A fair bit of grammatical word play in this poem. For me, word play remains a critical part of writing poetry.  I recall a wonderful story of two retired teachers, who regularly met for coffee. They both carried a stick of chalk with them just in case they had to correct the spelling, or grammar on various cafe noticeboards. As Ralph Fletcher wrote in his book, Pyrotechnics On The Page -  'Like most writers I know, I have always had an abiding interest in words for their own sake.'  I'm with Ralph on this. I indulge in wordplay for a number of conscious reasons. When I write like this, I am motivated by a need to be: Playful with words A bit surprising Deliberately irreverent Humorous Hope you enjoy this poem on Poetry Friday. The Grammar Police Anna Gram thought her teacher Miss Anthrop Was an undercover agent -for the Grammar Police. Anna feared for the words huddled in her notebook. …maybe her nouns were common And posses...

New words and terms enter our language all the time. In 2019 very few people knew the term, Covid-19. It is now spoken and written about, all around the world. Some words only stay in use for a short time and then gradually disappear from use, while others become part of everyday language. Words come and go continually. Like everyone else, I hope Covid-19 fades from our lips as quickly as possible... In recent years another term - 'fake news' has emerged and been regularly used in the print and visual media, by politicians (and one particular person, whose name I shall not mention here) and social commentators and influencers. Sometimes people use the term merely to stop others from reaching the truth. For this reason it has become a term that has been a source of a lot of argument and disagreement. It seems one person's fake news is seen as truth by another. It has become quite difficult to find the truth we all seek. It is easy to become confused regarding th...

I quite consciously went looking for fun this week. It is important to let humour reach you, particularly in times of challenge. A necessary diversion. A place to get lost for a short while, before returning to the other world- the real world. So, I am sharing a poem about a dream I may or may not have had after eating way too much at a party once.  The poem was nestling in my current notebook. I wrote it back in late January. Hope you like it.  A Weird Dream I had a weird dream last night It is still inside my head Visions strange and curious Are filling me with dread Lions lounged beside a lake A small rat squatted on a birthday cake I gazed up at a tartan sky As a numbat chomped on a blackbird pie A llama in a leotard Cartwheeled down the street While possums danced in a conga line With gumboots on their feet Two young girls with barbed wire hair Threw fairydust into the air While high in a tree an elephant sat Singing songs to a mouse in a b...

What is poetry? How do we open a young person's 'poet's heart'? This podcast presents a conversation with Alan Wright, poet and educator and Corine Kaplan, educator. It is Part 1 of the Arts Festival Poetry Contest. So, what is poetry? How do you open a young person’s ‘poet’s heart’? What have a suitcase and a fish tank got to do with it?  Join Corine and Alan for this fascinating discussion, part of the resources Independent Schools Victoria are providing for teachers, parents and students during their Student Poetry Competition. Click on the link below to listen.Hope you hear what you like, and like what you hear... https://artslearningfestival.com.au/news/what-is-poetry-in-conversation-with-alan-wright-and-corrine-kaplan/?fbclid=IwAR2V1N9rRRbKgaWomhZX0DPEERNsrc3CZdq45Sr2lU-PhfdBQ7h8BJ4d3Dk

  So, yesterday I spent my writing time in our small garden. It was the perfect morning for writing outdoors. Quiet, balmy air, sunshine, no traffic humming in the distance, no machine noise, solitude in the garden. I also took time to wander about and take photos. If my illustrating skills were better, maybe I could have indulged in some drawing as well. I had an idea... Maybe the photographs could spark some short little poetry pieces.  That way I could share with others, how the place we find ourselves located, can be quite an inspiration -if we sit still and observe closely. If we make a mindful effort to look around at what's in our immediate view. Ideas are all around us waiting to be discovered. ‘Sometimes the easiest way to start writing is not to try to think something up, but simply to write something down- and what better place to begin than with what’s is right in front of your eyes.’ Andy Griffiths, 'Once Upon A Slime' So, post...

