Today will be a great day! There will be books, and words, people who are friends already, and perhaps others who will become friends. All happening in my favourite Gawler pub, wonderful, how could this not be a great day!
I’m wearing good clothes, not Covid casual crappy ones for a change, and it feels good! I love helping to run this event, that happens on the last Sunday of every month, at the Prince Albert hotel, where our writing group meet every Thursday afternoon.
Being at that hotel, where we are well known, and appreciated, it makes for an enjoyable time, every time, and I’m excited, yet again, to be going there. The workshop sounds interesting, and I know the presenter will do a fine job of it. The presenter, and Guest Poet for the day, Martin Christmas, is a performer, who always works hard to make things go well.
This event was going to happen in March this year, but had to be cancelled, because of Covid-19, and I’m sure we’re all pleased we are able to get together again, even though we will have to be socially distanced, with no hugs at all, and certainly no kissing!
But words, our words, and the words of others, will bring us all together, close and kind, and I am so looking forward to it all happening, gotta go soon, or I’ll be late, seeya!
Wife, mother, dog owner. Important things in my life, all of them. But I was a lover of words before I was any of those three things, and when my time is coming to an end, I hope I will still be a writer, and lover of words.
I’ll always be a mother, I certainly hope, and if the wife label changes to widow, well it will not be an unexpected thing, sad, but that’s how life often (but not always) goes. And while I plan for having a dog in my life for a long time to come, who knows if that will last until my end? I like trees too, and unicorns, and I hope for many more trees and unicorns in my life!
Our dog Missy
But the love of words, reading, writing, thinking about reading and writing. Sharing my love of words in as many ways as I can. That will stay with me, I hope. I am a reader, poet, writer of fiction and of non fiction, and an editor. I have eight published books, with an anthology with a publisher and waiting to hear whether they wish to publish it.
I am ‘working on’ a novel, the first in a series of novels, that, if they work, might well be with me until my end too … And if that novel series dies unborn, well at least I had a bit of a go at it. Poetry sings to my soul though. Poetry, those few words, stripped back to just the best words, and nothing more, that I hope will always be there with me too.
Some of my books
Words, writing them, reading them, sharing them, these are the good things I share the most with my friends. I hope my enthusiasm for words, lights a fuse in the lives of others and they shine brighter in their lives, with the glow of their words.
If I didn’t have this focus, these options and ideas, what would my life be then? A sad and dreary thing, I’m sure. Words bring understanding, insight, ideas. I love words, I think words are pretty fond of me too!
I am a writer, poet, blogger, editor, and I like to think about things, all kinds of things. My most current bit of thinking has been prompted by the seeming avalanche of fake news, false beliefs and so one, constantly to us, presented in the media. There’s hardly any way to escape the lies and mistruths.
Of course, if you do what I’ve done for most of today, and just switch off the media, and with only a limited and careful time on Social Media, you are able to let your own brain feed you with things to consider, without agendas of others.
My own agenda is that I wish to be a very good and considered thinker, in the Stoic mode, working to think my way to wisdom, and being the best and wisest person I can be. It isn’t easy, but then, whoever said doing good things is easy? Sometimes it is, of course, if you ignore the bad dross that is even easier (in the short term).
So today, I saw something on Social Media, that led to some thoughts, and to a little bit more (but different) Social Media … A bit more thinking, considering, and a little researching and voila, a new poem has come into the world. This poem is an interesting poetic style, and I will write a little more about it, after I put the new, my new, poem up. Here it is:
As you can probably see, with this poetic form, the Abecedarian, is a poem of 26 lines, each line beginning with a particular letter, as they are presented in the alphabet. I cheated with the X, as I also often do with another poetic form dealing with particular letters in a particular way, the Acrostic poem.
Cheating, or not, I still quite like this particular poem. I’d love to know if anyone else finds the thoughts there interesting too. It is a part of Stoic thought, that one should try to do the best for the world at large, and assist those who are victims of ignorance, and assisting them to learn better ways is a good and Stoic thing to do.
And if the actions do not injure me, or others, or the world, and there is not a thing I can do to change them, then I will step away, and not trouble my mind with needless worry and stress. I will do my best, when and how I can. Best for the many, not just for me.
So those were my thoughts today. I wrote this poem, as my house was getting its first professional cleaning, first since we moved here anyway. I know this woman who is now my cleaner did a good job, even though the evidence isn’t immediately obvious. I know what she cleaned, and I also know how dirty it was …
Cleaning is not my strongest ability, but I am glad for what I know have, and will endeavour to maintain the some level of cleanliness, in the kitchen, anyway. Having a clean area, and with an inspired idea to assist with one particular ongoing issue, I hope the kitchen will not need such work from the cleaner next time. There are other areas in need of work …
And so that is my poetic work for today, and my ongoing house-work for the future.
