An afternoon of poetry
This afternoon I went to an afternoon of poetry. Normally I would have to travel for a half hour or so into the Adelaide Hills, or for about an hour into the Adelaide city itself. This time the poetry reading session came to my home town, Murray Bridge.
The special afternoon was organised jointly by the Friendly Street Poets group in Adelaide and the local district council, who funded the event. I didn’t quite know what to expect, not having been to such an event, though I had heard some things about readings like this. What I didn’t expect was the enormous interest in the event. Over 80 people chose to ignore the lovely spring weather and the fact that it was Father’s Day in order to attend. This must have been most encouraging to the organisers.
About 15 people used the opportunity to use the open mike to read their poems. There was a vast range of themes covered by the poems. Some people read confidently, while others were a little hesitant. One thing that stood out was the prominence of rhymed poetry. According to one of the organisers, this is something that is unusual in their normal reading sessions.
At the last moment I chickened out and didn’t take any of my poems to read. In retrospect, many of my poems would have stood up very well against those that were read out, something I find encouraging. It was announced that this was to be the first of several more such events over the coming year. This is encouraging. The good attendance at the inaugural event ensures successful readings to come.
After the readings, there was a book launch. An acquaintance of mine, Max Merckenschlager launched his first collection of poetry, Lifemarks. I’ll do a review of this fine little book when I’ve read all of the poems and savoured them for a little.
Poem #42: Anzac Cove
Anzac Cove
And then –
Young hearts and heads adventure filled
Were drawn to other lands by those
Whose fear, concern or hatred fueled
Through actions – bold, aggressive foes.
On ships they came upon that shore
With brave anticipation high.
A storm of lead hit to the core
And took young men without a sigh.
That stain of blood spread o’er the beach
As brave young lives cut short and lost
So far from home, in senseless reach
For peace – elusive, at what cost?
And now –
At Anzac Cove, a company
Of young Australians out to seek
And fashion their own destiny –
A solemn, silent, vigil keep.
(C) 2008 Trevor W. Hampel. All rights reserved.
The people of Australia and New Zealand celebrate their war heroes on this day, April 25th. The date commemorates the landing of our soldiers at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It is now known as Anzac Cove. Tens of thousands of pilgrims – many of them young people – gather for the dawn service there every year. It has become a sacred, significant and moving ceremony for those who make the journey. The dawn service is also a feature of celebrations throughout both nations, together with marches through towns and cities everywhere.
Mt Macedon War Memorial
Note: this poem was originally posted on ANZAC Day 2008. I am republishing it on ANZAC Day 2009.
LEST WE FORGET.
How sweet it is
How sweet it is to get paid for one’s writing!
I received the cheque in the mail today for the prize winning poem I entered in a recent competition. Nice to be acknowledged in a competition – and get paid for it. It has inspired me to write more poems and stories and send them off to publishers. It has also spurred me on to get the many manuscripts of books ready for sending off too. I have a nice little collection of texts for picture books and novels for children just waiting for a final edit and a cover letter.
In addition to the cheque I also received a lovely certificate as the winning poet. Nice.
Good writing.