Think of any criticism,Each little bit of feedback,And every morsel of praise,As a little fishSwimming through a public pond. You are the fishermanSitting in the boat above. Some days, you might decideTo throw out a wide netScooping up as many scaly swimmersAs the knotted mesh can hold. Other days, you may wantTo cast a careful …
Monthly Archives: November 2020
Skeleton Tree
Skeleton treePicked clean as a boneBranches white against the darkening sky High aboveBirds are flying homeTo hideaways where leaves still cling Note: This was inspired by a tree I passed on a walk to Paddington Old Cemetery. Unfortunately none of my photos could do it justice. In writing this poem, I found myself wondering about …
Graveyard Walk
There is a signJust inside the gatesSpray-painted in bright yellow:A picture of two bodiesAnd an arrow between themLabelled ‘6 ft’. It looks like a traffic marking.Strange to see thisOn consecrated ground,Where stone angels hover,And carefully-chiselled datesBook-end the livesOf the sleepersUnder our feet. Someone passes,Chasing their dog.A woman in exercise gearDoes lunges In front of gravestones.A …
Survival vs happiness in times of crisis
I remember at one point during my cancer treatment, one of my sisters said to me something along the lines of ‘I thought there was going to be a lot more watching movies and cuddling’. But I found the logistics of dealing with cancer with a baby in the house absolutely overwhelming. It didn’t feel …
Cool things: magnetic page notebook
This popped up today in an email from uncommon goods – a magnetic notebook that lets you take pages out and move them around. I’ve always leaned towards notebooks with tear out pages so I can more things around and group them where they actually go (rather than the order that ideas come out in.) …
How change happens: election thoughts
I remember when Colorado was a red state. It wasn’t so long ago. When I was first able to vote, I cast my ballot knowing it likely wouldn’t make a bit of difference. It would just be lost in the bloodbath. But now, Colorado doesn’t even seem to be a battleground. It is a lovely, …
The joy of writing poetry on a screen
I have a longstanding fascination with the physical process of writing. I think the tools that we use shape the way our brains work, and the kind of work that we can produce. I’m not just sharing poetry on this blog – I am actively composing in the online space of WordPress. There is a …
Colour and pattern
The thing about knittingIs you have to choose:Colour or pattern? A beautiful textureWill only showWith a solid colour.Likewise,A vibrant, multicolour yarnWill get lostIn a busy pattern. I’ve learned thisFrom careful observationAnd the sharp edgeOf experience. No sweaterCan holdEvery colourI think is beautiful;Or every patternI want to seePlay out.Trying to cramEverything inOnly endsIn a tangled mess. …