Poetry Procrastination

Believe it or not I actually have been trying to write poetry all afternoon, I just haven't got to it yet. It is now 7.50pm. :S Oh dear. For the later part of this afternoon I have been trying to work out how to adjust my layout on this blog and really, really wanted to add  the following image either behind or next to my title (Katz's Space). I could place it underneath my title but then there is too much empty space on the right hand side of my page.

Isn't it pretty?!   : )

I found this pic on Facebook the other day and couldn't resist saving it. There are a few other pics I have saved from Facebook recently too.  Such as...

This one! 

I love fairies. I love drawing them, painting them, collecting pics, photos and figurines of them. I also really like butterflies. If I was ever to write a children's picture book, I would really like to write a story about fairies, just so I could illustrate it as well. I used to read Shirley Barber's books when I was younger so she has been a big inspiration for me as I was growing up.

I also really like watching Doctor Who, both the new and old series. I really liked the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker due to his eccentric ways and his humongous, outrageously long scarf!  But in the new series my particular favourite has been David Tennant, who just happens to be the Tenth Doctor! 

And finally... what would have to be the cutest of them all...

I just had to share this one with my bestie. I think she appreciated it. However, it is unfortunate that they spelt "roar" wrong. I understand that this was probably done on purpose, but the grammar Nazi in me just wants to cross it out and rewrite it correctly in black texta!






Lol so yes, blogger is a great way for me to procrastinate unfortunately. But it also does help me to start writing, so this hasn't been a complete waste of time I guess! I just wish Blogger was easier to work out with regards to layout and formatting! 

Anyone for a hike? Oops, I mean Haiku. :P

So I went back to Horsnell Gully on Tuesday, looking for poetry ideas. I decided to actually get there using Hornell Gully road this time. I saw quite a lot of bulbs, rocks, native flowers and heard many different birds. The scenery was the inspiration of the following haiku poem I wrote. 

The cool, crisp air

wafts around my slim figure

as I climb uphill

©Katherine Cox 07/08/12

This poem definitely has room for improvement. I don't really like the "slim figure" part as it makes me sound vain. I was just trying to bring forth an image of a small person battling against the chilly wind whilst climbing. "Wafts" also sounds too gentle. But I guess it was a relatively calm day. Anyway, it's a work in progress, like most of my writing! 

Water Ripples

I have just started writing a poem about water today and have just found a really inspirational example of a water poem with an underlying message about the effects our words have.

I need to be more mindful of themes and messages I can insert into my poetry. I haven't really discovered the knack yet, but I guess it is all down to practise and a lot of hard work!

This poem also gives me a strong image of the ripples in the water so for me it is a very successful poem, despite the fact that it doesn't rhyme. I really love the use of repetition in the line, "circling on and on and on". I just hope that the ripple effects in our lives are more positive ones than negative!

I found this poem through a Google image search but it actually belongs to this website: http://www.diversityworld.com/Denise_Bissonnette/TLN04/tln0403.htm

Waterfall poem

Well I now have two possible poems about waterfalls at the moment. This is the shorter one. I have been experimenting with different line lengths to create an interesting form. I was trying to make  a tear drop/ water droplet shape.

A

waterfall

is a silver,

satin ribbon

sown into the side

of a craggy cliff.

Shimmering droplets

cascade down, pooling

into a great, gleaming eye.

Watching the water gushing,

pouring, and trickling, soothes

my soul and relieves my pain. 

©Katherine Cox 27/07/12

Falling Down

Mum and I at The First Falls, August 9, 2011

Back to TAFE study today. Poetry again for my Complete an Extended Project subject. I would really love to write a poem about a waterfall, particularly because I live near Morialta Falls and they are so pretty to look at.  I also find them soothing for the soul. It's like all of your fears and worries are washed away with the water, flowing over the smooth rocks and pebbles. 

First Falls August 9, 2011

Mid year holidays 2012

Hello all,

Yes I am aware that I am a very inconsistent blogger but I think that's just the way it is going to be.
Life gets busy, and  I am also lazy sometimes too.

Good news, I passed Semester 1 of the hopefully last year of my professional writing course. (I was originally supposed to finish last year but TAFE felt the need to add more subjects. Grr.) Anyway so I have made it through the first half of 2012! Yay.

