Works up

I've had a wonderful time giving poetry/graphic poetry workshops to local primary school children over the last couple of weeks.

Preparing materials was fun. Happy, jealous, sad, philosophical, and jolly sorry were some of the feels I incorporated. And the kids all took part enthusiastically. Every single one of them created a brilliant poem.

Here are some of the results: 

 "I want to write a poem about when mountains are penguins."

 "I want to write a poem about when the beach is like a sleeping dog."

 "I want to write a poem about when snow is a white rabbit."

Seeing the pride on a child's face as they read a poem they have created is such a marvel, the only way to describe it would be to write or draw a poem, and maybe I'll do do that. In the meantime, I'll enjoy looking at this display put up by some of the children. Well done, kids!

Leader board

Last week, I was in a bit of a sludge, having lost my focus; sometimes, writing being the solitary act it is, it's easy to feel a little alone with one's thoughts, easy to create a few negative voices for company where there really are none.

This weekend, my daughter is in Wellington, competing in the National Surf Life Championships. So far, she has won, with her team, silver and bronze medals. It's taken hard work to get there; a couple of years ago, she couldn't even swim. She doesn't complain about all the training she has to do, getting up at 5:30 am every Saturday morning when most kids her age are sleeping in, she just does it.

I'm going to take her lead.