sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: Leisure

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Not so many beach walks, and no snorkels, this week. I have been busy, but it’s actually the weather that has kept me inside – bitterly cold and a lot of rain.  I don’t mind one or the other, but when both hit, I am firmly an inside person. which, in a busy week, is not a terrible thing. I got a lot done this week.

One evening as I was  reading in my recliner with my weighted blanket and the heater blasting warm air I came across this poem – new to me, and nodded my agreement, then laughed at myself because I was kind of doing the opposite right there and then.

Leisure

by W. H. Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

 

And then, I realised that sometimes we just can’t be out and amongst this treasures of nature – especially in this Covid world, where so many are in lockdowns or isolation. And I reread the poem, and realised it isn’t saying we have to be doing those things all the time – just that when those things are there, we should allow ourselves leisure (rhymes with pleasure!) to enjoy. You don’t have to be on the beach or in the woods, or snorkelling to notice a moment of beauty.  I call them ‘this’ moments. When I spot a tiny spider clinging to a web, or the way the sun shines through my back window making  silvery fairy dust and I give myself a second, or a minute or whatever to think ‘this’ – this is lovely, or this is awe inspiring, or even this is kind of cool. Sometimes my ‘this’ comes when I am curled up inside with a wonderful book of poetry.

This morning, though, the rain has stopped for a while, and I was lucky enough to get back onto the beach. And it was a great big ‘this’ I was thinking as I strolled along the sand. I captured a minute of it in the hopes it might give someone else a this moment.

I hope there are lots of thises in your day.  You might start by saying ‘this’ as you nod along to the poetry goodness being shared by other Poetry Friday bloggers. The round up is being hosted by Carol.

 

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 Friday: Tiddely-Pom!

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It’s Poetry Friday, and it seems an age since I last posted. Who could have known, back in January when I promised myself I would post every Friday this year, just what a year 2020 would be – not just for me, but for the whole world.

But today as I was walking on the beach, I found myself, as I often do, reciting a favourite poem – and, of course, knew it was a sign that I should share it.

The poem? The Winnie the Pooh poem, ‘The More It Snows’. Why was I reciting it? It was not snowing (we are, finally, in the early stages of Spring in my part of the world). My toes were not cold. In short, why that poem came to my mind, I don’t know. But there I was on my beach ‘tiddely-pomming’ my way along. What better way to share it than from the voice of the bear himself:

back home, as I thought about the sunshine and the beach and the joy a poem can bring I decided to have a go at writing my own tiddely-pom poem, as an ode to my beach.

Upon the sand
(tiddely-pom)
Life is grand
(tiddely-pom)
Come take my hand
(tiddely-pom)
And frolic.
Cos you’ll soon see
(tiddely-pom)
That by the sea
(tiddely-pom)
It’s hard to be
(tiddely-pom)
Melancholic!

Do you know about the Tiddely-Pom Effect?  It’s also, more boringly known as the Snowball Effect. Basically, the more you focus on something, the bigger it gets . This can be a good thing, or a bad thing – depending of course if you are focussing on a positive or a negative. This year it’s sometimes been hard to find positives, but, today, I’m going to tiddely-pom my way through the day and look for more positives. I hope you’ll join me. and, if you’re in need of a little beach therapy, I hope you’ll enjoy this glimpse of my beach from earlier this week:

Now I’m off to tiddely-Pom my way around the net to see what other poetry goodness I can find. Bridget, from Wee Words for Wee Ones is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup – and pondering all things orange.

A Quick Catch Up

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2020: the year of time simultaneously racing by and standing still. It is hard to believe it is late August already, and yet so much has happened this year, and looking back to February (when 2020 was just starting to look interesting) seems an age ago.

So what have I been doing since I last posted? Quite a lot – my day job (I teach future teachers at university) has been busier than ever this year, mainly because of the impact of the pandemic on my students’ studies. I’ve also been working on what I hope might be a new verse novel, and I was lucky enough to actually visit a real school last week.  Thanks to the staff and students of Yanchep Beach Primary School for welcoming me so warmly.

Although it hasn’t been the ideal time to launch a new book – no booklaunch  or other physical events during a pandemic – Worse Things has been read and shared and talked about lots online, which is really pleasing. Some highlights:

I have also been delighted by the people who have told me they’ve read and enjoyed it, and lots of posts on Instagram and other social media by readers spreading the word. Thank you!

