after Heather Christie
‘This place is a forest now,’ the woman said. Concrete blocks were being cracked apart by glorious mountain ash and yellow box. Our roads had become torrents cutting swathes through schoolyards and housing estates. There were jungle effects in the malls and wildness in the libraries.
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at every moment the beach re-writes itself out of nothing, waves form and fall an inundation of lowlands, a strew of corpses muttonbird, drinkbottle, a ship’s anchorContinue reading
More Farewells is Amelia Fielden’s eighth book of original tanka poetry in English. She’s also collaborated with other poets in six volumes, translated or co-translated 28 volumes of Japanese poetry and edited or co-edited seven anthologies of tanka verse — all in the last twenty years or so.
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Thrilled that my poem 8 ways to look at an octopus was joint winner of the South Coast Writers Centre / Wollongong Art Gallery Prize, for best response to a painting (or in this case sculpture) in the Ways to Water exhibition . Great to be in such talented company with the other poets and writers.
You can read more about the event here – and read the poem here.
Image: Octopus by Phyllis Stewart (2002) a weaving of soft twig sedge c/- Wollongong Art Gallery.
And for some cool minimalism, here’s Pat Metheny with Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint
On Sunday, I finally had a chance to make time to spend with, “Shorely.” It felt like going to church.
Thrilled to have my chapbook reviewed by the wonderful Msjadeli over at her blog – Taotalk where you’ll find much nourishing poetry, musings and music from one of WordPress’ most prolific and creative writers.
Image: Men reading their newspapers on a ferry, Sydney, 22 October 1940, photographer unknown, c/- State Library of NSW on Flickr (I’m sure they’re reading the poetry section of the Herald).
And to celebrate International Women’s Day here’s Joan Baez with her rendition of Joe Hill
“At night I dream that you and I are two plants that grew together, roots entwined, and that you know the earth and the rain like my mouth, since we are made of earth and rain.” Pablo Neruda, Rain
the girl at the grocersContinue reading
checks her phone as she scans my veg
house, backyard frontage
a gif of the picnic table
adrift
My new chapbook – Shorely – is here to download (just click the image) – or if you want the printed version visit Ginninderra Press (Australian purchases only I’m afraid).
Shorely is a collection of recent poetry looking shorewards. More than 85% of settler Australians live within a half-hour drive of the coast – we’re a nation that loves looking at the shore. These poems explore that gaze – from the drowning of a Prime Minister, to a trashed coastal environment, to the trans-oceanic journey of a favourite root vegetable. I hope you enjoy Shorely.
Thanks to everyone who read and commented on earlier versions of these poems, particularly Ross Gillett, editor, mentor and poet. You can find some of his marvellous poetry here.
Later this month, the wonderful Ginninderra Press are publishing my first chapbook ‘Shorely’ as part of their Pocket Poets series.
‘Shorely’ has 24 pages of my favourite poems from the last year or so brought together in one volume including this one.
In the next few days, I’ll publish a copy here for you to download for free but if you want the real deal, visit Ginninderra’s website and pick up some terrific Australian poetry.
Image: Mural, Port Kembla Olympic Pool.
on viewing Octopus by Phyllis Stewart and Fisherman’s Hut by Samuel Elyard
written on Dharawal land
1. The octopus is liminal — being of grass and air
it occupies, it curls as the day curls around us.
Peter Frankis writes 