I have to admit I make lots of mistakes. Little mistakes, like calling one of my children the wrong name (okay, that could be a big mistake, but in my defence there are SIX of them, and at least I rarely call one of them the dog’s name. Rarely.) and big mistakes like saying something truly horrible to or about someone I love. And when I make those mistakes I feel bad. The good news is that I have also learnt, or at least am constantly learning, that most mistakes can be either fixed or at least forgiven. Get a a name wrong? Correct the mistake and say sorry. Offend someone? Say sorry, but also know that sometimes it takes more than just words to actually show you are sorry and that the person may need time to forgive.
So where is all this leading? To poetry of course (because today is Poetry Friday!). See, I made a bit of a mistake recently. When I got home from my wonderful trip to Europe there, amongst the pile of mail waiting for me, was a copy of a 
wonderful anthology in which one of my poems was included. And I was really happy about that and browsed the whole anthology over the next week or so.
But my mistake was, in the business of my return, I forgot to post about that wonderful anthology here on my website, to celebrate it’s release, and let the world know about it. Which is a bit bad, but also ironic, because, as it happens, the anthology’s theme is, you guessed it, mistakes.
So, to rectify my mistake, today I am pleased to announce (drum roll please ba da bada bada bada badaaaaa), the release of IMPERFECT: poems about mistakes
Look at the amazing cover:
If you are very clever, you will notice the vase is cracked. And, if you are even cleverer you might know about the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold or other precious metals, making a mistake a work of art. And this book is a work of art, made from poems which represent mistakes of all kinds and how to fix them. Some poems actually present solutions to the mistakes, and others, I believe, fix them by making us think about and learn from them.
I was delighted to see poems from many of my Poetry Friday friends, and poems that made me laugh out loud as well as ones that made me want to cry. The message of the book is that mistakes are everywhere and every one of us makes mistakes.
To give you a taste of the book, I would like to share my poem, which you will find on page 61:
Time Bomb
There’s a time bomb
in our letterbox
tick tick ticking
insidiously ticking.
No one can hear it but me:
tick tick ticking
counting down the time
till Mom checks the mail.
When she opens it
she will explode.
Letter from school.
(Poem copyright Sally Murphy 2018)
For my Australian readers, yes I know we spell it Mum not Mom, but I haven’t made yet another mistake. The book is, at present, not available in Australia. The good news is, it can be ordered online here
I started this post talking about making and rectifying mistakes, and I hope I have rectified mine by FINALLY sharing news of this amazing book. And, of course, because I always look for the silver lining, I guess it’s nice to be spreading out the love for, and celebration of, a new book.
Congratulations to Tabatha for gathering, editing such a wonderful collection of poetry for young people, and thanks for letting me be part of the fun.
Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted by Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone. Head over there for lots more poetry goodness. And make sure you read Molly’s amazing poem, which I swear was written about me 🙂
Great post & poem, Sally! (& isn’t that Tabatha brilliant to have put together such a much-needed collection?!)
Such fun to see a new review, delayed as it is, with a clever mistake story involved. As a fellow Imperfect Poet, I appreciate the delicious irony.
It really is a great anthology! Thanks for the review!
I hope this anthology lands in the hands of every (I dream big…maybe we should start with “a few”) readers who need to know that mistakes are live-through-able!
Love your poem Sally, sounds like it’s ready to hit the fan at any minute! I just read that it’s good for authors and others to continue promoting one’s book long after the publishing date–most readers don’t pay attention to when a book was published but do pay attention to reviews.
I like your sense of humor too, I have two children and also mix up names not between them, but my sons with my brother and husband–adds some spice to life. Thanks, great review!
I’m not sure it’s really a mistake or just spreading out the time we can celebrate the anthology! I had to laugh at your mistake of calling your children by the wrong name. I’ve done that–and I only have one! oops!
Looking forward to getting this book.
Oh, yes! That dreaded letter from school! Love your poem. IMPERFECT is a wonderful anthology!
Oh boy. I remember that feeling when report cards were in the mail. PANIC! Love your mistakes, my mistakes, ALL mistakes. I’m a Kindergarten teacher, so I have an advanced degree in them. 🙂
Thanks for featuring IMPERFECT today! I grew up reading many books from England so I ended up using some British spelling variations. It’s hard for me to spell “travelled” with one “l,” for instance. (And if you had put “Mum” I wouldn’t have noticed!)
How wonderful and funny! I, sadly, do call my son by the dog’s name far more times than is OK in anyone’s book. I love the entire idea of this anthology from mistakes to the patching-up-with-gold. It’s such a perfect idea for middle schoolers. And, yes….that letter in the mailbox. Ha! I know the feeling of waiting for the BOOM!
Great post today!
Thanks Linda. Glad you connected and enjoyed my post.
Personally, I’m glad you made a “mistake” because it was delightful to revisit Imperfect and to read your poem again. It reminds me of a Howler from Harry Potter, tick ticking away! It also reminds me that I haven’t revisited the anthology since my first browse–a mistake I will rectify today! Thanks!
Oh, I hadn’t thought about Howlers, but yes, I see the similarity. Glad to be a bit Potteresque.
So funny, Sally – because I too made the mistake of not posting when I got back from Adelaide … and my mail pile accumulated… and believe it or not, spilled over into today’s post! Our timing is perfect!! 🙂 And I can soooo relate to your comment to Donna. It’s funny (frustrating?) when people read books by Australian authors, and the first thing they comment on is the word they didn’t know… Yet we have grown up with American books full of words we don’t know – and we either look them up… or imagine them. 🙂 (I remember being totally disillusioned when I found ‘Oreos’ in the shop – and rushed home to try them… and they were… 😕 #notasgoodasTimTams!! ;D)
(I must go and add your Amazon link to my post. I didn’t think of that!)
Wow. I use lots of emojis! Or rather, I used :+) and :+? and it converted…
Accidnetal emojis? Too funny. 🙂
What a coincidence, Kat! Perfect timing! Yes, so many things in books from US and UK that I imagined when I was growing up. For me, I think my biggest disappointment was hearing from someone who knew that Twinkies were just some sort of cake with cream. I thought they were almost magical.
I must admit Twinkies have always been dusted always with fairy sugar, in my mouth! #inmyimagination
Sally, mistakes are part of life. It is how we learn from them that matters. Your entry now did not even make me think twice that Tabatha’s book was published a while ago. I enjoyed your comments and the poem is well written from a middle schooler’s perspective.
Thanks Carol! What my poem doesn’t acknowledge is that these days it’s more likely to be an email than a snail mail letter 🙂 Showing my age I guess.
I remember chuckling when I read your poem in the anthology…didn’t even think about Mum vs. Mom – which were always corrected by some teacher’s handwriting in our Joy Cowley books at school!
Thanks Donna. Funny that your teachers always corrected them – here in Australia the teachers seemed to assume that we were clever enough to know that Americans spelt differently. If we used an American spelling in our writing, though, that was a different matter!