Lastly, in between all this busyness, I have been walking lots. I am fortunate to live in Western Australia where, although we must remain cautious about Covid 19, our current situation means I can move around the state. My daily walks, mostly to my much-loved beach, are a form of meditation for me. If you are on Instagram, you can see the glimpses I share, hoping to spread the beauty to those who can’t wander far from home. In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of a wintry beach.

Thanks for dropping by.

Poetry Friday: Definition Poems

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Welcome to Poetry Friday. What a week this past week has been!  I have to admit that I was very worried about releasing a new book in the midst of this terrible pandemic. Why, I thought, would anyone be interested in my little book in the midst of such awful stuff happening. But the love I’ve felt – for my book, and for me, too – has really made me remember that people need good stuff to celebrate in the midst of bad times just as much as they in the midst of good times, or even in-between times. So thank you for your well wishes, your support, and best of all your enjoyment of my videos and ramblings and sharings.

Last week, as part of my release day post, I shared a poem which I term a ‘definition poem’. It isn’t an existing form – just something I played with as I wrote Worse Things. Here’s the one I shared:

BROKEN

[bro*ken] (adj)

Ruptured

torn

fragmented.

No longer whole

or functioning.

In need of repair.

(Copyright Sally Murphy, 2020)

And here’s another:

 

BELONG

[be*long](Verb)

To be part of

Appropriately placed

A piece of the whole.

To fit in

Match up

Meet up.

Appertain

Associate

Apply.

To be apt.

(Copyright Sally Murphy, 2020)

 

If you want to see what these look like in the book (and don’t have a copy at hand) you can see the spreads in this video, which was put together for the Walker Books website. Broken appears at 0.47 and  Belong at 1.24.

 

I had a lot of fun writing these definition poems. First I identified key words or themes that I was exploring at different points of the book. Then I got out my dictionaries and thesauruses and looked at the definitions and similes. Then I simply played with the words and phrases, perhaps adding new phrases,  until I had a poem that I felt both defined the word and also connected with what was happening in the text.

Since I finished writing Worse Things I haven’t played with the form again, but this week I thought I might give it another go, inspired by  things seen on my daily beach walks. First there’s this one, inspired not just by the gorgeous Flo, but by all the pups I watch on my walks (including the recently departed Skipper, who is sadly missed).

Here’s what I came up with.

DOG

[dog] (noun)

Mutt

Pup

Pooch.

Tale-wagger

Stick chaser

Guide

Guard

Shadow

Man’s best friend

 

[Edited to add: yes, I do know dogs’ tails are spelled that way. The misspelling is a deliberate play on words!]

Beach

[beech] (noun)

Sandy shore

Oceanfront

Margin

Between sea and land

Coastline

Retreat

Embodiment of peace.

 

You might be able to pick the couple of lines that did not come from either dictionary or thesaurus. I especially found the definitions for beach a little inadequate for just how much it means to me.

So, over to you. I’d love to see if you have a word you’d like to define poetically?  I like to think it’s a fairly simple challenge,because the dictionary and thesaurus are a wonderful starting point for finding lots of fodder.

Not up for the challenge? That’s okay. There’s all sorts of other poetry goodness on offer around the interweb, courtesy of my Poetry Friday friends. You’ll find the roundup over on Michelle’s blog, Today’s Little Ditty. See you there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poetry Friday: A Shelly Monogram

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It’s Poetry Friday and, after a long, unscheduled absence I am delighted to be back posting a little something – an impromptu poem, written in my head on my morning walk yesterday after I snapped a photo of  something I found on the beach.

See, when I spotted a curly squiggly piece of shell (or coral? I have never quite figure out what makes these squiggles), I stopped to take a picture – then realised that it looked remarkably like a letter S. And, since everything is about me, I decided it was an S for Sally;  but as I walked along, I started thinking about all the other things at the beach that started with S. And, by the time I got to the stairs, a poem had started to form. Which was wonderful, because not only did I have little poem to go with my photo, but I had something to post in time for Poetry Friday. And here it is:

Have a great Poetry Friday. I’m off to check out what my Poetry Friday friends have been up to this week. Can’t wait to catch up with them! You can, too, by visiting the Poetry Friday roundup, which this week is hosted by the team at the Poetry for Children blog, who are celebrating a Great Morning.

 

 

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