[photograph by Cindy Keong]
Cane trains roll on
the threshing floor of
winter — snakes, sweet
husks, all that’s left
of desperate toil.
Hawks’ fevered circles
fill the sky —
the green of imagination
not knowing who’s
eating it alive.
Harvest
Filed under poetry
Cassidy Creek
for JC
i.
The creek is a loose tongue.
At night we go down to listen
take off who we are
and step into the moon.
ii.
When there is nowhere left for us
this is where we’ll meet:
past the green fringe of palms
the dark collar of mudflats
past the circle an osprey
makes to its nest.
Here, where the creek unzips
itself from sky.
Filed under poetry
My Aching Back: Lyndon Norton Remix
It’s time for one last remix of My Aching Back… and with this post comes the news that the original poem will be published in Kokako, a fine journal of Japanese forms published in New Zealand. It’s wonderful to see this poem reaching a wide audience. So now, it’s over to Lyndon to give it one last spin…
*****
My Aching Back: Lyndon Norton Remix
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
(Lyndon Norton)
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
cold night
our words
left hanging
(Cindy Keong)
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
stuck up a tree
winter moon
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
not even the radio
tonight
a bus passes
(Jonathan Hadwen)
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
(Mal Keeble)
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
along the edge
of her grave
a row of daffodils
(Cindy Keong)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
shadows shrink
sun cannot warm the air
(John Wainwright)
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind teeth
a storm gathers
I cannot swallow this
(Nigel Ellis)
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
all that remains
broken on the shoreline
(Cindy Keong)
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
incoming tide
waiting for
the next wave
(Cindy Keong)
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
nothing matters
after sunset
(Carly Jay Metcalfe)
Filed under poetry
My Aching Back: Chris Lynch Remix
Time for another remix of the epic, My Aching Back. This time, Chris Lynch leaves his fingerprint on the poem.
*****
My Aching Back
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished: 8 June 2013
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, John Wainwright, Cindy Keong, Simon Kindt, Andrew Phillips, Chloë Callistemon, and Carly-Jay Metcalfe
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
(Lyndon Norton)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
(Ashley Capes)
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
(Chris Lynch)
deep breathing
in a library of ladders
(John Wainwright)
along the edge
of her grave
a row of daffodils
(Cindy Keong)
roots slide in deep
an earthy spinal tap
(Simon Kindt)
aaaahhhh
a receding tide
scurries across the mud flat
(Andrew Phillips)
your bite
wrapped in my scarf
(Chloë Callistemon)
morning in bed
between us the glow
of smartphones
(Lyndon Norton)
nothing matters
after sunset
(Carly-Jay Metcalfe)
Filed under poetry
Forrest Beach
Light chooses sand, the bellies of gulls.
Behind the dunes, someone is flying a red kite
a tiny stab in the pale blue.
Three fishermen form a curving shoreline
yellow jackets, bare legs.
The ocean darker under the sun’s fading pressure
air the colour of boiled prawns.
Dusk exhales its last breath
stars puncture through.
The loneliness that closes us, opens us again.
Filed under poetry
My Aching Back: Mal Keeble Remix
It’s time to start posting the remixes of My Aching Back. Reading each one has deepened my love of the process and of the work it inspired. So let’s kick things off with the Mal Keeble remix, along with a few notes about his process…
*****
To keep the learning process going I have taken a running leap at the shisan remix. I decided to keep the first three links as to break them up would have been an injustice to the words and the poets. The remix proved to be more difficult than I thought… Each of the poems appears as they were originally submitted, except for Miguel’s which I have edited slightly.
My Aching Back
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, John Wainwright, Andrew Phillips, Miguel, Andy Smerdon, Cindy Keong
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
(Lyndon Norton)
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
(Ashley Capes)
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
stuck up a tree
winter moon
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind the frame
no view
of the picture
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
deep breathing
in a library of ladders
(John Wainwright)
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
along the edge
of her grave
a row of daffodils
(Cindy Keong)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
startled by my head
beside the swamp lily
(Andrew Phillips)
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
recalling
the head on collision
first kiss
(Cindy Keong)
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
exhaling your name
my steam-powered heart
(Miguel)
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
the river at high tide…
the distance between us
growing
(Lyndon Norton)
Link #12 (2 lines) ageku (summer)
it’s decided then:
last round’s on me
(Chris Lynch)
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (post 1500 on Another Lost Shark)
What a great way to celebrate 1500 posts on Another Lost Shark… 21 poems to consider for the ageku position in the shisan, My Aching Back.
Before I begin to discuss the poems, let me thank absolutely everyone who has been following the development of My Aching Back. To each of the poets who have offered their words, thank you, and to all of the readers, you are why we keep showing up. In fact, to everyone who has ever visited the site, thank you for keeping me energised!
Now, to the poems… with so many to enjoy, I have decided to discuss the five poems that have made my shortest of short lists. The five poems are:
nothing matters
after sunset
(Carly)
This poem is so direct, so fitting to bring the shisan to its end… not only does it add a gorgeous splash of colour, it reaches into the darkness beyond and in doing so opens up an afterlife for the poem and links us back to Matt’s hokku.
*
an empty bed
under the poinciana
(Mal)
Like Carly’s poem, this adds a big splash of colour and smacks of late summer afternoons, seeking refuge from the heat. It’s leap forward to the hokku is so vivid and the emptiness of the bed leaves room for the incoming tide to settle. Truly magnificent!
*
the snake flows
over dry grass
(Chloe)
The sound of this poem has held me transfixed… The use of the word ‘flows’ continues the movement of the incoming tide while adding a quiet menace to the poem. Such a unique portrayal of summer in Australia and such a strong leap to Matt’s ‘my aching back’.
*
peeling the skin
off the day
(Miguel)
The action in this poem is easily understood by anyone who has spent too many hours (or is that minutes?) in the relentless summer sun… many a time have I felt like peeling the skin off the day (as well as off various parts of my body) as the light blisters everything in sight.
*
it’s decided then:
last round’s on me
(Chris)
It feels very fitting to take a seat at the bar (with Chris and everyone else) and toast this poem. I love the generosity of this poem… for me, it captures the camaraderie of the group that has gathered to compose this poem. Would be wonderful to gather everyone together in real time to have that drink!
And on that note, it is time to choose the final pearl in our shisan. To hold down the position of the ageku, and bring us full circle, I have chosen Chloe’s ‘the snake flows’.
But let’s not make this the end… as we did with the New Junicho, I would love people to send me through their own remix of the poem. So if you are up for it, the only poem that needs to remain in place, is Matt’s hokku which gives the poem its name, other than that, here is a link to each of the posts so that you can go back and read through all of the poems and make your own selections.
