Just under three weeks on from the second Christchurch earthquake, and it seems the tragedies keep piling up. They're still trying to recover bodies in the city of Christchurch, and now Japan is being put to the sword. Having been through both 7.1 and a 6.3 magnitude quakes, I can't even begin to imagine how …
Larkin, lawnmowers, and longing
This evening after shutting the chooks in for the night, I spent about ten minutes just staring back at our house, feeling such huge gratefulness that we were both ok, that the people I love all seem to be ok, that our little house had carried us safely through (so far). That the clouds had cleared, …
Billy Collins vs Samuel Chelpka
Following from Amy's comment on yesterday's post, I came across a YouTube vid that I just have to share. It's a three year old boy called Samuel Chelpka, who has memorised Billy Collins's poem “Litany”: Gorgeous, isn't it? And what great parents, to have taught their child to love poetry this young. If you're wondering what …
At last, Island
After many years of trying, two things have finally happened. I've got my drivers’ licence (don't ask) (no, really), and I've had a poem published in Island! For those of you who don't know it, Island is a gorgeous literary journal, published in Tasmania. I've been submitting there for quite a few years, and although …
i.m. Mary Harris, née Kennedy
My grandmother died this morning, just after 1 am. Peacefully, with my eldest cousin and aunt there. She was 104 years old, and so frail you could almost see the sunrise through her. I've written about her quite a bit – she's the one who taught me to read, who made me a poet. Cowarral …
A Dark Feathered Art 