Okay, I know a tapir can’t eat the stars and that this a bit of a corny play on the book’s title, but with the release of If I Could Eat the Stars, I’ve been thinking about my poem, Helpful Honker, which appears in the anthology and where it came from.

If you don’t know what a tapir is, don’t panic – neither did I, until the day I started writing this poem.  See, I was an Adelaide, on a  May Gibbs Creative Time Fellowship  and, near the end, I took myself to the Adelaide Zoo, mainly because I wanted to see the pandas (well worth seeing these amazing creatures!).

There was lots to see that day, but I found myself spend a lot of time watching an animal that I’d never heard of – Chiquita the tapir. I was quite fascinated by her, and briefly thought she had babies, because she shares her space with a group of mara, another animal I hadn’t heard of. Silly me!  You can see a video of Chiquita here:

Anyway, I was determined to find out more about tapir and, later, when I visited the gift shop and saw I could buy a tapir brooch, I bought it as a reminder of the day and that even though pandas are special, so are lots of lesser-known animals.

Later, as I did a little research into the tapir, I jotted down the opening lines of what became Helpful Honker:

The tapir is a queer creation

Its appearance causes some sensation…

I didn’t know where the poem would finish up, but now, three years later, it is in the pages of If I Could Eat the Stars. And that brooch is getting a work out as I celebrate the book’s release.

So, here’s to you Chiquita, and the poem you inspired! And, readers, a reminder to YOU that poem ideas can come from anywhere.

If I Could Eat the Stars: A middle-grade Australian poetry collection  is now available in good bookstores across Australia or, if you are not near a bookstore, can be purchased online.