A student once asked me a most thought provoking question during a share time ‘What was writing like, when you were in Grade 5?’ Well, it was like this… Writing Time With Miss Dungeon In Grade 5 Our teacher Miss Dungeon Would ask us to write She called it- Composition She gave each of us a book A book she called A composition book Every Thursday Straight after lunch Was composition time We all knew this because Miss Dungeon Would stand in front of the class And using her very loud voice That made the windows rattle Announce OPEN YOUR COMPOSITION BOOKS With pencils poised We would sit silently Waiting Waiting Anticipating Until Miss Dungeon Standing at the front of the room Giant-like on a raised platform Looked over her spectacles and announced the weekly writing topic- Autobiography of an Ant START WRITING NOW No smile No Frown START WRITING NOW… A few kids began writing Some stared out the window Some froze at their desks And the r...

I am very pleased to announce the release of my third poetry anthology- What The Poemster Found -poems from places poets roam' The poems in this new collection capture real-life experiences while exploring past events and numerous small moments. Among the poems gathered inside the pages of this anthology, I light heartedly reflect upon the untimely death of Brutus the Budgerigar. I also share some  wheel  bad news, the ride of the sky witch, the sad tale of Norman Neets, some secret conversations around a kitchen table, and all the reasons why science rocks. This is just the start of a joyful jaunt through the places poets roam. What The Poemster Found does deliver some fun verse hopefully providing  a rollicking journey through the far reaches of this poet’s inspiration. However, I have also tried to balance the humour with some quite deliberate attempts to provoke thought about issues, for as Nikki Grimes, American poet said so importantly: 'Children are emot...

Have you ever heard of Nonet poems? No problem at all, because neither had I until I went exploring for a new poetic form to try out.  I have always enjoyed discovering new ways to present my words. Nonent poems are sometimes known as countdown poems. Nonet Poems:  Here are the Rules The nonent is a simple a 9-line poem that has 9 syllables in the first line, 8 syllables in the second line, 7 syllables in the third line, and continues to count down to one syllable in the final (ninth) line. Easy! The poem can be on any subject and rhyming is optional. line 1 - 9 syllables line 2 - 8 syllables line 3 - 7 syllables line 4 - 6 syllables line 5 - 5 syllables line 6 - 4 syllables line 7 - 3 syllables line 8 - 2 syllables line 9 - 1 syllables A Nonet refers to a group of nine. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yes it is. But what tests your poetic calibre yet again is the ‘syllable count’. I am unaware of the origin of these particular poems, but the word n...

Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, formerly Kath Walker) (3 November 1920 – 16 September 1993). She was an Australian Aboriginal political activist, artist and educator. She was also a campaigner for Aboriginal rights.  In 1988 she adopted a traditional name: Oodgeroo (meaning "paperbark tree") Noonuccal (her tribe's name). Oodgeroo was best known for her poetry, and was the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse. Her first book of poetry was extraordinarily successful, selling out in several editions, and setting Oodgeroo well on the way to be Australia's highest-selling poet. Oodgeroo embraced the idea of her poetry as propaganda, and described her own style as "sloganistic, civil-writerish, plain and simple.' She wanted to convey pride in her Aboriginality to the broadest possible audience, and to popularise equality and Aboriginal rights through her writing. She published two children’s books, Strad...

Recipes are written with a precise use of language. The application of action words in the form of vivid verbs is a feature of this form of writing. I love the clear intent of words such as: sift, dice, boil, sprinkle, sauté, blanche, pinch, muddle, chop, whip, slice, bake, season, salt, soak, plunge, dissolve, melt, boil. What if these verbs were applied to a non-cooking topic? Could we create recipes for animals, traveling, feelings and emotions, seasons, learning or many other topics? I recall a wonderful activity Natalie Goldberg presented in her book, 'Writing Down The Bones' (page 87, The Action of A Sentence) that coupled verbs one generally associates with kitchen actions with common nouns in order to create fresh new sentences and to increase writers awareness of the power verbs possess. A further possibility is creating a recipe for some wondrous, new, edible delight… Elaine Magliaro’s poem is a wonderful example of this approach. Elaine skilful...