What have I been up to lately? Well, I have been enjoying my holidays for the past 2 weeks, in between work and submitting poetry for potential publication. This is the first time I have sent poetry off to a competition and to a publication so I find that very exciting, even if it all comes to nothing. It is just nice to have some writing out in the public arena.  I have submitted 2 poems to the Salisbury Writer's Festival and 2 poems to The School Magazine in New South Wales.

I also travelled back to my hometown Waikerie for a week-end and took in the sights and sounds of the Murray River. It is nice to know that it will always be there whenever I come back from the city.

As I walked along the jetty I spotted this feathered friend, who didn't seem at all intimidated by my presence!


I have also caught up with a couple of friends in Adelaide so that has been nice. I recently attended a friend's 21st. She had a themed party, which made it more interesting, but also more stressful in order to decide what to wear. Her theme was Vintage 50's and 60's, so we all had to dress up in vintage clothing. It made for some fun shopping trips and some funny photos. Here are a few examples... 

I found this dress at a vintage clothes shop called Red Ruby just off of Hindley Street in the city. I can't remember if it was a 1950's or 1960's dress but it was a summer dress, so I thought it was quite funny that I would be wearing it to a birthday party in winter! I was sort of going for a Marilyn Monroe style with my hair. 

The one in the middle is Leah. It was her party. :)

When I was in Waikerie I also had the chance to hang out with our family's resident fur-ball Bella. Mum and I are biased cat lovers so Dad didn't really have a choice when we decided last year that the household needed another feline's presence. 

 

Bella enjoys playing hide 'n' seek with me. She also likes to scare me by pouncing out from underneath the dining room table! Bella is now about a year and a half old.

Back in Adelaide I did a bit more exploring around my area for more walking tracks. Horsnell Gully Conservation Park proved to be a challenging but rewarding climb, which gave me some awesome views of the city below. However, due to the overcast weather and then the blinding sunlight at sunset it was actually a better view in person, compared to the average photos I took. 

 
I saw three koalas that afternoon. I had only hiked up the hill for half an hour so I kept seeing one every 10 mins or so! One of them was a bit scared of me walking underneath its gumtree and made a horrible grunting noise.

This was the fire track I followed up the hills. I think this is the back way to get there. Next time I should probably enter via Horsnell Gully Road. It was still a good adventure, and good exercise! 

Washing Machine Poem

It may seem to you like all I think about these days is poetry, but I do promise I do have other things on my mind as well!I just seem to be finding a lot of funny/inspirational poems lately. I should actually put up some of my own stuff one of these days. Anyhow, today I have found an interesting poem about "Mrs. Brown" and her washing machine. (I am writing my own poem about a washing machine too, but it is a bit shorter in length and written in a different way.)

The Washing Machine

Mrs. Brown was quite ecstatic
About her brand new automatic.
Filled it up near to the brim,
Slipped on the soap and fell right in.

She was really on the go
Jerking wildly to and fro,
Water gurgling, rushing, flowing,
Shirts and sheets all to and fro-ing.

There among the suds and bubbles,
She reflected on her troubles.
Considered that she'd never been so,
Pushed around so much by Rinso.

So there and then, she promptly planned,
To change and use a kinder brand.
Because the water too was hot,
She'd change to Cold Power, like as not.

While Mrs Brown was cogitating,
With all her bits and bobs vibrating,
Arms and legs and dirty socks
Tangled up in soapy knots.
Her inside organs disarranged,
Quite suddenly, the cycle changed.

Now Mrs. Brown was all a-whirl.
Indeed a very home-spun girl,
Spun and sprayed to make her whiter,
In places that did not excite her,
And areas that had attention,
She doesn't even care to mention.

So Mrs. Brown is quite convinced
That to be spun and deeply rinsed,
Not once, but twice, will quite suffice
To keep her undies looking nice.
But, before they go to wash,
She thinks she'd rather take them off.

© 1955-2006 John Pickersgill

http://evenyet.net/pick/alltitles/washingmachine.htm



I might let you guys read my washing machine poem, after it is marked. I may still need to make some more changes to it.