Monday, 25 August 2025

Published Poems and Readings 2021

 Published Poems 2021


Work published in 

Blithe Spirit Journal, The Burrow 2, CattailsContemporary Haibun on Line, Drifting Sands, Echidna Tracks, Eucalypt, Failed Haiku, FemKu,  FM Radio, Frameless Sky, Grieve, Ink Sinks Deeper, Kokako, Poetic Cinema, The Japan-Australia “短歌と Tanka” 2020 Competition, Never Ending Story, Not Very Quiet, Milestones, Poetry d’Amour, Presence, Prune Juice, Quadrant, Red Lights,  Ribbons, Stardust Haiku, Susan Burch Blog, THF Per Diem, THF Haiku Dialogue, Under the Basho, Verity La.


 Co-edited Collection (with KK)

the ink sinks deeper


1 Workshop

Urban Nature for Poetic City


3 Reviews 

Janne Graham et al The Moorings  2021.

Julia Laycock & Denise O’Hagen (Eds.)  Poetry for the Planet  2021.

Lizz Murphy   the wear of my face   Verity La 


3 Readings

Poetic Cinema

Smith’s That Poetry Thing

FM Radio may

1 Judging Appointment

Haiku Society of North Carolina Tanka Contest


1 Coordination Manning Clark House Poetry


1 Published verse drama

Please Add Your Signature and Date It Here. Litoria Press, 2021



43 Haiku

  1. lilac light / on the arch of moonrise / two silvereyes   Frameless Sky 2021.
  2. bush koan the sound of one twig snapping      Failed Haiku 61, 2021.
  3. sunken stars / in a muddy river / last year’s goals       Failed Haiku 61, 2021.
  4. jet lag / a street cat stretches / into the night     Failed Haiku 61, 2021.
  5. plastic bags / filled with wrap and tinsel / landfill truck     Failed Haiku 61, 2021.
  6. empty pen  / transfusion needed / for the muse     Failed Haiku 62, 2021, p. 154
  7. in the hands / of the puppeteer / . . . shadow cabinet     Failed Haiku 62, 2021. p.154
  8. starlit jungle / a pride of lions / light years away    Presence 69,  2021.
  9. ikebana / she arranges her new year's / resolutions Stardust Haiku 49, January 2021.
  10. brief encounter / a magpie in dinner suit / chats up a snail   Kokako 33, 2021.
  11. steak house / two politicians / attack their lunch    Cattails, April 2021.
  12. returning swallows — / my father's discharge / telegraph   Presence 70,  2021.
  13. feather moon / above the treetops / one last hymn    Stardust Haiku, April 2021.
  14. spring dawn / I empty myself / into the light  In the Stardust, Stardust Haiku, May 2021. 
  15. quarantine / I begin to unlock / my inner self  Failed Haiku 6:66, June 2021. 
  16. election year / the wish-wash of storms / and promises     Failed Haiku 6:66, June 2021, p. 121.
  17. searching for / the middle way / the labyrinth     Failed Haiku 6:66, June 2021. 
  18. winter garden / through the silence / snowdrops     Echidna Tracks 7, Light and Colour 19 June 2021.
  19. night pilot / a will-o'-the-wisp / in every star Stardust Haiku 54, June 2021.
  20. friendly magpies / the homeless woman / a little thinner   #FemmekuMag, July 2021.
  21. cicada pulse / the shrillness of pain / that will not stop #FemmekuMag, July 2021.
  22. creaking door / the spaniel’s wag / grows frantic   Blithe Spirit 31:3, 2021.
  23. choir practice…/ my voice disappears/  down one huge mouth    Failed Haiku 6: 68, 2021.
  24. hands together / the handicapped beggar / offers thanks  Failed Haiku 6: 68, 2021.
  25. stretching out / her kimono sleeves / white crane   Kokako 35, 2021. 
  26. last night / of the kangaroo cull / blood moon   Cattails, October 2021.
  27. dismal howls / from the dog next door / …his angry voice Windfall, 2021.
  28. shopping trolley / still filled with his things / ...winter snow   Cattails, October 2021. 
  29. last night / of the kangaroo cull / blood moon   Cattails, October 2021. 
  30. snow on snow / the toll of the bell / deeper now    Temple. BHS Anthology, 2021.
  31. fan dance / two wattle birds / catch the breeze   Kokako 32, 2020; Butterfly Dream,2021.
  32. cherry blossoms / beneath her ribcage / a little kick  Honourable  Mention, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival 2017;  Butterfly Dream, 2021.
  33. jet lag / a street cat stretches / into the night     Failed Haiku 6:61, 2021; Butterfly Dream, 2021.
  34. spring dawn / I empty myself / into the light  Stardust Haiku, May 2021; Butterfly Dream, 2021.
  35. fairy wrens / in the plum blossoms / hold your breath AHS Kukai 23/9, 2021.
  36. camelia sunset / the way she blushes / to say his name   Echidna Tracks 7, 2021.
  37. riverside willows / the moonlight plays / Beethoven    Stardust Haiku 57, September 2021. scent of rain / a sudden freshness /in the dog’s gait   Presence 71, 2020.
  38. third wave / we become afraid / of our neighbours   Presence 71, 2020.
  39. school uniform / keeping the conception  / immaculate   Prune Juice November 2021.
  40. changing light— / a strange woman’s name / on his lips    Failed Haiku 71, 2021.
  41. rough hands sand / the bowl silk-smooth / Grandpa’s shed   Failed Haiku 71, 2021.
  42. tai chi crane / I glide from the landscape / into the sky THF Haiku DialogueWeightlessness, December 2021
  43. guiding him out / of his sightlessness / black dog  THF Haiku Dialogue Black Holes, December 2021



