Man

The inspiration for this came from my lovely husband, who I do love with all of his crash banging around!  Love to know what you think. Cheers, Meg

Man
Big Hands
Squashing things,
Clumsy Fingers,
Breaking Glasses,
Chipping Plates,
Smashing Bottles,
Crash Bang

Man
Strong and bolshy,
Moving with thump and thud
Door shutting,
Pictures rattling,
Chair scraping
Like fingernails on a blackboard
Books chucked down
Bending covers and pages
Crash Bang

Man
A rough, loving kiss
Tightly hugging,
Bruising ribs with love
Slapping thigh with laughter,
Hand being held,
'Don't squeeze so hard'
Massaging,
Therapy.
Crash Bang

Man
Toilet seat flung
Whack
Toilet seat down
Whack
Crash Bang

Man
Made of giant
All delicates hiding
From big fingers and hands
Fragile old tea-cup found
Now balancing precariously
Between two fat sausages
With saucer waiting below
Quietly, patiently, not breathing
Lest the Man giant
Be broken from this
Gentle spell, for now.

Good Dog Bad Dog, One Lost Child

This is something that I wrote in my WednesdayWorkshop with Emilie Collyer. The probe was to write a poem as if it was a newspaper article or vice versa, not to think too much, and to go with the first idea.

I was really struck with something I had read in the paper that morning (and when it had happened) and a kerfuffle at the Sunshine Magistrates Court the day before with loads of media there (not really sure that this is what they were there for, however it did make me think of this family).

Family rallies around torn shreds of child

Mauled by dog

Now held on rod

Community now ripped apart

Good dog and bad

The owners are barking out loud

Foam frothing at mouth

Reports flow in from o' abroad

The barking gets louder

With teeth all bared

Men in suits murmur

And shake their heads

Conflicting thoughts, O', what to do

A family now with one less to hold

Stands closely with their dark skin

Fled had they from war torn lands

To be free from suffering 

And Warlord Kings

A bark now frightens them more than they could 'er know

Good dog, bad dog

Who will know.

Tea Tree Inspired by Nature

I was down at Inverloch (down by the sea) on the weekend with the family and while my boys were building yet another dam, I went exploring in the neighbouring group of tea trees.  I was taken back to my childhood when we used to climb through the tiniest of holes and make cubby houses in the tea trees 

Once inside, there was silence and peace.  The longer I stood still, the more the birds came back as though I was not even there.  I began to feel as though I belonged in there.  All of the wind and rain, the busy noise of the dam building, the talking from my mum and husband had all completely disappeared.  I could not hear a thing other than nature.  I could actually feel my body calm down and relax.  Peace.

On Wednesday, as luck would have it, in my writing group, Emilie ran an exercise for us to chose a single object from the natural world and describe it in as much detail as we could.  Following is what I came up with, I hope you enjoy.  Please note, poetry is not really my thing, I just wrote as I felt, as the emotion and words came, thinking of the tea tree.

Tea tree
Paperbark
Shedding skin
Pungent odour
Spider webs hiding
Tiny spiky leaves,
On frail sticky branches
Crackling in the breeze
Whooshing ghostly noises
Padded under foot
Silent hidden spaces
Nature's cubby houses
Broken branches
Weathered soft limbs
Silky Smooth white sticks
Dark green puddles,
Of pointy little sharp leaves
White petals floating
Hard little nuts,
Of little seeds gathered
Along those frail little sticks
Peel the bark skin back
To find different shades of brown,
Cream, beige and tan
Peel and peel again
Until it is tissue thin
Lean against the trunk
And feel the breeze move
This frail and fragile tree
Sway back and forth
Round and round it moves
Feel the movement of the tree
As you lean on it.

Thank you for reading

Off to camp for a birthday

The list was ticked, 

Item by item

Clothes were folded neatly

Toiletries and medicines laid out to bare

Black texta came out squeaking

With a name to write here and there

Everything placed gently, 

One by one into the bag

A restless evening of anxiety

"What have I forgotten to put in?"

Early waking, excitement, 

Noise, jumping around

Bag zipped, lunch packed, teeth brushed

Nothing to do.

While he is not watching

Birthday wishes are quietly slipped in

Words from all of us

We'll miss you this year

We love you, our oldest boy

We hope you have fun

One little butterscotch 

Slipped into the envelope

This is just for you 

To suck on and remember 

The sweetness of our love

Happy Birthday Frank

Holidays

Holidays

Noise, chaos

Laughter, tears

Mess and mayhem

Fast and slow

Paper everywhere

Pencils and pens

Cooking in the kitchen

Food on the floor

Clothes in the hallway

Records go 'round and 'round

Doors left open

for flies to come an' play

Friends join in

Up the tree and down

In the sandpit, trampoline and swing

Ropes tied from here to Timbucktoo

Breaky from 8 till 10

and lunch from 2 till 4

Dishes left on the sink

Dinner nearly forgotten

and bedtime slips out of control

Books devoured

Games all over the floor

Projects spill into each other

Curtains drift in the breeze

Then....stop

Time for school again

Alarms,

Lunches to make

Piano to practice

Beds to tidy

Hats on heads

Brush your teeth and hair

We're off and running again.

skipping song

peel a banana

upside down

peel an orange

round and round

count to 24

then you can

go on for more

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

.. .

