This week I have been thinking about where ideas for books, stories and poems come from, which has led to two blog posts – about the origins of Queen Narelle (here) and also Head Hog (here) .
And, as often happens when I start thinking on a subject, I get hyper-focussed (hello ADHD brain!) and so, when I sorted through some old poems yesterday, and stumbled across the one I’m about to share, I knew I had a topic for a Poetry Friday post – which is very good, because it has been a while since I Poetry Fridayed, in spite of my best intentions.
Anyway, here is the poem I found in my archives:
This is just to say
I have eaten
the cake
that was in
the pantry
and which
you were probably
saving
for visitors.
Forgive me
We had
no peaches
and no icy plums.
(Sally Murphy, 2017)
If you are a poetry lover, you will probably instantly guess that the idea for this poem came from the very famous William Carlos Williams poem of the same title, which you can read here. And you would be correct.
Williams’ poem has a really special place in my heart because it is the first free verse poem I remember being introduced to – in Year 8 English. As in many schools, we were asked to write our own ‘This is Just to Say’ poems. I have a really visceral memory of realising that poetry could be about anything – and, importantly, did not have to rhyme. I was already a great lover of poetry, but this poem changed my life!
Later, much later, I wrote Pearl Verses the World, in which Pearl’s relationship with her Granny is heighted by their shared loved of poetry. Pearl remembers:
One day Granny read me 
A poem
About a man stealing a plum.
(Sally Murphy, 2009)
and her surprise that it didn’t rhyme. Granny’s response:
…didn’t you know
A poem does not have to rhyme?
It does not have to be written
In a certain way
At a certain time.
No.
A poem comes
When it is needed
And writes itself
In the way it needs
To get its point across.
(Sally Murphy, 2009).
Of course, this little scene is a nod to Williams’ poem (as well as to the lovely relationship between Pearl and her much-loved Granny). But I don’t name the poem – which means not all readers will know the allusion, and that is fine. But, a few years after the book was published, it was made into a play by Jigsaw Theatre in Canberra, and I was fortunate enough to go and see the play. Seeing my book come to life in this way was always going to be amazing, but there was the most AMAZING moment when, at a key point in he play, some lines from Williams’ poem were cleverly revealed on the stage. I cried. The producers had not only figured out the allusion but had cleverly incorporated part of the poem into the set.
I could write about this all day, but to get back to the poem I wrote in 2017, several years later: while working on my Doctorate, focussing on children’s poetry, I decided to experiment a little with using famous poems as mentor texts. And, of course, I had to use Williams’ poem. I tried to picture what food it would be that I would be unable to resist – and chocolate cake seemed likely. But those plums had to get a mention too!
Speaking of being unable to resist things – I am off to check out more poetry courtesy of my fellow Poetry Fridayers. You can, too, by following the roundup hosted this week by Rose.