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/15/shisan-my-aching-back-links-1-2/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/19/shisan-my-aching-back-links-3-4/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/21/shisan-my-aching-back-link-4-5/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/23/shisan-my-aching-back-links-5-6/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/27/shisan-my-aching-back-links-6-7/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/29/shisan-my-aching-back-links-7-8/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/05/31/shisan-my-aching-back-links-8-9/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/06/02/shisan-my-aching-back-links-9-10/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/06/04/shisan-my-aching-back-links-10-11/
http://anotherlostshark.com/2013/06/06/shisan-my-aching-back-links-11-12/
I hope to read (and post) remixes from many of you. The depth of writing offers such great potential, so have fun playing with it!
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble, Chloe Callistemon, John Wainwright, Nigel Ellis, Andy Smerdon, Cindy Keong
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
spring shower
yolk burst on the tongue
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind teeth
a storm gathers
I cannot swallow this
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
china doll
still holding hands
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
waiting for
the next wave
incoming tide
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
the snake flows
over dry grass
(Chloe Callistemon)
Filed under poetry
Support A Poet
Queensland Poetry Festival believes in bringing the poetic arts onto the cultural main stage and this year they are celebrating 17 years as Australia’s finest poetry festival. From August 23 – 25 QPF will light up the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts with poetry, spoken in one strange word. Local poets take the stage alongside performers from across the seas in an entire weekend of free poetry, performance, and collaborations exclusive to QPF audiences.
But they couldn’t do all of this without you. The support of the poetry community enables QPF to support the creative and professional development of Queensland and Australian poets, it helps keep the festival free and accessible for everyone, and it allows QPF to continue to deliver exciting, innovative, and world-class poetry to Queensland, Australia, and the world.
Along with the warm fuzzy that comes from supporting a poet and a wonderful grass roots organisation, all donations are tax-deductible. And all Support-a-Poet donors will be acknowledged on the QPF website.
QPF is pleased to be working with Creative Partnerships Australia to enable our supporters to make tax-deductible donations, and as the end of the financial year approaches it is a great time to show your support. Choose from one of the options below, or donate to the amount of your choosing. Donations of any size will make an enormous contribution and all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
So here’s how you can support a poet:
$25 Support poetry publishing and help produce a limited edition QPF Anthology
$75 Support an aspiring poet by giving them a place in a masterclass
$130 Support an emerging poet by supporting their feature performance
$240 Support the development of a new poetic artwork
$350 Support regional poets by taking QPF on the road
Donations can be made here… I’m off to make mine now!
Filed under events & opportunities
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #11 – #12)
We are now breathing distance from the ageku and the end of the shisan. What a thrill selecting each link has proven to be; and this is thanks to the vibrant community that has gathered to build this poem word by word, image by image, link by link. So let’s jump in and take a look at the poems on offer for the second of our love links.
Again, it was exciting to see love painted with such broad brushstrokes. From the inspiration that floods from Miguel’s ‘blushed cheeks’, to the glow of smartphones between Lyndon’s lovers; the glorious presence of Aaron’s ‘glimmering eyes’ to the fragrance that lingers as Mal skips a stone across the water; the dark intent of John’s moon to the distance between Lyndon’s tide and lovers; the nakedness of words as Andy slow dances us across the floor to the lull between waves that Cindy leaves us to experience; we experience love in one of its many outfits.
Each of these poems has its own possibility, and many have held (and continue to hold) me in there spell. In making my decision, I have gone back through Links 1 – 10, to ensure that Link #11 breaks new ground, as now, more than ever, it is important to look forward without referencing any of the previous images. Sadly, this ruled out some excellent links… two examples of poems that would otherwise be a fine addition to the shisan are Miguel’s ‘his blushed cheek’ (its use of canvas creates a direct link back to Ashley’s ‘old paintings’ in Link #3), and John’s ‘moonshine’ (in the shisan, there can only be one moon image).
So with this in mind, I have been moving between two poems to make the next leap. These poems are the uproariously funny ‘pyjamas’ (John) and Cindy’s ‘incoming tide’. In the end, the tide carried me away and for Link #11, we welcome Cindy into the shisan. The hushed tones and longing pull of this poem will provide the perfect touchstone to bring us full circle with Link #12. To strengthen the flow of the poem, I have however, decided to change the position of the fragment – incoming tide – moving it from line 1 to line 3.
So let’s open the final call out… Link #12, the ageku, asks for 2 lines with a good splash of summer. It is also important that this link in some way brings us back to imagery in Matt’s opening link (the hokku).
Enjoy the last leap!
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble, Chloe Callistemon, John Wainwright, Nigel Ellis, Andy Smerdon,
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
spring shower
yolk burst on the tongue
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind teeth
a storm gathers
I cannot swallow this
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
china doll
still holding hands
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
waiting for
the next wave
incoming tide
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Australian Love Poems and Tearoom Books
This week I received news that my poem Yearn will appear in the forthcoming anthology, Australian Love Poems 2013, the first release by exciting new publisher, Inkerman & Blunt. The anthology has been edited by award winning Australian poet, Mark Tredinnick and will bring together the best writing on love this country has to offer – 200 poems by Australian poets including Les Murray and Paul Kelly. I am really excited about this, so if you want to secure a copy of this landmark anthology before it hits the stores (and support the local publishing industry) click on the image below.
Another exciting piece of news I received recently, was that my poem Tiger, has been included in Tearoom Book’s second issue of Loop. Tearoom Books is an indie publisher based in Durban, South Africa doing some really great things in the digital publishing arena. Check out the issue by clicking the link below… It’s free and features some breathtaking new work.
Always good to be getting some new work out into the world… speaking of which, I am now in possession of the second release in the Another Lost Shark Publications ‘First Words‘ Series – Same Sky by Cindy Keong. Believe me when I say, this is a remarkable debut… more on this soon.
Filed under poetry, poetry & publishing
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #10 – #11)
As the shisan builds to a crescendo, it seems fitting that we burst into the theme of love for links #10 and then #11. Love is such a wild landscape, so I was very keen to see where people were going to land with their offerings.
John started things off playfully, revealing the nut within after being kissed and returned later to be kissed again while watching his lover fold the wing mirrors back… such a sexy image!
Andy delivered an image that continues to startle for its original link… the presence of the china doll so beautifully lets the seething air out of Nigel’s previous verse, and although seemingly fragile, has enough strength to keep hold of his hand.