12 Haibun

Resurrection of the Devadasi   Presence 69, 2021.

Skyscape    Contemporary Haibun on Line, April 2021.

Footprints    Cattails April 2021.

The Wind’s Cry      Kokako 34, 2021.

Apricot Tree, The     Burrow 3, 2021.

Polystyrene and Cling Wrap     Drifting Sands 10, 2021.

Ant     Kokako 35, 2021.

At the Crossroads     Cattails, October 2021.   Editor’s Choice

Broken Rope      Drifting Sands 11, August 2021.

I Almost Hear Tom Waits   Contemporary Haibun on Line, December2021.

Abundance      Drifting Sands 12, August 2021.


1 Parallel

Intensive care / a breath of wind    Presence 69, 2021.


8 Poems

Absence Does Not Make the Heart Grow Fonder   Burrow 3, 2021.

Lux Perpetua Luceat Eis   Poetic Cinema

How it Feels      Quadrant, 2021

Madame Song Sings Jindo Arirang       Burrow 2, 2021.

Purplue Skies  Poetry d’Amour, 2021.

Letter to Theo.  Milestones, 2021.

Freesias on the Hillside   Grieve, 2021.

Noh    Not Very Quiet Anthology, 2021.


14 Tanka

  1. power outage / advice to residents / in a text / all that grandma had / was the bush telephone Presence 69, 2021.
  2. country town beside the cobbled road / a trough / bygone days of transport / when steady was enough  Kokako 33, 2021.
  3. outside the gym / a bronze Olympic figure / in a chair /  with determined jaw / you wheel a little closer   Cattails, 2021.
  4. motionless / on the barren sand / tiny mouse / let the desert sing / your starry elegy   Eucalypt 30, 2021. 
  5. scrape the dregs / and wash out the tin — / rancid spam / that women have dealt with / for centuries FemmekuMag April 2021. 
  6. outside / the nursing home / a withered bird / her mother hunched inside / on an unmade bed  Moonbathing 24, 2021. 
  7. mossy stones / along a quiet path / time to rest / no need for hurried steps / towards the distant light       Blithe Spirit 31:2, 2021. 
  8. old couple / getting married / two rings / her dress and his suit / from the thrift boutique   Ribbons 17:2, 2021.
  9. bush ramble / a wallaby zigzags / across the track / the brighter side / of a lonely moment   Kokako 35, 2021.
  10. from my window / I watch russet leaves / scurry past – / this constant bustle / to meet my deadlines  Cattails, October 2021.
  11. the thunder / of taiko drummers / and two lovers — / why must we quarrel / in such cold weather?   TSA Anthology, 2021.
  12. feather-light / catching drafts of wind / tiny finch / all the little things / that I have missed   Blithe Spirit 31:2, 2021.
  13. banking to land / far from chaotic terror / she stares below / at the uncertainty /of her future   Presence 71,  2021.
  14. the way clouds seem / to embrace each other / our need / to be more gentle / now we cannot hug   Eucalypt 31, 2021. 
  15. a bow slips / through rosined strings / we create / sweet harmony / from our friction  Moonbathing 25 , 2021.


