sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Hello!

I'm Sally Murphy, an Australian author of over 40 children's books. I'm also the slightly crazy mother of six beautiful kids. You'll find bits of me buried somewhere in every one of my books. I love reading, writing, and speaking about reading and writing.

View my books or hire me to speak at your school, festival, or writers group.

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Poetry Friday: Echidna Dreams

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It’s Poetry Friday and this week I read a wonderful book called Animals Make Us Human, which shares stories from some of Australia’s finest writers, and scientists and conservationists. Each story  shares that writer’s connection with animals, mostly of one specific species. The stories are lovely, the photos are sumptuous, but the message is also important – we need to  know these stories and the threats that face our animal friends.

There was so much to love and to digest from the book, but one line stood out to me – from author Tom Kenneally, who shared the fact that echidnas, among other amazing things, are known to dream – they experience REM sleep. ‘What is it the echidna’s dreaming’ Kenneally asks. And, reading that line, I knew I needed to write about this.

When it came time to write,  that line came back to me, and I knew I wanted to use it, or something close to it, and evoke a dream-like state. I settled on a poetic form new to me, the viator (which Irene Latham introduced me to last  Poetry Friday). The first line becomes a refrain, used in the second line of the second stanza, the third line of the third, and the final line of the fourth.  it’s a tricky form, but also a lot of fun to work with.

Here’s what I came up with:

 

When Echidna dreams

her dreams, curled in a spiky ball

nestled  down deep

in her earthy burrow

 

what does she dream

when Echidna dreams?

Do streams of ants

march across her vision?

 

Or does she fly

or swim or float

when Echidna dreams,

imagining fantastic possibilities?

 

I can only guess

the wonderings, the worrying

in the dreams she dreams

when Echidna dreams.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy, 2021)

 

Not familiar with the echidna? This video offers some wonderful footage – and insight.

 

Speaking of poetry, this week was a wonderful week for poetry in Australia – and especially for the verse novel. The Children’s Book Council announced the Notable Books for 2021 (this is a form of longlist for the Children’s Book of the Year Awards). And in the younger readers’ category there was not one, not two, but THREE verse novels. This is brilliant news, in a country where children’s poetry receives scant publishing attention. And, as it happens, I may have been also a bit chuffed that one of those poems was my own Worse Things.  Happy days!

 

Not really poetry related (though there is poetry under the sea and this video is filled with potential poems) – here’s a glimpse at the very early morning snorkelling trip I managed before work this week. I am a wee bit addicted.

The Poetry Friday host today is Karen Edmiston. Pop over to her blog to see what other poetry goodness is on offer today.. It might also leave you wondering what you are as old as (and the answer is not ‘as old as the hills’).

 

A Great Thing Happened to Worse Things: It’s Notable!

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Hooray and hurrah! And all the other celebratory noises, too. I am happy dancing like crazy here, with the news that Worse Things has been named on the CBCA Notables list for 2021, in the Younger Readers category.   Knowing that the judges deemed my book worthy of this honour is an amazing feeling. Biggest congrats to the amazing Sarah Davis who is responsible for the amazing cover art – and the internals too! I still can’t believe she illustrated one of my books.

You can see the full notable list here.  One of the nicest things, for me, is seeing so many of my creator friends – authors and illustrators – also with books on the list. I can’t name them all because I might miss someone out, but it’s especially lovely to be on the list, in the same category, with my two special writer buddies Claire Saxby and Sue Whiting (who, incidentally, also each had a second book on the list in other categories). We have been friends for a looong time, but never imagined we would all appear on an a list like this at the same time.   Congratulations ladies!

Here we are celebrating – although  I must confess this photo is a few years old. We are currently in three separate states, and not sure when Covid will allow us to be together again. Thank goodness for Zoom!

Here’s to good friends, and to our books, and to the CBCA who runs the awards – and to you, my readers!

Poetry Friday: Under the Sea

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This week I was lucky enough to have a little holiday from work – and from the world, it seemed.  I headed to Rottnest Island (which in the local Noongyar language is called Wadjemup), and spent two days snorkelling, riding a bike and relaxing.  I especially wanted to snorkel at a place called Parker Point, on the other side of the island, and hired a bike specially. Last year I cheated and caught the tourist bus.

I got up super early and was the first one in the water. It was so worth it!  I’ve tried to write about it, although the poem is still a draft. And, if you have time, I have cobbled together a video from my gopro footage.  If I had more time I would have edited it better, but hopefully you’ll get a sense of the magic.

 

Wadjemup, Tuesday Morning

Six a.m

and holidaymakers

sleep still

in cottages

languidly enjoying

their break from reality.

But I

am far from my cottage

urging my bike

up hills much steeper than they appeared

from the windows of

the air conditioned bus.

At Parker Point

I stop

feeling sheepish

chaining the bike

when there’s no one else in sight

descend the stairs

and prepare

snorkels

flippers

rashie.

At the edge of the water

I pause

wondering at my sanity

to be here alone

so early.

Too late now

I commit

lunging forward inelegantly

over seagrass

darkly stirring

just inches from my face.

Within metres

I spot my first fish

and I feel myself

surrender

to the lure of the water

and its myriad treasures.

Later

as I float

in a school of silver

that seems to never end

I wonder, briefly,

if those cottage beds

are working the same magic

on those who’ve stayed abed.

