Bring out the dead, ring in the NewYear, all that’s past and gone:The hopes and dreams, past life with yousurrendered to the sun. Shine on this, my new life and dayeach moment made anewin which I dance so fond and free:Release my love for you. At times I’ll sing it on the windfor other souls... Continue Reading →
EIF Poetry 2020: A retrospective
I've written rather a lot of poetry since March of this year, when the pandemic really started to take hold worldwide. I think the lockdown gave me the creative space I needed to connect with my poetic muse. I often take excerpts from my poems and make them into 'poetry cards' to share on Instagram.... Continue Reading →
EIF Poetry Challenge Hall of Fame 2020!
Very early on in the first lockdown of this year, I wrote a poem called 'Poetry won't save you.' Well I'm here to testify that this year, poetry categorically has saved me. Without writing poetry and sharing it with others, without reading other people's poetry, I probably would have gone mad by now. Back in... Continue Reading →
My poem ‘The Song of Summer’s Ending’ featured on Phoebe MD
This poem is an oldie, so it was lovely news to learn that Phoebe had published it on her blog today. It's a poem of changing seasons, perhaps well suited to this time of year: The song of Summer’s endingLament to lost enchanted daysSings in the early autumn windsAnd rustling leaves born on the breezeAnd... Continue Reading →
Inviting Sir Dodo to the New Year’s Feast
Sir Dodo has been left out in the coldfor shameless years that I care not to count:adorning displays in the Natural History Museum;shafted, stuffed and shelved upon a mount:Come in, Sir Dodo, come out of the cold, the time of feasting is upon us, justas once we feasted upon you this table's yours and you... Continue Reading →
Razor-edge #poetry #Earthweal
There’s a razor-edge scrapingthe broad blue blood-light of the skyabout to burst into all the bright colours of daybut I can’t see itnot today:I'm stuck in the shadow-side of the mountain'Mount What-might-have-been' wonderingif I made the right cutwould that let the light flood inand fill me with forgetfulness of everything that once has been andnever will again?But... Continue Reading →
EIF Childhood Poetry Challenge: The Results!
The results are in! It was a delight to read all of your magical childhood Christmas entries. Judge Nick Reeves, aided by his panel of snow sculptures (pictured above) had a hard job arriving at his decision. But decide he did, and so I hand over to Nick to bring you the results of the... Continue Reading →
Conjunction #poetry #Earthweal
I’m no believer in astrologybut tonightsomething profoundwill occur in the sky:Two points of light will coalescefrom our perspective(dim though it is)last spiedin Galileo's time.In cosmic terms, this time is nothingbut for us, it means much:Transition out of superstitioninto a willing suspension of beliefin anything other than those cold cogsgravely grinding like our noses to the... Continue Reading →
Guest Post: Don Matthews Christmas Special!
This week, our Aussie poet friend has donned ('scuse the pun) his Santa suit to celebrate its being the Season to Be Jolly. Surely this is the most wonderful time of the year for someone so Flippant, Comic, and Serious! Even his petulant puss Priscilla (pictured) has entered into the Christmas spirit. I hope this... Continue Reading →
EIF Poetry Challenge #12: The Poetry of Childhood
'Twas the night before ChristmasAnd all through the houseNot a creature was stirringNot even a mouse...' These are the opening lines of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' written by Clement C. Moore in 1823: a true children's classic Christmas story told in verse. Childhood is (or certainly should be) a magical time. And Christmas (for... Continue Reading →