4 Sequences

  1. Fading Day   Red Lights 17:1, 2021.
  2. A Trousseau from the Sky    Presence 69, 2021.
  3. Seeking Peace. Red Lights 17:2, 2021.
  4. Solace Ribbons Fall Edition, 2021.


1 Shared Sequence

  1. With Mary Kendall: The Silent Surprise. Blithe Spirit 31:3, 2021.


3 Reviews

Amelia Fieldon & Janne Graham (eds.), The Moorings, May 2021.

Julia Kaylock & Denise O’Hagen (eds.), Poetry for the Planet, August 2021.

Lizz Murphy, the wear of my face, October, 2021

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Poetic City

During April wonder woman Jacqui Malins coordinated the first Poetic City Canberra festival.

I was thrilled to collaborate with street artist Bohie Palacek who used my poem "Lux perpetua luceat eis to create a breathtaking video. It was included in the Poetic Cinema on 8-9, a public pavement event featuring poetry videos.  

Here is the link:

https://vimeo.com/538941444

I also ran a haiga workshop for the festival in Glebe Park on 17 April, which included a ginko (haiku walk) and photography. Thanks to Jacqui and her trusty printer, we all had printouts of our haigas at the end of the workshop. More here:

https://www.poeticcitycbr.com/workshops


Monday, 14 June 2021

Recent Publications

The following haiku have been published in various journals during 2021. Thanks to all editors for their support: Chrissi Villa, Michael Rehling,  Ian Storr, Valentina Ranaldi-Adams, Patricia Prime, Gautam Nadkarni.

lilac light / on the arch of moonrise / two silvereyes    Frameless Sky, March, 2021.

bush koan the sound of one twig snapping    Failed Haiku 6:61, 2021.

sunken stars / in a muddy river / last year’s goals     Failed Haiku 6:61, 2021.

jet lag / a street cat stretches / into the night    Failed Haiku 6:61, 2021.

plastic bags / filled with wrap and tinsel / landfill truck    Failed Haiku 6:61, 2021. 

empty pen / transfusion needed / for the muse    Failed Haiku 6:62, 2021.

in the hands / of the puppeteer / . . . shadow cabinet    Failed Haiku 6:62, 2021. 

quarantine / I begin to unlock / my inner self       Failed Haiku 6:66, 2021. 

election year / the wish-wash of storms / and promises    Failed Haiku 6:66, 2021.

searching for / the middle way / the labyrinth      Failed Haiku 6:66, 2021.

starlit jungle / a pride of lions / light years away     Presence 69, 2021. 

returning swallows — / my father's discharge / telegraph      Presence 70, 2021.

ikebana / she arranges her new year's / resolutions   Stardust Haiku 49, January 2021. 

feather moon / above the treetops / one last hymn    Stardust Haiku 52, April 2021.

spring dawn / I empty myself / into the light     In the Stardust, Stardust Haiku 53, May 2021.

brief encounter / a magpie in dinner suit / chats up a snail     Kokako 33, 2021.

steak house / two politicians / attack their lunch      Cattails, April 2021.





Friday, 21 May 2021

More on my poem "Bush Stone Curlew"

I am thrilled that "Bush Stone Curlew" has traveled so far! After traveling from the Bimblebox 153 Birds Project it became educational materials in NSW and has now traveled to Coochiemudlo Islandin Queensland.

Lesley Ballantyne is a member of the small gallery there where the curlews fascinate many visitors. "I made the curlews out of paper and your poem was just perfect," she wrote.


https://www.facebook.com/messenger_media/?thread_id=100002697343871&attachment_id=804851113464351&message_id=mid.%24cAABa8_H3N6F-mjXC114aPBuwihig