Today is The International Day of Light. Today we celebrate light and its role in science culture, art, education and development. Light is critical to our survival on earth and the survival of animals, plants and smaller organisms. For me, the meaning of life is inextricably connected to shining light into dark places, for it is a sanitizer.  ' There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.' Amanda Gorman And so I shall enlighten  you, dear reader with a poem to celebrate this special day.   Becoming Lighthearted Don’t hide your light under a bushel -Or down the back of the couch for that matter Gather up all the light you can muster And drive away the shadows of darkness Release it willingly Light’s journey Is endless It penetrates the horror of war zones It visits shattered lives Fractured communities Sharing its restorative grace It delivers solace to fractured hearts Offering renewed hope and a hand up  It...

 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  These 3 poems are part of an unpublished anthology of short form poems titled ' Taking The Short Way Home.'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 ...

 Our poetry is informed by the here and now and also by memory and mood surrounding  events past. Those memories are often quite vividly recalled due to the impact they have had upon our lives.  My year in Grade 5 all those years ago was no doubt, memorable. Memorable for all the wrong reasons though. Still, it continues to provoke the poetry within. I am grateful for the therapy it delivers. I keep saying it, but its true- poetry is about the mud and the flowers. Be brave and consider all your rich and informative memories -the perfect and the problematic. Beware Of Wrong Answers In those long passed days, back in Grade 5  A lot of our time was spent With our hands on our heads All because our teacher, Ms Dungeon  Didn’t like fidgeting. She taught us to be afraid of wrong answers And to count in our heads -never our fingers She taught us how to write a letter But never let us send it -something I find strange even now. She introduced us to subject and predicate...

I have found myself provoked into action by fellow Poetry Friday poets and the attention they have been giving to prose poetry.I wanted to go to this same place. It sounded so intriguing.  I quickly settled on a theme -travel experiences. I delved into a vast collection of entries in an unpublished manuscript tentatively called -Inklings, for they all originated from writer's notebook entries across more than forty years. So this is a sample of a new anthology  currently under construction with the draft title -Travel Seen. Economical Exfoliation Young American woman walks to the water's edge on Seminyak Beach. Assuming a Buddha pose she begins scooping handfuls of shoreline sand, covering her entire body with a wet, black, gritty application of a clearly abundant natural resource. With admirable flexibility she covers her entire back, rubbing, rubbing, exfoliating her skin with this plentiful gritty application. She stands, removes her sunglasses and wide brimmed hat before p...

  Have recently spent two weeks in Bali. It provided some respite from our Australian winter and afforded me the opportunuty to read, write and relax. We spent 10 days in tranquil Sanur and four days in the more highly populated area near Seminyak.  Spending time in a new or different location never fails to stimulate my thinking around writing. This time in Bali was no exception. I had just started a new writer's notebook. This further heightened my writing urge. I was keen to capture ink and ideas.  Here is a sampling of some of the short verse that emerged across those hungry pages during our vacation in the island of the Gods. Sanur Haiku   Outrigger canoe Glides easily through the waves Painted hull shining.   Red kit dips and weaves Its plastic frame whirring loudly As it sky dances.   Tropical garden Lush growth of leaves and flowers Such fecundity.   The tide slinks away Revealing the rocky reef Marine life expos...

 In my most recent rummaging through family history documents I came across a collection of letters my mother  exchanged with family and friends in the 1960's and 70's.  Lifting them out and into the light of day, I found myself fascinated by the language of the letters. Snippets of detail and flourishing turns of phrase were lighting up my reading. I was intriguied by the content of these letters. I began jotting down lines I loved and began to weave them into an arrangement that sounded like it had some flow, some connection.  This is Cento poetry, a derivative of found poetry. These old hand written letters have alerted me to an even broader range of possibility when it comes to the search for inspiration...   Jottings -a clutch of old letters At last I am writing a few lines Having taken up the pen -I have done it mentally many times…   Just to let you know we now have a Chihuahua puppy We feed with an eye dropper She’s a real imp of mis...

The notion of what sparks an idea for activating the writing of a poem are many and varied. Mercurial in fact. The poet must always remain alert to possibility. Quite often the essential spark ignites when you are engaged in an activity that has no immediate conection to the act of writing. You must remain an active receiver! I recently had cause to check an instruction manual to solve a small, yet irritating issue with a new electric oven. I quickly resolved the issue, but I also found myself pondering the unique language of the document I was reading. Instruction manuals are rather pedantic in style. There is no room for light and shade in their presentation. The reader is expected to faithfully follow the outlined instructions.  I then delved further into the sextensive library of operating manuals we have assembled across the years. Manuals related to household appliances, computer and technical gadgetry, cars, furniture, garden equipment, and the like. I'm sure everyone has a ...

I am grateful to fellow poet,  Laura Purdie Salas for alerting me to the work of J Patrick Lewis last week.  In my quest to discover more, I uncovered the fact that as a poet, J Patrick Lewis invented a light verse form he called, 'Careerhymes.'  When writing this form, you need to be aware that the occupation must appear in the first line. It is, as the name implies, a rhyming form. Here is an example of Careerhyme Computer Geek: A square, a nerd A rather anti-social bird Who keeps a mouse; a devotee Of virtual reality. J Patrick Lewis I found myself rising to the challenge. I love new forms of poetry and the chance to explore new possibilities, so I went for it. I urge you to focus on a new career... Grave Digger: Earth mover for a burial plot Who digs the final resting spot Six feet down they dig that shaft Practicing an ancient craft. Alan j Wright Painter: Surface performer, colours galore Inside, outside, ceiling, walls and floor Coats of paint, freshly applied Brus...

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 am currently staying in Bali, more precisely in Sanur. Sanur is quite tranquil and serene, representing older, more traditional culture. The pace of life in this area is certainly less hectic than other parts of this incredible island. I have visited Bali many times and have stayed in various locations across those visits. The people and the place continue to provide much inspiration for writing.  I have been trying to capture a spirit of place while in Sanur. I found myself writing a series of tankas. I'm not sure why I chose the tanka form, but I am pleased with what I have been able to capture. I so enjoy surrendering my writing thoughts to my immediate surrounds. Poetry of place is such a pleasurable indulgence. Hope you enjoy my gatherings... Sanur Tankas Reef & Sea Reef resists the sea Becalming the shorebound waves Ocean's roar muffled Transformed to a constant hum Heard at  water's edge. Swallow Flight Above my beach lounge Swallows flit erratically Tiny fe...