Likewise, Chloe’s link startles for its originality… the image of a bite wrapped in a scarf has a searing beauty and again adds a passionate dimension to the previous poem.
Cindy fills us with a heartbroken longing as we stand, completely empty, on the shore. Love can be a desolate place sometimes…
Miguel gives us two poems that bristle with the urgency of love… one exhaling a name in a cloud of steam and the other exploding from the lips.
Mal also gives us two poems, one of which playfully connects two hands as the change is fumbled and the other which strips things to bare metal.
And finally Jonathan maintains his gentle sense of playfulness, shaving once for work and once for his lover.
As you can see, there are many links here that I myself have fallen for… But to progress the poem, I must choose. So for link #10, I welcome Andy and his china doll into the poem.
This means that link #11 is now open for submission – 3 lines, keeping with the theme of love. So let’s keep the passion, and make this poem burn bright to its very end.
Look forward to you all taking the leap!
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble, Chloe Callistemon, John Wainwright, Nigel Ellis, Andy Smerdon,
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
spring shower
yolk burst on the tongue
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind teeth
a storm gathers
I cannot swallow this
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
china doll
still holding hands
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #9 – #10)
What a rush of poems Link #9 has unlocked… 13 poems from 9 poets, each of them with the ability to take the poem by the scruff of the neck and change its course forever.
So many of the images here startle on first reading – Carly’s ‘cigarette mouth’ slaps the senses good and proper; Cindy’s ‘head on collision’ shakes the entire body; and Nigel’s ‘behind teeth’ seethes with the rage of a whole season’s storms.
Other poems creep up on you – Carly’s ‘I look to the husband’ settles with a slow weight; Andrew’s ‘aaaahhhh’ is delightfully sonorous; Lyndon’s ‘filtered sunlight’ holds you in its claustrophobia; Andy’s ‘broken shell’ reveals a subtle pattern, Miguel’s ‘skeleton’ sings an unsettling song; and Mal’s ‘river’ rusts our dreams.
Some poems such as John’s ‘Stonehenge’ have a boldness, a willingness to experiment with form and content.
A fine pool of poems to dive into… so just which poem did I bring to the surface to become the next pearl in our shisan?
It was a tough decision… in my head I have been juggling three poems: Carly’s ‘I look to the husband’, Cindy’s ‘recalling’ and Nigel’s ‘behind teeth’, but in the end, the intensity of ‘behind teeth’ won me over.
Thank you to everyone for your poems; they are the engine that drives this poem.
Now we move into the final phase… So let’s open the call for Link #10. This time we are looking for 2 lines that bristle with love.
I am looking forward to the passion of these verses.
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble, Chloe Callistemon, John Wainwright, Nigel Ellis,
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
spring shower
yolk burst on the tongue
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind teeth
a storm gathers
I cannot swallow this
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Poem on my 42nd Birthday
A morning in late May, when it’s too early
yet to rise and too late for dreaming
I pull on shoes and walk out onto
the street crammed with memories.
They dagger me with their eyes.
And though I do not see them
they come on a cooling breeze
through my shirt, feeling for the heart.
I need then not to remember, or
hunger for the tick of blood:
I want to live as my smallest self
with the sorrow of rocks and the joy
of grasses, unbothered by today.
***
[I spent my 42nd birthday (last Friday) in Blackall, a town that has become part of of my personal mythology. It was the (very) early start, which triggered the opening lines of this poem, and the knowledge that out there, under the biggest sky imaginable, I am invisible, that gave me its ending.]
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #8 – #9)
I love the momentum that builds during this phase of a poem… for here is where we are required to push ourselves, to break new ground, to create an image that captivates with its originality. And the six poets who have offered up their words for link #8 have done just that!
After the hit of humour from Chloe, the majority of the poems here dive into darker territory.
Simon opens things by following the roots of the daffodils deeper into the earth; Cindy creeps across the lawn in a shroud of fog and later, on a rooftop, feels the breaking of waters; Jonathan leaves us wondering about his level of exertion as he ponders, raindrops or sweat?; John shrinks with the shadows, then gives us a much needed hit of sun; Chloe spotlights the one person silent at the wake; Mal, in just four words, leaps from the soil where we left the daffodils to a baby’s soiled nappy; and finally John returns to directly question spring – squat or leg up?, before bursting yolk on our tongue.
There was one poem from Jonathan that continued the thread of humour… his off beat vision of ducklings crossing the road.
It has been a wonderful collection of poems for me to have rolling around my head.
And now it is time to take the leap…
This time, for its startling twist, intense colour and its ability to link back and leap forward, I have gone with John’s ‘spring shower’.
So off we go again in search of Link #9, the final poem in the intensification phase. This time we are looking for 3 lines, without a seasonal reference… so let’s continue to break new ground, to take the poem off into the unknown.
Looking forward to your words,
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble, Chloe Callistemon, John Wainwright,
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
spring shower
yolk burst on the tongue
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
To a Stone
[for Ko Un]
You were thrown from a bridge
left to drown
in what remains of the drought-
stricken river.
Today I find your body
caked in mud
unaware of the violent days ahead:
the tens
hundreds, no thousands of beatings
that reduce
everything we know to sand.
***
[This is another poem I wrote during my weekend in Blackall... it is a hard land, and the people working it are currently doing it very tough. These are the words I found to try and tell a little of their story.]
Filed under poetry
Outcrop
If you are looking for poetry that reimagines this land we call Australia, poetry that experiments with landscape and geopolitics, then look no further than Outcrop, the latest release from Black Rider Press. There’s 60 hours left to secure a copy at the pre-release price of $20. There are also some other great packages from Black Rider Press on offer. Click here to find out more.
Filed under poetry & publishing
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #7 – #8)
As we move into a more intense phase in the poem, it has been wonderful to immerse myself in the rush of poems that came for link #7. Spring blossom may not seem the most intense subject, but there are many poems on offer here that give the senses a damn good slap!
Through the lens of these poems we see a naked sailor holding out an olive branch, a spring tryst, daffodil lined graves and the cocked leg of a puppy. In some of the poems the extreme contrast is what makes it sing – the crow’s dark voice against the shock of purple Jacaranda blossoms; in others it is the playful comparison – fairy floss crystals and cherry blossoms, galah’s feet and spring rain on a tin roof. The diversity on offer is what gives the poem its energy, so again, thank you for your words.
Now, which way did I leap…
For its sheer exuberance, off-kilter humour, and close linkage, I couldn’t resist Chloe’s ‘pissing puppy’. I have however, made one slight edit to the formatting, moving the word pisses to the middle line. For me, this strengthens the movement of the poem.
