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Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: More Holiday Snaps

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It’s Poetry Friday and I’m still thinking about my holiday to Singapore, even though I’ve been back for a month.

This first photo was taken at Universal Studios on Sentosa Island. There are two roller coasters in one – known as duelling roller coasters because both run at the same time – and yes, I rode them both, with one of my sons. So much fun! And just a little bit frightening.

Roller Coaster Small

This second poem was taken from a Bum Boat as we cruised down the river.

Lghts Small

The Poetry Friday roundup this week is hosted by Elizabeth Steinglass.

Poetry Friday: Shhhhhhh

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It’s Poetry Friday and I’m still thinking about my visit to Singapore, and trying to create poems to go with some of my favourite pics. One of the animals I really wanted to see at the Singapore Zoo was the polar bear – and I wasn’t disappointed. He was absolutely beautiful. Here’s my photo poem.

Polar Bear

Have a great Friday, and don’t forget you can see what my Poetry Friday friends are doing by visiting the Poetry Friday roundup, which this week is hosted by Trica at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Poetry Friday: Hello

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It’s Poetry Friday, my favourite day of the week.

Last week I was lucky enough to have a holiday in Singapore, where I spent five days seeing amazing sights, eating amazing food, doing exciting things (some involving roller-coasters) and smiling a lot.

I came home with lots of memories and about a bajillion photos. I’ve been busy sorting through these and will be sharing some here on the blog in coming weeks. Of course, if I can combine a photo with a poem, even better.

So, here’s the first, based on this beauty I met face to face at the Singapore Zoo.

Looking at You 3

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Catherine at Reading to the Core. Head over there to see what other poetry goodies have been shared.

Poetry Friday: An Aussie Christmas

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It’s Poetry Friday and it’s only 2 weeks till Christmas, so to celebrate I thought I’d share an Australian Christmas poem I wrote several years ago.

When I was growing up, all the Christmas stories, songs and television shows focussed on cold, and snow. and hot meals. And every Christmas where I was it would be hot and sunny, and we would try to keep cool with cool drinks and swimming exepditions. It seems a huge contraditicon.  Luckily, in recent years Australian publishers and creators have worked to produce more Australian Christmas content, but still there’s lots of talk of snowmen and icicles and such.

So here’s my Aussie Christmas song:

Aussie Christmas

We sing of jingle bells and snow,

of warm red suits and ho ho ho;

but none of this is quite the way

when it is Christmas here below.

Downunder in good old Aussieland

it’s time for sun and surf and sand.

It’s hot, not cold, it’s summertime

and summer treats are in demand.

Hard work for reindeer in this heat.

Hot roofs would burn their tender feet

and racing through the summer skies

would soon leave them feeling beat.

And as for Santa in fur and such:

he’d soon feel overdressed a touch.

Being snug and warm in blistering heat

isn’t likely to impress him much.

He also needs roos for the job

of sleigh-pulling – an Aussie mob

to get him moving all around

from Sydney town to Iron Knob.

His suit, too, needs an overthrow:

a new outfit, from head to toe.

Some boardies, a singlet and some thongs

would seem to be the way to go.

So let’s not sing of snow and ice,

instead I’ll give you this advice:

roos, utes and summer are the go

for Christmas songs that sound real nice.

So ripper, bonza, beudy, strewth!

Though you might think my song uncouth

it’s true blue and it’s ridgy didge

to sing a song that tells the truth.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy)

Enjoy the countdown to Christmas – and enjoy more Poetry Friday goodness by visiting  A Teaching Life, where all the posts will be rounded up later today.

Why I Love Poetry Friday

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Speaking at Lit Centre 2015

This is what I was doing last Friday.

I missed Poetry Friday last week because I was off having an amazing time at the Celebrate Reading Conference in Fremantle (did I say amazing? I mean really really stupendously amazing!).

It’s not the first time I’ve missed Poetry Friday since I started doing it earlier this year, and it probably won’t be the last, and there are some weeks where Friday comes and I think “oops” and I rush to get something suitable posted. This week I got to Thursday afternoon before I thought ‘now what am I going to write about this week?’ And, because I was about to rush out the door to do the school pick up, I wondered if maybe I’d give it a miss again this week.

But, as I drove around town doing pick ups, drops offs and errands, I got thinking about why I joined in Poetry Friday in the first place, and how much I’ve learnt from writing posts myself and reading other people’s posts, and the fun I’ve had, and I knew I had to come home and put together this post. So here you have it: Why I Love Poetry Friday

  1. I love poetry. And Fridays. And Poetry Friday celebrates both of those things.
  2. I love discovering new poems, poets, collections, verse novels, poetic forms. There is always something new to discover.
  3. I love the way Poetry Friday puts so much focus on (of course) poetry, which often struggles for air time.
  4. I love the way being part of Poetry Friday encourages me to blog about poetry every week (or nearly every week – and I love that if I miss a week, that’s okay, too)
  5. I love that I am connecting with poets and poetry lovers from around the world on a weekly basis and, as a result learning not just about poetry but about stuff happening in far flung places.

So much love! Which made me think I should finish off with a poem. It’s more than a wee bit corny, but here’s my love poem for Poetry Friday, with apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee for the way you share poetic heights
Of friends and strangers, folk far out of sight
For the joy you give, the peace and grace.
I love thee for the poems of everydays
For offerings shared and read from morn till-night
I love thee freely, as poets strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old joys, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I’ll never lose
With poet’s truth – I love the joy you give,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – you chase the blues,
I shall but love as long as I shall live.

Okay, it’s a bit OTT, but I do really like Poetry Friday, which this week is being hosted by Write. Sketch. Repeat. Pop over there if you have some time and click though to some of the other wonderful poetry posts.

Poetry Friday: Paths to Nowhere

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Welcome to Poetry Friday. If you visit this blog regularly you might have caught on to how much I love my morning walks, I live in a beautiful part of Australia, with options to walk in bushy and, parks, on the beach, around an inlet and more.

This week I have been driving my son to exams most morning, so instead of walking close to home, I have stopped on the way home and walked in some different locations. One of these was a place called Big Swamp, about ten minutes away. It’s a big wetland, which is actually rehabilitated land on what was once the town rubbish dump. Now it is teeming with wildlife, and the number of ducks, swans, swamp hens and other birds is just fabulous.

October 2015c

There is a path that goes right around the outside of the swamp, but my favourite path branches off that and heads through paperbark trees, and scrub and rushes, and leads to a boardwalk and an observation hut for bird watchers. I was delighted to have this path to myself, and really felt like I was on an adventure.

October 2015

My meandering reminded me of a poem by Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, who wrote of a path that leads nowhere. Her countryside was quite different from mine, but the sentiment is one I can really relate to.

The Path That Leads Nowhere

There’s a path that leads to Nowhere October2015b
In a meadow that I know,
Where an inland island rises
And the stream is still and slow;
There it wanders under willows,
And beneath the silver green
Of the birches’ silent shadows
Where the early violets lean.

Other pathways lead to Somewhere,
But the one I love so well
Has no end and no beginning—
Just the beauty of the dell…
You can read the rest of the poem here, and for more poetry goodness, check out the Poetry Friday roundup which is being hosted today by Heidi  at My Juicy Little Universe.

October 2015d

PS – Ducklings! I counted 19. Have a great week.

sallymurphy.com.au