Lorraine Marwood joins us for A Ute Picnic

Today I welcome some special guests to my blog. Firstly we have Lorraine – a poet I greatly admire. Then we have four budding poets – whose work often catches me unawares with its awesomeness. So welcome to Branyon, Poppy, Fletcher and Tara, too.

Lorraine, Congratulations  on this beautiful rustic collection of poetry. I can almost see dust motes dancing across the cover of ‘A Ute Picnic – and other Australian Poems’.

As you know, I share your passion for poetry. And I too love to share that with children! So – for this poetry post I thought I’d feed both our passions and use your poems to inspire some poetic kids I know…

Here’s what they came up with. And they’re very excited to be sharing it with you.

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Lorraine: What a great way to share my poems Kat, thanks so much for passing on the pleasure of poetry!  And thanks to all my guest poets!!!

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Inspired by:  Underneath (By Lorraine Marwood)

…an intestinal blue-black leech
suckling,
gorging…

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Bloodsuckers (By Branyon)

After the rain
and wet weather,
the bloodsuckers strike,
bulging from the cows
and calves
like multiple piercings.

While dad’s branding
I pick ticks off.

Pop!
Squished.
blood splatters.

The cow is released
from the jaws
of the infernal
parasitic
pest

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Lorraine: Branyon this is really strong with lots of the good words of poetry – the nouns and verbs –  I love ‘the infernal parasitic pest’ and the very striking line ‘like multiple piercings.’   Sounds as if you’ve done lots of Squishing!

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Inspired by:  First Night (By Lorraine Marwood)

The ticketty of a puppy
ears like tiny towels
colour of night
silky with moonbeams….

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Why? (By Tara)

Face hot and red,
like the colours of Uluru.
I’m frowning
and thinking;
Why a bushfire?
Fist held tight,
chainsaw going off
my thoughts
out of control…

Is a poacher on a mission?
Why does this have to happen?

Another koala dead!

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Lorraine: Tara this poem is so full of strong emotion, and each line leads us to the shocking impact of the last line!  I particularly like the middle of the poem where you write: ‘fist held tight/chainsaw going off.’  You are showing us the tension and emotion and not telling – this makes your poem so much more enjoyable because you allow us to feel the turmoil first hand.

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Inspired by:  Black Saturday (By Lorraine Marwood)

…As night fell
little flecks of ash fluttered around
covering the roof, the backyard…

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Grass Fire (By Fletcher)

flame crackles
around the trees
and flutters through the grass

smoke
thick grey fog
billows in the air

shirt over nose can’t hold
out all the smoke –
choking

“The fire’s jumped the break!”

waddies slap down on flaming grass
pump revving loudly
as water sizzles
on hot wood

burning off
with dad

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Lorraine: Fletcher this is such an action filled poem – we can follow along with you as those ‘Waddies slap down’ – and the line of conversation fits so well and rings so true.  We know you’ve been there because only someone who’s had to keep out smoke would pull their ‘shirt over nose’.  It’s those telling details that make this poem so real for us.

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Inspired by:  Resembling a Camel (By Lorraine Marwood)

…The old collie dog
sleeps on
drawing weak autumn
sun into the storage humps
of her skin.

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My Puppy (By Poppy)

Little dog, little legs,
Round ball of tummy with little stubby pegs,
Red head, white freckly tum,
Eat eat eat and then run run run.
Sleepy baby, in his bed.
Curled up tight, next to his ted.
My little puppy,
Cute as can be.
I love him so and he loves me.

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Lorraine: Poppy you obviously love your dog and you know him so well even to his ‘white freckly tum’.  And the poem shows us just how much a puppy loves to eat, run and sleep!  Pets are always a great subject for writing a poem.

Wonder what other animal your puppy reminds you of? My old dog reminded me of a camel!

.Not only do you write evocative poetry, but you give beautifully precise feedback as well. Lorraine, that was wonderful!

Your words triggered some beaut poems here. We’re wondering if you have any favourite poets who have inspired you?

Yes I do have favourite poets – in particular a famous poet called T.S Eliot, a Russian poet called Yevtushenko, ee cummings – who loves typing his name without capitals, Australians Bruce Dawe, Judy Johnson and poets for children – Steven Herrick, Sherryl Clark, Claire Saxby, Janeen Brian.

Do you have a favourite poem that you could share with us – maybe one that you loved as a child?

I loved ‘The Highwayman’, by Alfred Noyes.  (You can read it here.) Although it was written over a hundred years ago – I loved the atmosphere and the excitement.  Often when I write, the atmosphere of a poems or story is really what sets me out on the quest to write the first draft.

‘The Highwayman’… Now doesn’t that bring back some memories…

Lorraine, thankyou for sharing your poetry with us on this ‘Ute Picnic’ kind of day… And thankyou to my four poets for sharing your creativity with us, too.

Now Lorraine, I can’t let you sneak off without one final thing… a squee of excitement for shortlisting in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards with your verse novel, ‘Star Jumps’. That is wonderful, excitimg news! YAY!