You're out!

backyard possum

Something that came to me whilst I was bringing in the washing in the dark listening to the secretive and noisy possum:

Possum in the tree
He he he
Possum in the tree
He he he

Possum on the roof
Oof oof oof

Possum on the roof

Oof oof oof

Possum in the garden

Eatin’, eatin’, eatin,

Possum in the garden

Eatin’, eatin’, eatin’,

Possum in the air

Flair, Flair

Possum in the air

Flair, Flair

Possum on the fence

Running from the dog

Possum on the branch

Running from the cat

Possum on roof

BOOM, crash

Time to escape

Barking and miaowing

Possum eyes a glowing

Scamper over wires

Possum disappears

distraction

distractions

here and there

waiting & watching

lurking in the corners

procrastinating

jobs calling

piling up

mountainous ranges

overwhelming

toppling

order

lists

plans

turn off

switch off

......

Dawn... Dead of Night....Dawn

The brightness of dawn sparkles with freshness and light, awakening the day.

The crispness is in the air around.

Alert, awake, alive and ready for action.

Hearing the birdsong and breath in the fresh air.

Silence and darkness creeping around.

Pools and spots of light spill down.

Stealth is the way and solitude is the preference.

Fear of noises as unknown eyes glimmer and gleam.

Tiptoe around.

Bang into walls.

Angry shouts in the laneways,

Tin lids clatter and clang.

Sobbing "I love you's"

Doors slamming, wheels squeal

Silence

Darkness

Stillness

Doors shut

Tiny mouse feet tiptoe up walls

Leaves brush on the roof

Possums clamber up the tin pipe

Silence

Darkness

Snore

Silence

Light

Sparkle

Birdsong

Rays of sunshine

Smiles

Sweet talk

Gentleness,

Nods of hello

Walkers chat to each other

Dogs pant

Birds sing to the day

Flowers lift up their heads to welcome the day

Good morning sunshine

Happy to be here

Hello

This was something from my Wednesday workshop with Emilie Collyer last week where we had to write about the character associated with the time/s of day. Quite enjoyable once I got into it.

sales stranger at my door

a ring on the bell
who is it now
count kids off one, two, three
dinner on the stove
ready to boil
balls going like missiles
'cross loungeroom
down hall
still ringing the bell
"coming" I shout
.
a stranger in blue
with lanyard and pass
clipboard and flyers
"not interested"
words of power, gas and electricity
all to save save and save more
boil the pot over
slamming the door
.
not welcome sales strangers
we think not at the door
with pots on the stove
children running amok
go home to your own house
to the warmth of your food
where your love awaits you
.
friends come in and eat
drink at my table
join in our mess please
we have more than enough

Somebody..Nobody

This irrelevant life
I face the back wall
Unnoticed
Unrecognised
Passed by again, again
Smile at someone
Reach out with a little wave
"Hi...."
Hoping for something

Busy, busy, busy
Everyone
So very important
And busy, busy, busy
Noticed
Recognised
Achievers all on the road to somewhere
To busy to notice

Where am I going?
What am I doing?
Watching
Waiting
Treading
Breathing
Trying to understand why
It's so important to be important
It's so fantastic to be too busy
It's so great to be too tired

I feel tired and weary
I long for nobodies
To be somebodies
I want people to stop
And listen and talk
And sit
In silence
And so nothing
Together
And enjoy it
And remember each other

Words and Pictures - Pretty

Pretty passionfruit, originally uploaded by megs threads.

Exhaustion,

I do feel

as the wind blows

straight through me

and I do choke with heavy dust

and lose a piece or two,

All my toes

twist and turn

in the bed of poo

and food that does so rot

makes them grow an inch or two,

My lovely green hands

have been burnt

by the searing sun

so dry and yellow

now they fall

gently upon the ground,

Laughter

awakens me

from a rest

as little hands

pull at me

from the fence

to hunt for balls

and treasure.

Now I sleep

as I prepare

to make my pretty flowers

that I will once again

give the treasures for the hunts,

So you must wait

with patience, please,

and feed me if you will.

With all the goodness

you can find

and a drop of juice

or two.

Thanks Pip for the "Pretty" theme in words & pictures this week. I thought that I would do something different this week. I hope that you like it.