And with that, the call is open for link #8 – 2 lines, spring. With this link, we want the intensification of the poem to continue and the leap to be a little bolder. Subjects to be avoided in this verse, as they are already represented in the poem are:
darkness
trees / leaves
moon
animals (we have now had cockroaches and dogs, so it would have to be something wildly original)
flowers / blossoms
Look forward to seeing where you take the poem next.
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Country Road
Father and son
on opposite sides of the fence
a street dog
lying in the last
square of sun
kitehawk circling
cold closing in.
On the road out of town
a fox
open-mouthed
drained of blood
the sound of dark
rubber tyres
almost gone.
***
[Just one of the visions from my weekend in the big sky country of Blackall]
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #6 – #7)
A weekend in big sky country has given me plenty of time to read and ruminate on the 6 poems offered for Link #6. As always, each poem creates a new pathway for the poem, a new vision…
Two poems have been jostling for the position today… and only now, after sitting with the poems for many hours am I ready to move the poem on.
The poems are:
the old dog dreams
of the chase
(Mal Keeble)
The shock of the light and the cockroaches is echoed here in the disturbed sleep of the old dog. The music and movement of this poem makes it an exciting link.
*
deep breathing
in a library of ladders
(John Wainwright)
The deep breath here also echoes the shock of the light and the cockroaches and the library of ladders adds an unexpected strangeness.
*
Both poems are worthy of the position, but there is only room for one, and this time I have moved forward with Mal’s ‘dreaming dog’. This means that the call is now open for Link #7. We are now looking for 3 lines, that bring us a unique spring blossom image; something that really slaps the senses!
So leap boldly into the warmth of the season.
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #5 – #6)
My Aching Back is gathering momentum… that sense of community and playfulness that I had hoped for, so thank you again to everyone for participating as a writer or reader. Your energy is exhilarating!
It was again a true pleasure to read the nine poems on offer for Link #5, and again, the decision has been incredibly difficult.
Without a season to reference, it has been wonderful to see the way each poet has leaped forward from the gravy smeared winter moon. For link #5 there are visions of cane toads and cockroaches; passing buses and green men; rolled up trousers and backyard games; piles of marking, aphids and something just out of view…
Such riches to move our poem forward.
And while each of these poems would lead us down a unique path, there is one poem that has had me transfixed since reading, so it is with no regret, that I have leaped into the light with the cockroaches and added Chris’s poem to the shisan.
This means the call is now open for Link #6 – 2 lines without seasonal reference. I am already excited to see which way the poem will move, so leap boldly! This is the final link in the development stage… after link #6, we will be journeying into the darker side of things…
I will be back on Monday to make my decision for Link #6.
Happy weekend to you all,
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Boondall Wetlands Ginko
On Sunday, ten of us embraced our haiku spirit and the natural wonder of the Boondall Wetlands as we set off on our Autumn Ginko. The sky was endless blue and the wind had a crispness to it… as did the poems that were shared after our time spent walking / sitting / dreaming. There is such a warmth and sense of kinship amongst the group… a sense of togetherness and discovery that is truly inspiring.
I hope that feeling shines through in these poems and that they give you the same inner sparkle that I get each time I read them.
Thank you also to Cindy Keong for her always stunning photography… already looking forward to our winter walk at Slaughter Falls.
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
*
self-guided tour, making a note to learn how
(Chris Lynch)
*
sunlit grass
my eye loses the way
(Roger Callen)
*
on the shorebirds turf
a crab filters mud
(Andy Smerdon)
*
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
*
to kill the mosquito
he slaps my face gently
(Matt Hetherington)
*
some tree species show every bump of the cyclist
(Andrew Phillips)
*
stingless bee
the old man
picks a flower
(Jonathan Hadwen)
*
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
*
after the poets leave the crow comes
(John Wainwright)
*
daydreaming
further and further
off-track
(Cindy Keong)
*
river mouth
my brother’s infected toe
(David Stavanger)
Filed under poetry, poetry & publishing
Shisan: My Aching Back (Link #4 – #5)
I put the call out for an inventive moon verse and 13 poets delivered!
In the 18 poems I had to consider, the moon was seen in grandpa’s shaving mirror and stuck up a tree; it was gravy smeared, radiating, spilling milk; it was both full and crescent; it was smashed bone china, a woman’s navel, old paint tins, watercolour strokes; it was dusting the path, riding the storm, destroying the landscape; it was with and without a song.
It was wonderful to see the moon is no many different ways… so which way did I leap?
Well there were many poems that continued to pull at me long after reading, but in the end, I narrowed my focus to these three:
For its sparseness and clarity…
stuck up a tree
winter moon
(Andy Smerdon)
*
For its agelessness and its ability to age…
grandpa’s shaving mirror
another winter moon
(Chris Lynch)
*
For its use of humour and colour…
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Narrowing it down to one has been a struggle, but the poem must move forward… and to move it forward, I have chosen Lee-Anne’s ‘gravy moon’. I went with Lee-Anne’s as the gravy smeared plate linked so inventively back to the drop cloth and its roll of catching the paint.
Before I move on I do want to respond to Mal’s query about the need to use ‘winter moon’ in its entirety. While the 3 poems I narrowed things down to all do this, it is most certainly not a requirement. This is important to clarify as we move through the poem and to other verses such as link #7, spring blossom.
So now the call is open for Link #5 – 3 lines, without any seasonal reference. This leaves plenty of room for experimentation, but be sure to read back through the poem to avoid repetition of any images such as trees, leaves and darkness as they are already strongly represented in the poem.
Leap boldly!
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Walking the Wetlands
Sunday was a glorious day for a ginko (haiku walk) and the Boondall Wetlands are a truly beautiful place to let yourself sink into a haiku headspace. I will be posting more about the ginko in the next few days, along with poems from the group, but for now, here’s a few poems composed while walking the wetlands.
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
*
river mud
I look into
my future
*
clouds pass
flashing the salt bush
back to red
*
[photograph by Cindy Keong]
*
off the track
a new track
of trampled vines
*
autumn wind
the kite I cannot see
whistles
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #3 – #4)
Response to Link #3 (the daisan):
Again, let me first thank the five poets who jumped in and offered their words for the daisan. Without you, their is no moving forward. And each of these poems offers a way forward…
In re-reading the hokku and the wakiku, I have made the decision to flip the order of the images in Lyndon’s verse. For me, this adds an even greater musicality to the poem.
So now to the daisan, the break away verse…
Ashley moves us inside the shed, where we (almost immediately?) assume the rake was stored, only to find ourselves removing a dropcloth from some old paintings. This discovery adds a richness to the image and successfully shifts us away from the earthiness of leaves and raking.