(Poem Copyright Sally Murphy,2021)

 

Ruth is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup. If you drop by there, you might be brave enough to add a fact for the group poem.

Poetry Friday: Etheree trio

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Happy Friday! Last Friday, my Poetry Friday friend Linda shared  an etheree – a particular poetic form, where the first line has one syllable, the next line two and so on, all the way to ten. I had seen this form before but not played with it, but Linda’s lovely poem about her cat (you can see it here) inspired me to give it a go.

Another thing I’ve been inspired by this past year, is my beach visits. I have always found the beach restful and inspiring in equal measure, and in Covid times, those visits have taken on extra meaning. So, when I  decided to write an etheree and needed a single syllable word to begin with, there was only once choice. Here is what I came up with:

 

My Place

 

Beach

each day

different

one day calm, still

the next, crashing waves

one day leaping dolphins

next an exuberant seal

new sights, delights await each time

I visit; but one thing stays the same:

that beach never fails to make me wonder.

When I’d finished, I decided I’d like to also try my hand a reverse etheree – which starts with ten syllables and works back to one. I instantly wondered if I could take that last line of my first etheree and make it the first line of my reverse.  You can see I tweaked the first word, but here’s what came out:

Take Away

The beach never fails to make me wonder:

new sights and sounds on every visit

a seal, a dolphin, screeching gulls

gambolling dogs, chasing waves

that gently roll or else

loudly crash and bash.

So much to take

away when

home time

comes.

And then, just when I thought I was finished, I realised that I’d left something out – the people who share the beach with me. Nearly every day I see my beach-friend Dave, walking his dog Mitch, and there are other regulars – some I know by name, some I know by sight, and some people I see there just once.  And, of course, especially in the last year, I have loved sharing my beach through photos and videos shared here on my website and through social media, with people far and wide. It’s been a real privilege to share what I see, and to hear from people who have enjoyed those glimpses. So, one more etheree, again  begun with the last line of the one before

Sharing

Come

with me

and walk on

sandy shores and

see what I can see

hear what I am hearing

even if you are with me

only through a camera lens.

Technology bringing you along

makes my own experience much  richer.

Thanks Linda for inspiring me to try this form. I know I’ll be using it more – and sharing it in the classroom, too.

Thanks too to  Molly, who will be hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup. I can’t wait to see what new inspiration I collect from my fellow poets this week.

Poetry Saturday?

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I don’t usually post poems on a Saturday,  but yesterday as I did the Poetry Friday rounds, I came across Laura Shovan’s  February Poetry Project prompts and  decided that it was time I had a go at some.

The project offers a different prompt each day for the month, and the idea is to try to create a daily writing habit, even if only for the month, and of course to be inspired or challenged by the prompts.

The prompt for February First was ‘Bodies Dance’ and included three youtube dance clips.  I was especially inspired by the third of these, a scene from the movie White Nights. What I noticed was the way the two characters start to dance, a bit out of synch and then, gradually, their timing comes together.  That led to this poem:

Partners

I move this way

You do too

I do me

and you do you

and as we dance

and our eyes link

our movements meld

till they’re in synch.

We dance in tune

we dance in time

like a song we’re singing

like a poem we rhyme.

No one here

to stop and see

as you do you

and I do me.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy 2021)

 

The February 2 prompt, provided by Tricia Stohr Hunt was ‘Hands’ and, almost without having to stop and think, I started writing about my mum’s hands. I hope she doesn’t mind.

Hands

My mother’s hands

show signs of age

as if the years

of care

of toil

of wisdom

are written

on skin folds

and spots

and scars.

My granddaughter’s hands

show no such signs

instead

smooth

and plump

and kissable

but I hope

that they, too,

will one day

show signs

of a life well lived.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy 2021)

Thanks Laura for the prompts. If you want to have a go, you can head to Laura’s blog, and you’ll see the other prompts added each day over the month.  I’m off to see if I can catch up on the other prompts.

Poetry Friday: Sealing a Friendship

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It’s Poetry Friday and this week I have been lucky enough that, in a week of lockdown, I  have been able to keep up my beach walks in the one hour of exercise allowed.  My beach is always beautiful, and always different – no two visits are the same.

This week, there were some special surprises. On Tuesday I had an amazing dolphin encounter (you can see some footage in my post below). And then, because I thought that couldn’t be topped, Wednesday brought an even bigger surprise – a seal! 

Yes, there s/he was, just a couple of metres offshore, splashing and fishing and generally being amazing. Again, you can see some footage in the post below.

So, when I sat down to try to draft a new poem for Poetry Friday, it isn’t surprising that at least one of these creatures had to feature – and, this time, it was the seal.

 

Sealing a   Friendship    

I walked

you swam.

You waved

I waved back

the waves waved too.

I splashed for a closer look

you splashed

with joy.

You caught a fish

I caught your moves

on camera.

I strode

back along the beach

lighter for our meeting.

You swam away

heavy with fish.

I like to think

the  smile beneath my mask

mirrored your smile

beneath the water.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy, 2021)

 

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup will be hosted by Jone. Swim over there to see what goodies my poetic friends have shared today. I’ll pop in there too – after I’ve had my Friday walk where I know there’ll be more wonders.