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Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: Happy Toes

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Winter has just begun here in Australia, but you’d hardly know it, with mild, sunny days (though the nights have been cold).

 

Yesterday I left my shoes at home and walked barefoot on the sand and in the edge of the water.  The water was a little crisp but gosh it felt good – and it inspired this poem.

Happy Toes

This morning I have happy toes

They’re wriggling in the sand

They’ve carried me here ocean-side

To where the sea meets land

 

This morning I have happy toes

They’re dancing on the beach

They’re gathering secrets from below

And whispering each to each

 

This morning I have happy toes

They’re tingling in the waves

They’re laughing at the silly way

The morning sea behaves

 

This morning I have happy toes

They’ll head home feeling great

But tomorrow they’ll be back here

For another beach play date!

 

Copyright Sally Murphy 2016

 

This week’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted over at Check It Out. Head over and check out the roundup of poetry goodies across the blogosphere.

Poetry Friday: What a Wonderful World

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It’s Poetry Friday and I want to share a beautiful video and my poetic response to it, as a kind of poetry prompt.

Here’s the video, featuring David Attenborough AND awesome images AND one of my favourite songs:

As an aside, this clip was shown at the CBCA Conference in Sydney as a means of demonstrating what nonfiction books are up against – a point which I thought was a good one, but given that it straightway made me a) want to write and b) find out more about some of the things I saw, I think a good audio-visual resource is a way into books and writing.

Anyway, while it was playing I knew I wanted to respond, but I also knew that I wanted to listen to the rest of the very interesting panel discussion. So I quickly scribbled the words What A Wonderful World on my notebook. Then I looked at what I’d done – I’d written one word per line down the page. Was this the start of a poem?

Some time later (and after the session was over) this is what I came up with:

What trees! What flowers!

A mountain, a sea

Wonderful whales, wonderful wilds

World upon world upon world.

 (Poem copyright S. Murphy 2016)

Short but sweet, but it led me to wonder if this was something I could do with other song titles, especially ones which have been set to video footage.

So here’s a prompt for you.

Either watch the above video, and then write the words What A Wonderful World down your page – and see where it takes you (it’s like an acrostic but with a word rather than a single letter beginning each ling). OR find a song that you like, take its title and do the same. I’d love to see what you come up with!

Have a great week. The Poetry Friday roundup  is at The Drift Record.

Poetry Friday: Joi, the Glug

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I love finding old anthologies and collections of poetry, and discovering what they offer as well as seeing what  children of the past were offered.

I came across an anthology called This Land on ebay and just had to have it. When it came I was amazed to discover that it was the same age as me (wasn’t I cute?) and my beautiful gold teddy.

This Land

 

The anthology is filled with poems by poets whose works  I grew up with – CJ Dennis, Colin Thiele, Banjo Paterson, Dorothea Mackellar and more, as well as others I was less familiar with. There’s lots to like her, though in some ways the collection shows its age, with some colonial overtones that (thankfully) have not stood the test of time, and a massive imbalance in representation of  female poets.

Anway, back to the poems. I thought I’d share one to give you a taste, and chose one randomly by the letting the page fall open.

Joi the Glug

By CJ Dennis (1876-1938)

The Glugs abide in a far, far land

That is partly pebbles and stones and sand,

But mainly earth of a chocolate hue,

When it isn’t purple or slightly blue.

And the glugs live the with their aunts and wives.

In draught-proof tenements all their lives.

And they climb the trees when the weather is wet,

To see how high they can really get.

Pray, don’t forget,

This chiefly done when the weather is wet.

(Read the rest of the poem here – it’s longish, but worth it).

What I love about this poem is that it seems nonsense and lots of fun, but as you read further it emerges that it is also a comment about unquestioning conformity. CJ Dennis was one my favourite poets as a child – and I think I’ll share some more of his work in future posts, but in the meantime, if you haven’t read his work, look him up!

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Laura Salas. Do drop by and see what other poetry goodies have been posted around the blogosphere.

Have a great Friday!

World Poetry Day: A Double Celebration

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It’s World Poetry Day, a day to celebrate and share the magic of poetry.

To celebrate the day, my friend and wonderful poet Jackie Hosking, suggested a blog link up, with Australian children’s poets who have been published in The School Magazine posting about our experiences.

If you don’t know, The School Magazine is celebrating is centenary this year. For one hundred years the magazine has been entertaining and educating Aussie kids with poetry, stories and more. That’s a massive achievement.

On a personal level, I feel like School Magazine was where it began for me as a children’s poet, because it was where my first published children’s poem appeared, back in 2002. So, to celebrate World Poetry Day AND the anniversary, here is that poem:

Summer Salad

Cool

Crisp

Crunchy

Carrot

 

Luscious

Leafy

Lacy

Lettuce

 

Delicious

Delectable

Delightful

Dressing

Summer Salad

(Copyright Sally Murphy 2002, 2016)

Since 2002 I’ve had lots of poems published – in the School Magazine, in other journals, in books, and online, but I always feel an extra thrill of delight when one of my poems finds its way into the pages of the School Magazine.

School Magazine

Happy World Poetry Day to you – and congratulations, School Magazine.

You can see what other Aussie Children’s Poets have to say about World Poetry Day and School Magazine here.

 

 

 

 

 

Poetry Friday: Dolphin and Me

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Yesterday, I went for a quick walk on my local beach. Only, it didn’t end up being a quick walk at all, because I spent more than an hour watching a pod of dolphins play, and fish and splash just off shore.

I tried to get some footage on my phone, and while it’s not great, you can see a snippet of what I saw – and hear my exclamations.

 

Afterwards, I tried to capture the feeling I had, on an otherwise empty beach, that the dolphins knew I was there and were entertaining me.

 

Dolphin and Me

A tail

A fin

A splash

A jump

A wave?

 

A smile

A gasp

A camera click

A sigh

A wave.

 

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy, 2016)

 

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Irene at Live Your Poem. Head over there to see what other poetry goodness is on offer around the blogosphere.

Poetry Friday: The Library at Lunchtime

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This week I spent two wonderful days in the library at Penhros College in Perth, talking with lots and lots of wonderful young people about books and writing.

I haven’t yet received any photos that I can use from my presentations, but I did manage to snap this one of the display the library staff had put together:

 

One lunchtime, I sat in the library during the lunch hour, chatting with girls who came to speak to me, and working in between. It occured to me that the library was very different from libraries of the past, and found myself drafting a poem about what I saw – and what I didn’t see.

 

The Library at Lunchtime

 

No hushes

Or shushes

Or whispered warnings

No glares

Or stares

Or muttered reprimands

 

Only games

And smiles

And laughter

And kids sharing books

Sprawled on bright mats

Or, on their own,

Lost in blissful

Turning of pages.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy, 2016)

 

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Teacher Dance.

sallymurphy.com.au