Lee-Anne moves us inside behind venetian blinds, where in the darkness, she comes to the realisation, there are many moons.
[I want to take the time to point out that while this is image works well on its own, it brings the moon into the poem one verse too soon, as Link #4 calls for an appearance (or at least the hint of an appearance) from the winter moon.]
Andy places us at lizard height on the road, with the echo of oncoming traffic rippling in our ears.
Mal, sounds a seemingly distant siren as the cold metal burns and Cindy introduces a second person to the poem, then tears the breath from our chest as words are left to hang in the crisp night air.
I tossed and turned between two of these poems, but in the end, settled on Ashley’s ‘in the shed’ for its elegant twist.
This means the call is now open for Link #4 – 2 lines winter moon. The moon is a powerful force in haiku and has been called on to do a lot of work in the first 100 years of English language haiku, so let’s leap boldly in the search for a unique take on the moon as it enters the winter sky (and our shisan).
Enjoy!
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
Filed under poetry
Autumn Ginko at Boondall Wetlands
Tomorrow, I will be will be trekking around the gorgeous Boondall Wetlands with ten other haiku enthusiasts on our autumn ginko.
If the weather stays like it is today – early 20′s and endless blue – it is going to be beautiful to be near the water in a haiku state of mind. Here’s one that I have been rolling around in my head this morning…
*
autumn light
promise we’ll see
each other again
Filed under poetry
Shisan: My Aching Back (Links #1 – #2)
Responses to Link #2, the wakiku:
What an exciting beginning! Let me extend a hand of thanks to the seven poets who took the leap and offered their words for the wakiku. It is in the offering that we build community and I look forward to being a part of this dynamic community as the poem builds. Thank you also to the readers… without you, our voice remains unheard / unread. You are a vital part of this shisan and I hope you stay with us as the poem grows.
Now, to the offerings.
There is such a diversity of images on offer, which makes the job of making a selection all the richer. From the lyrical shimmer of Mal’s ‘golden sentinels’ and John’s ‘scythe’ to the sharp brevity of Chloe’s ‘goosebumps’, the words on offer add their own dimension to the colour and ache that is at the heart of Matt’s hokku.
Lyndon (El Norto) adds a sense of time (and slaving) and places the pain inducing rake squarely in hand; Ashley adds a mystery to the falling leaf, with her fine first line ‘the message in code’ which links beautifully back to the leaf and on to the movement of the bird; Trish introduces a drunk uncle and their shadows; and Andy adds an ache to the eyes as breath leaves the chest.
Such riches to leap into… Where did I land?
For its tightness of link, I have chosen Lyndon’s ‘the sky darkens’ with one minor edit – the addition of ‘as’ at the beginning of the second line to strengthen the run on effect of the lines. This now means the call is open for link #3, the daisan.
This is where the playfulness begins, as the daisan is seen as the first big leap and functions as a break away poem in the shisan. What we are looking for is a verse that takes us in a new direction, without fracturing the spell of the poem. So dream big and leap boldly.
Happy Friday to you all,
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
the sky darkens
as I put down the rake
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
*****
After the inventiveness and energy of the New Junicho – Between Thistles, I have decided to experiment with another form, the shisan, and open it up to anyone who wants to participate.
Here is a link to some reading on the shisan and a fine example composed by Barbara A Taylor and Vasile Moldovan.
To begin the poem (and give it its name), I have invited the soon-to-be Brisbane based Matt Hetherington to write the hokku (opening verse) and from there on in, the poem is wide open to contributions from anyone, anywhere. All you have to do is write a comment on the post with your suggested link. To make things easy to follow, I ask that everyone begins each comment with the number of the link they are writing, for example, link #2.
I will leave each link open for submission for roughly 36 hours before making a selection and adding it to the poem. Once a link has been added, you can then begin posting suggestions for the next link.
*****
So with Matt’s poem burning in the hokku position, the call is now open for link #2, the wakiku. The role of the wakiku, otherwise known as the flanking verse, is to closely support and amplify the hokku. It may examine the wider backdrop against which the action of the hokku is set, or focus in on a particular detail so as to provide further depth and tangibility.
I am already looking forward to reading your suggestions, so now… it’s over to you.
Leap boldly!
Filed under poetry
zen garden
a wasp flies out
of Buddha’s nose
Filed under poetry
Springsteen and his moments of miracle
Since seeing Springsteen in April, I have been completely under his spell… listening to every album in chronological order, including the box set Tracks and a handful of incredible bootlegs including Bruce and The E-Street Band Live at the Main Point in 1975 and at Winterland in 1979. Both contain there fair share of miracles… moments that make your skin tighten and your nervous system ignite. The version of E-Street Shuffle from 1975 is one of those moments; you can hear in every note that the band is playing for their lives and that Springsteen has everything to prove, everything to live and die for.
I have also been reading Clinton Heylin’s compelling, E-Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band. It is a superbly researched book that takes the reader deep into, the at times infuriatingly perfectionist world of Springsteen, from his early days with The Castilles up to the recording of Tunnel of Love and the end of the first E-Street era. And for the real buffs, it provides detailed notes on the 300 songs Springsteen penned during this time. It really is the work of a true aficionado.
One of the few issues I took with the book was Heylin’s final note; that the moments of miracle are fewer these days. Anyone who experienced the recent ‘Wrecking’ shows would attest to the fact that night after night, Springsteen continues to perform miracles. Maybe it is because audiences go expecting nothing less, and that these days Bruce and band are performing in much larger arenas that some of the subtle magic is lost. I can’t say for sure… but what I do know, is it wasn’t lost on me.
Here’s three moments of miracle from three different E-Street eras. Get your fill.
Now I am off to start reading Peter Ames Carlin’s ‘Bruce’.
Filed under discussions, who listens to the radio?
Cleansing Trucks with Poetry
A small fleet of cleansing trucks (formerly known as garbage trucks) will take poetry into some very unexpected places in the lead up to the Sydney Writers Festival which runs from May 20 – 26.
Eleven trucks are currently doing the rounds of Sydney’s streets adorned with poetry. This initiative takes the phrase ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ to new heights; transporting the words of 19 poets into the public arena, where it is hoped that many people will connect with the unique and arresting language of poetry.
The 19 poems featured are a wonderful mix of old and new; selected by festival guest, award-winning poet and novelist, Luke Davies.
