We all have them. Old landscape photographs that fail to register years later. I am often pondering the locations of such images. U.K. singer/songwriter, Billy Bragg has even written a song about 'Ten Mysterious Photographs That Can't Be Explained.' I certainly have a pile of such photographs among my collection that fit that category. I am sufficiently intrigued by all this photographic mystery to write an ekphrastic poem about.  This is poetry of place, even if the place is currently unknown... Landscape, Somewhere A photographic image Of a somewhat non-descript landscape Nothing in this old black and white snap To readily identify where it might have been taken No distinct memory markers No printed signs To satisfy my geographical curiosity A mysterious photo that can’t be explained As Billy Bragg once lamented. It’s just a bland landscape -a stretch of water ringed by a dark and distant forest Some tonal difference But little else The sky? -a grey unbroken mass. Would w...

I frequently find myself pondering my day, my life, my current situation. Sometimes, I enjoy a little random pondering. The gentle art of consideration of things mystifying and miraculous.  Some of those ponderings never escape the outer limits of my mind, while others graduate to the pages of one of my notebooks, or find themselves articulated to family and friends. Their reception is varied as well. I think it's good to ponder. I urge everyone to pander to some pondering. It's entertaining, it can be creative and fun.  Sometimes those ponderings find their way into a poem... Random Sightings Of Me I sometimes wonder If I have been captured in the background Of someone else’s photograph -Purely by chance, mind you Not a photo bomber act Simply an innocent inclusion Am I there Along with a tree A passing sparrow  Or a rubbish bin surrounded by seagulls? There I am Unknown Unnamed undiscovered and frozen in someone elses moment I wonder if while walking my dog I have been...

 This post concerns itself with imagination and a touch of nostalgia.  Our imagination shines with a glittering intensity during early childhood, no doubt about it. I am regularly watching my granddaughter delve into her strong imaginary world. It is wonderful to watch her create worlds and characters with much delight. When I was a small child, I recall relishing the thought of being able to fly like a bird, glide like a butterfly and soar above the ground. I imagined being invisible. I envied those creatures who could walk across the ceiling in the manner of a housefly, a gecko, or a spider.  I was in awe of their ability to stick to walk up walls and stick to the ceiling.  I would sometimes lie on my back and imagine walking across the ceiling. So, this poem, 'A Flight Of Fancy' is a salute to those far off days of vivid imagination and all the rich thoughts swelling around that time in my life. What were your weird and wonderful imaginings as a child? Do you reca...

In his 1954 poem, '13 ways of Looking at a Blackbird,' Wallace Stevens wrote thirteen short verses providing different images of blackbirds.  Michelle McGrane adopted a similar stance in writing her poem 'Thirteen Ways With Figs' where she wrote 13 slightly longer stanzas.  Looking at a particular  object from different perspectives  we learn to trust the images that offer themselves up. I decided to imitate the style of these earlier poets to inform my own poetry writing. I chose as my subject the enduring image of a large oak tree that stood in the yard of our family home, when I was growing up. I have modified the format of the earlier poems slightly, choosing to use seven, three line stanzas. The lines possess a consistent brevity. Oak Tree Perspectives Shade giver,  Backrest For a young reader Autumn giveaways Golden vestments Shed  Time resistor  Gnarled weathered skin Mossy trunk Climbing frame Lookout spot For spying eyes An acorn carpet B...

It's World Poetry Day, on 21 March. This day recognises the unique ability of poetry to capture the very essence of humanity.  In every culture there are poets who feed the soul of their nation and present as advocates for the arts.  For those of you not yet completely comfortable teaching poetry, or for those looking to freshen up their current poetry resources, Here are some possibilities to explore.  Poetry Ideas Across the Curriculum • Invite students to organize a collection of poems relating to their own culture. You could organize them around such categories as celebrations, families, food, holidays. • Collect photo essays, newspaper and magazine articles, informational books, and historical fiction and invite students to use them as source material for poetry • Make weather poems using weather reports as the basis for ideas. • Encourage students to tell their own stories/experiences in poetic form • Use a science activity to launch a poetr...

This poem is seasonally out of place. However, in its defence, it began during the recently completed football season in Australia. A time when football was very much in my thinking zone. I watched my football team win the coveted AFL Premiership after a drought of 37 long, and often painful years.  Today the AFL Draft for 2017 will be conducted. A day when young footballers Australia wide wait to see if they will have their dreams realized and get to play in the national competition. So, the football connection is restored somewhat... The words of the poem have taken time to reshape and fit into place. There have been numerous revisions.  It is a poem that owes its origins to a time and a place strongly linked to my childhood. I grew up in close proximity to the local football ground. Across the road, through the school-ground and I was there. It was a setting central to my childhood.  Do you have strong memories that connect places and events in your life? Maybe...

Image Poem This poem owes its existence to Georgia Heard's idea of the six room image poem where six elements are addressed in the writing that follows: Image Light Sound Questions Feelings Repetition The challenge is to expand our vision of selected images by attending to each element when writing. The idea is to spend time considering each of the six elements by thinking about them as rooms we must enter in order to think more deeply about our word choice. The Grandfather Clock The Grandfather clock Stood tall like a palace guard Marking time in Nana's lounge-room Against the wall Avoiding the sunlight streaming through lace curtained windows Tick-tocking as the pendulum swung in its unerring arc Brass and chains and moving arms  Encased behind a long glass face The clock announced the passing of each hour With blare and boom The rowdy ringing out Chased the silence from the room Why so loud? the small ones asked Why so tall? the small ones wond...