Sunday 29 June 2008

second hand books


I often buy books from Op shops or secondhand sales and what treasure is sometimes inside- as if the last reader was called away from the plot to the mundane chores of life.
This book mark is the latest find- an elegantly aged reminder of reading progress found in a book I am revisiting- 'A traveller in Time' by Alison Uttley. I last read this when I was in first form many years ago- my real taste of a school library- I read so much that year. And still love many of the first discovered authors and stories from way back then.

Wednesday 25 June 2008

what a girl, what a well


Wonder if this is a chinese well? The weather was cold but great for walking. Again- what sort of a poem could I write here?

away with my daughters




What a great view, what a great time- a long weekend away with three daughters and one grandaughter. I wonder what I could write with a mountain like that in the background?

Tuesday 24 June 2008

How to write a poem

Drop Tail Lizard


Drop tail lizard
on the grey leaves
and grey bark
garden mulch,
swimming like a sardine
like a tadpole
silver pin with a jeweled eye.
Tells me the day is warmer,
summer that much closer

until that white cat running
running with a small under belly and back legs
of lizard humming
from its hunter's throat.

Drop
it
cat.

© Lorraine Marwood


Idea for writing a poem

Using a poem as a format or starting point for writing a class poem or an individual poem is a great idea.

'Drop tail Lizard' is just such a starting point.

A poem is often a simple observation of life, a detailed observation. A poet looks and mulls and captures such a detail in a word picture.

So grab a word camera and observe.
Look outside.
Watch a car, a neighbour, a tree, a bird, the clouds, the way the dog chases a squeaky toy.
Now you have your subject matter – here's a simple format.

Line 1 Name the object of the poem- use my poem as a template

Line 2 and 3 Bring in location or setting ' on the grey leaves/grey bark/garden mulch'

Line 4 and 5 action that the object is doing

Line 6 and 7 Tells us something about the world around me

Line 8 and 9 now for the conflict- what happens to upset this slice of life?

Line 10 and 11- make the last words of resolution have more impact by sitting one word on one line, like stepping stones.

(c) Lorraine Marwood