Here’s a list of the poems doing the rounds and a promo video for the project:
• Rainer Maria Rilke (from “Archaic Torso of Apollo”) (tr: Stephen Mitchell)
• Gig Ryan (from “When I Consider”)
• Peter Porter (from “The Unicorn in Love”)
• Jessy Randall (“Why I had Children”)
• Martin Harrison (from “Walking Back from the Dam”)
• David Campbell (“Mothers and Daughters”)
• John Berryman (from “Eleven Addresses to the Lord”)
• W. B. Yeats (from “Vacillation”)
• Kevin Hart (from “Dark Bird”)
• Judith Wright (from “Sonnet”)
• Kay Ryan (“Fool’s Errands”)
• John Berryman (from “Op. posth. no. 13”)
• Laurie Duggan (from “Letter to John Forbes”)
• joanne burns (“revisionism”)
• John Berryman (from “Overseas Prayer”)
• Marilyn Hacker (“Villanelle for D.G.B.”)
• L. K. Holt (from “From Inside the MRI Scanner”)
• Judith Wright (from “Woman to Child”)
• S. K. Kelen (from “Reality Check”)
Let’s hope this idea is taken on nation wide… the clatter of the cleansing truck can use a little poetry to make it more palatable.
Filed under events & opportunities, poetry & publishing
World Haiku Anthology: A Vast Sky
On Friday night I received news that two of my haiku will be published in the new World Haiku Anthology: A Vast Sky. This follows acceptances in nothing in the window (Red Moon Anthology of English Language Haiku 2012) and Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years, making the past 6-months very successful.
Now, the only way to celebrate is with a new haiku (part vii in the Toddle series)…
*
my son’s voice
breaking the spine
of his book
Filed under poetry, poetry & publishing
Toddle (part vi)
the afternoon like a fragment
pollen colours the air
in every nose
you grab at mum’s skirt
bare your teeth and beg
for milk
the wind is sweet and rank
always is
the sky a hoarse throat reciting
there is silence after
the hunger in both
your bodies fold
Filed under poetry
Toddle (part v)
You wake in the hour
before dawn, singing a route
through to our autumn room
where we swim
in a humid lake of sleep
each note, more famished
than the last, quickens
my pulse as I kick
from sleep’s shore to reach
you in the tidal dark.
Filed under poetry, Uncategorized
Seasonings: The Poetry of Food
The poetry calendar is beginning to burst as we enter the second half of the year and one of the events I am really excited about is Seasonings. This event brings together the best of food and poetry… two of my absolute passions in life.
Queensland Poetry Festival has teamed up with one of Brisbane’s food innovators, Mondo Organics to curate an evening of fine dining and intimate poetry readings by Eleanor Jackson, Tiggy Johnson and this Lost Shark on Thursday June 20. Tickets for this event are priced at $110 and include a 3-course meal, wine and drinks, a special gift for every guest and of course an evening of words.
Seating is limited for this special, one-off evening, so don’t hesitate… it’s the perfect opportunity to treat yourself and a friend/loved one/lover, or if you are in the mood for a larger celebration, a table of 10 can be booked for the discounted price of $990.
So if you are a lover of food and poetry, this one is for you. Tickets are now available from the QPF bookstore.
Date: Thursday 20th June
Time: 6:45pm for a 7pm start
Where: Mondo Organics, 166 Hardgrave Rd, West End
I am personally looking forward to the challenge of composing some new work for the night that in some way interacts with the menu… am salivating already.
Filed under events & opportunities
Toddle (part iv)
He toddles slowly up the back path
eyeing off the shade of the mulberry tree
where leaves have been raked
into boy-sized mounds:
ageless and dreaming he throws
himself into the litter
whoops and kicks his legs
lusty and loud as any turkey.
Filed under poetry
Toddle (part iii)
Once I could tell you what lasts:
stone, the pull and suck of tides
the countless acres of sky.
Now I am less certain.
Things do not stay
where they are put. The days spin
and burn out like stars.
What lasts?
I turn as the sun goes down
toward eyes that shine like small moons
and to all love’s senses I am woken.
There is nothing simpler, nothing more lasting than this.
Filed under poetry
Toddle (part ii)
We bathe our son
a prayer for every part
as if washing him with song:
hair the colour of oats
slicked back from his face
and the eyes
knowing my mother calls them
bright as finches:
in them is the completeness
of life and love
words that survive silence.
Filed under poetry
Toddle (part i)
for T.H.E
We’ve moved on
every day a little deeper
to a place where moments
are defined by the love in them
a place where another’s breath
could be my own
the profound breath of prayer
and joy is unpronounceable.
Filed under poetry
Between Thistles: Variation #4 by John Wainwright
After Chloe’s exploration of humour in variation #3, John has countered with an exploration of the darker moments the poem conjured. While the first half of the poem is similar to the original, the second half breaks new ground and shifts the tome of the poem dramatically. And as John so aptly pointed out in his email to me, ‘Andy’s three word verse (link #10) is a statement covering a decade and the full spectrum of Australian politics’.
So much to enjoy here…
*****
Between Thistles: A New Junicho
Started: 12 April 2013 – Finished: 30 April 2013
Written between: Ashley Capes, Chloë Callistemon, Cindy Keong, Chris Lynch, John Wainwright, Andrew Phillips, Rachael Briggs, Andy Smerdon, Lee-Anne Davie, Trish Reid
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku / shasei
between thistles
the crane’s
Egyptian walk
(Ashley Capes)
Link #2 (2 lines) – waki / cultural (literature)
she hushes the bundle
in a river basket
(Andrew Phillips)
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan / cultural (film)
fan rotors beat
The End
to the smell of napalm
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #4 (2 lines) – verse / shasei
recycling at 2:30am
moonlight on bitumen
(Chris Lynch)
Link #5 (3 lines) – verse / shasei
moth seeks out
only dark spaces
tired I turn off the light
(Trish Reid)
Link #6 (2 lines) – verse / cultural (art)
Caravaggio fades in from black
is that a pallet knife?
(John Wainwright)
Link #7 (3 lines) – verse / cultural (religion)
he makes the sign
with crossed fingers
crucifix
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #8 (2 lines) – verse / gendai
remorse-
a bouquet of verbs
(Cindy Keong)
Link #9 (3 lines) – verse / gendai
floods and locusts
here come the horsemen
swine flew
(Rachael Briggs)
Link #10 (2 lines) – verse / cultural (politics)
overboard
opportunity drifts
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #11 (3 lines) – verse / cultural (music)
bind your soul
to the beast that waits
at the crossroads
(Andy Smerdon)
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku / shasei
in rifle sight
my enemy’s eyes
(Chris Lynch)
Filed under poetry
Between Thistles: Variation #3 by Chloë Callistemon
Between Thistles has grown into something much more than the sum of its and continues to be one of the most exciting writing projects I have been involved with. This variation has been curated by Chloë Callistemon. Chloe’s variation is an experiment in tone; it explores the sense of playfulness and humour that bubbled beneath the surface of the poem.