I’ve run for office once. It was a local government election, and I thought, hey, I could do that, I’m clever, I care. I should be elected as a councillor for the Mallala local government elections. I lost.
And while there may have been a little bit of disappointment there, about losing, mostly I was glad. Well maybe not at the time, but afterwards, yes, for sure. I am interested in my community, and I like to help my community, but I’m interested in so many things that don’t have a lot to do with the community, but more to do with my other communities.
Because I’m a writer. Words, books, other writers, other places where words are celebrated, read from, written. These are also my community. And I write for the community of Mallala, as it was then, Adelaide Plains Council, as it is now, from the side. I don’t live in the town of Mallala, i just live near the town of Mallala. It’s a different thing.
At the new Mallala camping ground
I drink coffee there, I dine in there, I get takeaway there. My son went to school there. I edit a newsletter for the people there. but I do it about Mallala, not from within Mallala. I love the place, many people there appreciate what I do for them, but … I wasn’t born there, I moved there, and while I have family ties to Mallala, they are faintly tied fragile ribbons tying me to the place.
And then, another local government election came, and I know I would have had a much better chance of being elected this time. Many more people know who I am, and being the Editor of the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, and many people in Mallala and surrounds knowing me in that role, that would have brought in votes. Probably easily enough votes.
But my community is so much broader than just Mallala, my hopes and dreams broader than just Mallala, just Adelaide Plains Council. Instead of running for office, I’m running for the hearts and minds of readers, poets, writers, I’m running for a place in the canon of valuable words.
And it feels like I’m almost there, no need to count votes, my place there is solid, I’m in!
Having friends who are poets, and being considered to be a person who knows more than just ‘a bit’ about poetry, as evidenced by having several poetry books published, means you may sometimes be asked to launch the books of other poets. This can be a wonderful and humbling feeling.
I know that is how I feel about it, for sure. I’ve been asked, in the past, to launch books, and the most recent occasion is ‘pencilled in’ to happen at the end of September. This will be the launch of a friend’s book. He is the poet, John Malone. I hope Covid constrictions will remain not too tight, but still tight enough to keep us all safe. Because I really want that event to happen, but don’t want anyone getting sick.
And speaking of John, my fellow poet, here below is a poem I’ve written today. It began as a response to something John wrote recently on his own blog, which I replied to there. It also prompted some thoughts poetically expressed, and wandering around in odd directions. Today seems to have been ‘one of those days’, when weird or at least ‘odd’ things seem to be the way.
Do you ever have days like that? Spring is coming, the plants know it, and it shows, but it’s cold outside, and looks like more rain, some time. I have a new car and have barely driven it. I want a coffee, and haven’t got it yet, Me?! Coffee is my favourite and best food group! I know the venue where that book launch is going to take place has great coffee, it was an important point when our writing group, or at least me, decided to make the Prince Albert Hotel our venue of choice, and hold our weekly meetings, and other events there.
I’ve held my own book launches there, and will do so in the future, I’m sure. A good book launch is best if there is adequate seating, so people can comfortable listen to the speaking that goes with a book launch. The reading of works from the book is important, so those present can get a ‘taste’ of what is inside the book.
The launcher will say things they like about the book, then the writer of the book will say thank you, and probably read something as well. Then people can buy themselves a copy of the book, and get it signed by the author/poet. There will be food and drinks, and much conviviality (and social distancing, of course).
And so to that poem:
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In Response to what John wrote …
The question came – I thought, and sat. Is it metaphor or is it cat? If feline it was, displayed in word then rightly it was, when said it purred.
But if metaphor, without tail or fur is it right to mention there was a purr? I wondered, what’s the truth of that? My mind, confused, landed, splat!
I think I’ll leave it as it is the words are someone else’s biz. I’ll creep away, like I wasn’t there and settle down under this chair.
No-one will see me, if I don’t move and if not seen, no-one can prove I was even there, so it’s not my fault, so to this discussion, I now say halt!
If words don’t say, but merely allude, it’s like giving vapour, instead of food. Understanding levels sink down, shallow – fields of thought lay ever fallow …
Say what you mean, and mean what you say, hold muddled thought always at bay, to be considered wise, instead of dim. Think first, don’t utter words on a whim.
I hope I can follow my own wise words, not seem I’ve headed ‘off with the birds’. Mind you, if they’d have me, I’d gladly go off with the birds, to learn what they know …
Now I’m the one who sounds a dill! I’ll shush up soon, honest I will, climb out of these holes in which I’m falling So goodbye all, coffee is calling!
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 