My earliest memory of writing poetry was when I was in Grade 4. I wrote a poem about springtime. That day we all wrote poems about springtime because that was the expectation back then. That was writing as we knew it back. Teachers handed out the topic and the genre and we the young and inexperienced writers, dutifully responded. I recall my classmates liking my written efforts and suggesting I share my poem with our teacher, Mr Manzie. So, I took their advice and Mr Manzie liked my poem too. He invited me to share it with the class. When I read the poem aloud to the class their reaction was to clap in appreciation. This was a totally new experience. All these years later, I cannot recall the actual words of that ancient poem. They have long vanished. However, I have never forgotten the feelings that washed over me knowing other people enjoyed my written composition, my humble poem. The reaction to my poem ignited a spark energizing me to continue writing poetry, to persist...

While away in Bali recently, I had time to write quite a lot of new poetry. A couple of the poems that emerged in my notebook clearly fell into the category of 'ars poetica.' This term trranlates to 'The art of poetry.' Such poems examine the role of poets themselves as subjects, revealing their relationship to poetry, and the very act of writing. This type of poem goes all the way back to Horace who actually called his poem 'Ars Poetica.' It was written between 20Bc and !3 BC and outlined the principles of poetry as he saw it. Horace was both a poet and a critic. 'To write about poetry is to believe that there are answers to some of the questions poets ask of their art, or at least that there are reasons for writing it,'  Michael Weigers  Our respective processes as poets are worthy of consideration. They often prove to be quite revealing. We can find commonality and uniqueness from such investigations.  So, here are the poems for you to consider. Wish ...

 As an educator and writer I appreciate the importance of sharing my writing with curious young learners. Their questions are essential in dispelling myths and misconceptions  surrounding writing. But equally important is the sharing of one's process. The journey is important, not merely the end product. The poem I am sharing today, was sparked by a photograph I noticed in a magazine supplement, attached to my weekend newspaper. It's summer in Australia, but to be honest it has not exactly dazzled so far. Some pleasant days intermingled with days of above average rain and skies of gloomy, grey clouds. Maybe my poem is inspired by wishful thoughts... The photo I found portrays a family walking along a beach close to sunset. The light is soft around them. They appear to be having family fun.  My gaze fell upon the words 'summer loving' included in a tourism advertisement on the adjoining page. I immediately cut the two items out and pasted them into my writer's notebo...