*****
Between Thistles: A New Junicho
Started: 12 April 2013 – Finished: 30 April 2013
Written between: Ashley Capes, Chloë Callistemon, Cindy Keong, Chris Lynch, John Wainwright, Andrew Phillips and Rachael Briggs
between thistles
the crane’s
Egyptian walk
(Ashley Capes)
*
Out! Damn dog
brought the bloody river home!
(John Wainwright)
*
Gambon with a fork
of Mirren’s lover
light spools a feast
(Chloë Callistemon)
*
recycling at 2:30am
moonlight on bitumen
(Chris Lynch)
*
sleepless night
tossing and turning
the same thought
(Cindy Keong)
*
bad Saturn! put it down!
Goya should paint a bell on him
(Rachael Briggs)
*
the dog tears up
the holy book
without reading it
(Andrew Phillips)
*
the tollway flickers
another promise
(Ashley Capes)
*
futuristic finches
genetically modified
themselves
(Rachael Briggs)
*
Mr Rabbit, the Red Queen,
or Mad Katter’s tea party
(John Wainwright)
*
snort awake
to the boom
of Beethoven’s cannon
(Chloë Callistemon)
*
Wee Jock leaves his mark
down by the bulrushes
(John Wainwright)
Filed under poetry
Between Thistles: Variation #2 by Cindy Keong
It has been exciting to have variations on Between Thistles arrive in my inbox these past few days… so many roads left unexplored in the original that these remixes are discovering. Here is Cindy Keong’s remix to kick start your Friday night.
*****
Between Thistles: A New Junicho
Started: 12 April 2013 – Finished: 30 April 2013
Written between: Ashley Capes, Chloë Callistemon, Cindy Keong, Chris Lynch, Vuong Pham, Trish Reid and Lee-Anne Davie
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku / shasei
between thistles
the crane’s
Egyptian walk
(Ashley Capes)
*
Link #2 (2 lines) – waki / cultural (literature)
Out! Damn dog
brought the bloody river home!
(John Wainwright)
*
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan / cultural (film)
a gecko
makes the theatre
more Australian
(Vuong Pham)
*
Link #4 (2 lines) – verse / shasei
recycling at 2:30am
moonlight on bitumen
(Chris Lynch)
*
Link #5 (3 lines) – verse / shasei
possums on the roof
a sudden clap
of thunder
(Cindy Keong)
*
Link #6 (2 lines) – verse / cultural (art)
Van Gogh hears
the light in each stroke
(Lee-Anne Davie)
*
Link #7 (3 lines) – verse / cultural (religion)
winter solitude
the garden angel
frost covered
(Vuong Pham)
*
Link #8 (2 lines) – verse / gendai
the tollway flickers
another promise
(Ashley Capes)
*
Link #9 (3 lines) – verse / gendai
fever sweats
the memory of glaciers
fading…
(Chris Lynch)
*
Link #10 (2 lines) – verse / cultural (politics)
global warming
my GUCCI wallet cracks
(Vuong Pham)
*
Link #11 (3 lines) – verse / cultural (music)
second chord
of the Elgar
snaps my bow
(Chloe Callistemon)
*
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku / shasei
songs-many tongued-
mend the sun
(Trish Reid)
Filed under poetry
Between Thistles: Variation #1 by Chris Lynch
When Between Thistles came to an end, I invited each of the participating poets to revisit the poems on offer (all 100+ suggested links) with a view to curating their own version. My aim was for this to show the depth of writing on offer and to explore the many roads this poem left unexplored. Chris Lynch has risen to the challenge, so here is his variation on the New Junicho, Between Thistles.
*****
Between Thistles: A New Junicho
Started: 12 April 2013 – Finished: 30 April 2013
Written between: Ashley Capes, Andrew Phillips, Chloë Callistemon, Phillip Ellis, Cindy Keong, Rachael Briggs, Chris Lynch, Dhyan, Trish Reid, and Andy Smerdon
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku / shasei
between thistles
the crane’s
Egyptian walk
(Ashley Capes)
*
Link #2 (2 lines) – waki / cultural (literature)
she hushes the bundle
in a river basket
(Andrew Phillips)
*
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan / cultural (film)
fan rotors beat
The End
to the smell of napalm
(Chloë Callistemon)
*
Link #4 (2 lines) – verse / shasei
summer showers
fan the Gold Coast
(Phillip Ellis)
*
Link #5 (3 lines) – verse / shasei
possums on the roof
a sudden clap
of thunder
(Cindy Keong)
*
Link #6 (2 lines) – verse / cultural (art)
bad Saturn! put it down!
Goya should paint a bell on him
(Rachael Briggs)
*
Link #7 (3 lines) – verse / cultural (religion)
meditating
the old jizo ignores
his red beanie
(Chris Lynch)
*
Link #8 (2 lines) – verse / gendai
damn!
nothing happens.
(Dhyan)
*
Link #9 (3 lines) – verse / gendai
she misses his cheek
mouth wanders
off
(Trish Reid)
*
Link #10 (2 lines) – verse / cultural (politics)
a new man rises
such rough beast
(Phillip Ellis)
*
Link #11 (3 lines) – verse / cultural (music)
to have been
two hands clapping
with Freddie
(Chloë Callistemon)
*
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku / shasei
beneath bare feet
mud squelches
(Andy Smerdon)
Filed under poetry
On Joy and Sorrow
QLD Poetry Festival’s ‘Artistic Director’, Sarah Gory, recently invited a number of Australian poets to respond to a handful of questions that explore the wild landscapes of Joy and Sorrow. This interview series, named for Kahlil Gibran’s famous poem in which he artfully says that joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin, was inspired by the ‘on beauty‘ series that Lemon Hound are currently running.
In inviting us to participate, Sarah has encouraged us to open up about how we as poets interact with the emotions we are often accused of ‘evoking’. Living with and responding to these questions was a genuinely moving experience, so I hope there is something in these responses to carry with you… So here I am, talking ‘On Joy and Sorrow.’
And while you are reading, I recommend exploring the responses of Betsy Turcot and Matt Hetherington; there is much to revel in.
