Feeling Out Loud
I've been in a funk lately (haven't we all?). I was feeling exhausted and lonely and like my life is just an amorphous blob of time with endless ways to fill it, none of which seem more compelling than watching Glee on Netflix. I sent in my application for divorce last week and most of … Continue reading Pandemic Poem #32 / View From My Desk
Who knew it was so damned hard to write a sonnet? Caterpillar ChildrenBeyond the tent the dark is quickeningMy caterpillar children weave cocoonsThe candlelight makes shadows flickeringAnd shadows dance across the canvas roomKangaroos make percussion with their feetThe eucalypts whisper their windy songMy father’s ukulele strums the beatAnd laughing kookaburras sing alongGrandad’s voice and mine … Continue reading Pandemic Poem #13 / Caterpillar Children
In the past I've been very against Mother's Day. The marketing machine dictating that mothers like all things fluffy, pink and scented annoys me. It's a cop-out to give the woman who you should really know very well a off-the-shelf on a certain day of the year for doing a job and maintaining a relationship that … Continue reading As Pretty As Flowers And As Funny As A Clown – Thoughts on Mother’s Day.
Yesterday, my eldest child started school. I’ve been counting down for five years until this moment. I thought I would skip off merrily after dropping him on the first day, and with a big sigh of relief have myself a mid-morning cocktail and a rest. I was sure I wouldn't cry. But there I was … Continue reading Starting School
I love this poem so much that it now forms the opening of my newest play, The Let-Down Reflex. I wrote it in June 2017 and it really does reflect the every day lived experience of parents. The Let-Down Reflex is currently in development and will be having a work-in progress showing on Thursday 24th … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Poem “Parent-thesis”
I wish I was boycotting Christmas, but I can't. I've threatened to "go bush" over Xmas for a few years now (both metaphorically and literally). This year, I naively thought I might really do it. No tree, no presents, no family, no food, no cakes, no carols. I was all for being the biggest Scrooge-Grinch … Continue reading I Wish I Was Boycotting Xmas.
I don't know exactly when I wrote this poem, but it would've been sometime when my son was still an infant. It's quite weird to read it back and be taken back into the anger and frustration I felt about becoming a mother. Almost five years later, I sold my double pram to a new mum … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Poem “Pram Pusher”
I am currently sitting at my desk, drafting thank you notes to the cast of The Sum of Us - the fab four - in preparation for tonight. Being closing night, I have the equally awesome and awkward task of accepting thanks and accolades for a production well done and showering the cast and crew … Continue reading The Sum of Them – a thank you note to my parents on closing night.
Around this time last year, I wrote a poetic portrait of my son and our kitten. Both have shed their baby looks since April 2017. And they are more used to each other now, him less heavy handed and her more patient. Boy and Cat She's just a tiny baby cat Our Mishka So like … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Poem “Boy and Cat”