem that really resonates with me. It deserves sharing. Such a cleverly constructed poem. They say the best books -and poems to read are those that make us think. Well, this poem certainly did that. Kate's poem ponders commonly used idiomatic terms and begins to pose questions regarding their accuracy. Kate has kindly granted me permission to share her words. It gives me pleasure to present them on Poetry Friday. SO NOT Blue whales are not blue New Town is not so new Gold fish are not gold, A cold war is not really cold. A granny flat may be used by teens, A bean counter rarely handles beans, A silverfish does not swim, Happy hour is often rather grim. Daylight robbery can occur overnight, Surveillance may result in an oversight,...

Using Colloquial Phrases and Idioms In Poetry   Idiom: An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its words, as in kick the bucket (meaning to die).  Colloquialisms: A colloquialism is a word, phrase, or other form used in informal language. Such words and phrases develop and become part of the every day language. Strangely most people know exactly what they mean. The word, 'yobbo or yob' was used frequently when I was younger. The word was applied to young men considered to be poorly dressed, bad mannered and uneducated. Certain phrases and words expressions may develop in a particular language, dialect, or style of speaking. These terms may be used in conversation and writing in a particular country, state or region yet may be unknown to people living beyond that place, who remain unfamiliar with its use. Idioms and colloquialisms are continually being invented, while others fall out of use because they may have connections to a p...

The inspiration for this poem came from idioms. In this case, I used idioms involving people's names. My father's generation frequently used such idioms in everyday language. Clearly my exposure to such idiomatic language had an influence. It was fun to play around with these wonderful old terms. Hope you enjoy the word play... Name Dropper My Dad knows lots of people I reckon He often tells me Bob’s your uncle But I don’t know any Bob’s He believes Scott is great He’s always saying Great Scott! He wants to rob Peter to pay Paul and I’m not sure why He thinks Fanny Adams is sweet And someone called Nelly is nervous Last week he told me to run like Billy O How does Billy O run? That’s what I want to know Dad does a lot of things for a fellow called Pete Sake And he thinks Alec is smart because he’s always saying What a smart Alec he is He thinks Ann is raggedy And Simon is simple Freddie is blind But even he can see Which ...