Filed under discussions
Recordings and other things…
I have been in Junicho heaven this past couple of weeks and as a result have held off posting some of the other things that I have been up to. So here’s a few bits and bobs that you might enjoy checking out…
Between April 15 and 19, good friend and fine poet Ashley Capes launched his book between giants via his blog, with five days of guest readings and a handful of videos. I was honoured to read one of Ashley’s poems ‘man about town‘ to kick off the blog launch. Here’s a link to my reading of ‘man about town‘ and while you are there, be sure to check out the readings by Robbie Coburn, Jane Williams, Mark William Jackson and Ashley himself. And if you like what you hear, why not grab a copy of between giants.
I was also a recent featured writer at fine publishers of erotic fiction and poetry, Little Raven. They published my poem Piano and invited me to record a version of it for the site. You can listen to and read the poem here.
I have also been chatting to the organisers of Brisbane’s regular poetry gigs as part of a series called Live and Local. These are the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep Brisbane’s poetry community vibrant. You can read the first two interviews I have done with Tony Mutton organiser of Poetry Open Words and The Reverend Hellfire organiser of The Kurilpa Poets on the QLD Poetry Festival website.
Filed under discussions, poetry & publishing
Brisbane New Voices IV Now Available
The magic that was the launch of Brisbane New Voices IV on Tuesday night is still thrumming in my veins… for those of you who were not able to make it and want to secure yourself one of the few copies remaining, you can now do so via the Another Lost Shark Store. Just click on the cover below…
Filed under poetry & publishing
Brisbane New Voices IV: Mother by Vuong Pham
With one sleep remaining until Brisbane New Voices IV makes its way in to the world, I am excited to give you a ‘first taste’ from Vuong Pham’s micro-collection, Refugee Prayer. Vuong’s work is deeply spiritual and celebrates the strength of the human spirit. Mother is the opening poem from his collection, and it too, sets the tone for the remainder of the work. I think you will find the honesty and sense of hope that drives this poem will resonate with you long after reading…
Last tickets can be purchased for tomorrow night’s launch here.
Mother
I know now, as I did in my childhood wonder
that my mother dreamed of a paradise
one unbound by war and exodus.
On the living room carpet we sit
I pluck her grey hairs and ask:
‘Mother, what ever was your passion in life?’
She smiles—that eternal smile
a question suspended in mid-air.
Her neck tilts like a sunflower
too heavy to meet the sky.
Gardening is the reply I expect.
My mind’s eye turns to childhood, to shadows
stirring beneath star fruit trees
rows of cherry tomatoes growing over fences
a call to supper while sleeping
amongst lotus-dotted ponds.
‘Teaching was my passion,’ she says, ‘high school.’
I smile in agreement. And as I do
jigsaw-puzzle pieces of memory
lock together, my past made whole.
‘A literacy teacher,’ I exclaim,
she smiles, remembering with excitement
the moment I arrived home from school
with a certificate of improved literacy.
I continue to pluck her grey hairs
our conversation lingers on
as the soft daylight illuminates us.
I know now, as I did in my childhood wonder
about mother’s youth, before the bloodshed in Saigon.
I picture her driving a yellow scooter
on the road to school, the freedom
of her hair, a glimmering smile; spiriting past
street markets, the soothing aromas
of Pho and lychee tea; that familiar
crescendo of rickshaws, bicycles and scooters;
landscapes of water buffalo, ploughing
the flooded paddies from cloud to cloud; each one
picturesque from her classroom window; and all of which
was the city she will no longer call home.
More grey hairs fall, the past realigns itself and
I know now, as I did in my childhood wonder
that the teaching legacy passed down to me—
I knew the responsibilities of providing
for her children outweighed
university-degree teaching aspirations.
That in mind, I tell her:
‘Mother, this week I taught my students Wordsworth
saw thousands of daffodils and thought of you.’
She smiles and I’m taken back to a halcyon-time
in childhood that reminds how she stitched floral
pyjamas, tablecloths, bedsheets together
using a sewing machine for less than $5 an hour
to afford rice, pork, Asian vegetables
and help pay for my tuition
so I could learn to spell ‘persistent’ correctly—
praying that I might speak an unbroken English tongue
and never be confined
to the labours of factories.
I know now, as I did in my childhood wonder
what it must’ve been to mother, there
among the refugee boat’s thrum, the faces
of Saigon watching—eyeballs ribboned with flames
incandescent, a disorder of diaspora animate
in the missile storm.
The homeland was a mist, the cerulean
depths of sea stirred on the horizon like some agitated womb
boats wet as one long vowel, as the city crumbled
and my mother among them fled
with nothing but me, growing inside.
Filed under events & opportunities, poetry & publishing
Brisbane New Voices IV: Women and Cars by Trudie Murrell
With the launch of Brisbane New Voices IV only two days away (Tuesday April 23), the excitement is building like a storm. Once again, if you are anywhere near this fine city of Brisbane, I hope that you are able to join us on the Riverbend Books deck as we welcome this collection into the world. Tickets are selling fast, but there are still some available here.
As part of the ‘build up’, I want to share a ‘first taste’ from both poet’s collections. So let’s start with Trudie and the title poem from her debut micro-collection, Women and Cars. This poem kick starts the collection and its freewheeling energy resonates throughout the remainder of the poems. For me, it is one of those poems that once read/heard, is never forgotten.
Women and Cars
For three generations the women
of my family have held
an abiding love for their cars.
No trading up or trading in
for this lot. They name their cars
Bathsheba, Aphrodite, Boadicea, Regina.
Call on them, count on them
trust and depend, festoon them
with tokens of adoration
because their cars are the opposite
of their men.
It’s not about speed
or even prestige —
I don’t think any of us
has owned a car with more
than four cylinders.
It’s about freedom.
A car can mean a quick get away
or at least a change of scene.
It doesn’t matter what
sort of a day you’ve had —
maybe your man
didn’t come home again
or got drunk or dropped dead
or fucked your friend on your favourite sheets —
Egyptian cotton, fantastic thread count
and now you’ve got to burn them.
It doesn’t matter, you still have Cleopatra
the 1973 2-door Celica
and if you have a car you’re free.
It’s a little room
a place where you can go
play loud music and watch things slide by
until you’re somewhere else.
Maybe there’s a touch of the
gypsy in us – we’ve just traded the horse
for horsepower.
So the next time you see a clapped out shit box
beetling down the highway
woman behind the wheel singing like she means it
kids strapped in the back while the crayons and
board game pieces roll about the floor
forming alliances and rifts
with every undulation of the road
give the lady a wave.
She’s probably one of my mob and even though
she’s barely pushing 100 km/h, in her head she’s flying.
She’s going somewhere, anywhere
and believe me
she’s free.
Filed under events & opportunities, poetry & publishing
