Earth Day. A Celebration – Saving the Jacaranda- copy

colleen General, Poetry 23/04/201923/04/2019Earth Day, Elizabeth Keating-Jones, jacaranda, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Neil Gaiman, Rachael Carson, saving the jacaranda, Silent Spring

To celebrate Earth Day I choose to reprint a poem I love from my first poetry collection, A Call to Listen. It is a true story of a group of workers in our local council. A model to save trees wherever you can for the life they support, for the beauty they give, for the fresh air they make, and for their healing presence in our lives.

Thank you Mary Reynolds Thompson for your inspiring email . . . a reminder for me to act today.

It was on an autumn walk I learnt the old Jacaranda tree that I loved was under threat. It was in the way of new pipes. The pipes about 2 metres in diameter were being dug in and the gorgeous old Jacaranda was in the pathway. The next day there was an arborist directing the men down amongst the roots gently digging out the soil. The pipe was placed in underneath the roots. Then in November, 6 months on there it was, in full glory . . thanks to those who had worked to save it.

jacaranda_tree

saving the jacaranda

the line for the new concrete
drainage pipe
runs under the massive old jacaranda

meticulous to protect its roots
day after day the council men
ratty and mole in fluorescent yellow
dig a man-made warren
wide and deep

exposed roots
stretch and coil like dark bearded monsters
from a tenebrous underworld
smelling earthy airless damp

then overseen by an arborist
a crane lowers the pipe into place
and this private world is reclaimed

a year on
standing before its gnarled trunk
on a lilac path
i am corralled in its aura
of blossom-laden branches
and i rejoice with the breeze
in whispered mantras

And thank you to my daughter Elizabeth Keating-Jones sending me Neil Gaiman’s poem in honour of the Scientist and researcher, Rachel Carson (1907- 1964 ) who is the inspiration for Earth Day after the new enlightment the world was given with her book Silent Spring (1962)

Society of Women Writers April Meeting

colleen General 23/04/201923/04/2019Pattie Miller, Society of Women Writers, Sue Woofe, SWW, Var, Varuna Writers' House

A fresh Autumn morning . I set out by train for the city to attend the monthly gathering of the Society of Women Writers. ( SWW)

Each month it is held at the State Library of NSW over in the Dixson Room in the original Mitchell Library. And being a Friend of the Library I enjoy a coffee and some quiet space in the Friends room before hand

This month Pattie Miller lead the workshop .

and luncheon with the key note spesker as Pattie again on the topic of

and a very interest talk with Libby Hathorn and the first release of her new children’s book Miss Franklin .

It was a very pleasant gathering and Pattie as always very informative

One of the exciting unfolding pieces of information Pattie Miller held up the new Stella Award book An Erratic life by Vickie Laveau-Harvie . Pattie was excited as Vicki had been on e of her students . I was excited firstly for Vicky winning such a prestigious prize but that I had spent the week at Varuna

Society of Women Writers – Workshop with Patti Miller

colleen General 23/04/201923/04/2019memoir-writing, No woman is an island, Patti Miller, Society of Women Writers, Truth-telling

It was a very helpful and informative workshop at the State Library of NSW with Patti Miller. She titled it,

The Difficulty of Truth Telling in Writing a Memoir

No woman is an Island.

We are all part of a family, a circle of friends, work groups, socail groups, – sport, religion, interest, hobbies.

We have a truth – a different truth for each different group.

We become socialised to know what truth to tell to each group.

When we sit down to write a memoir things come to the fore . . .1. We don’ want to hurt the other, family, friends. 2. It might change the way people think of us. 3. There is pressure to be nice, 4. Pressure to keep the peace. . . be the angel in the house.

Yet without feeling free to tell your truth the memoir will luck genuine authenticity.

Some hints to Tell the Truth and Survive

The tone of your voice. Not what you say . . . it is how you say it. Not bitter, not accusing , not a rort for revenge, not a statement for a statement’s sake . It must be like a velvet glove slipped into context.
Put it all down in Draft one not to show but it gets a lot of angst out of you and it doesn’t have to be published.
Remember it is your truth, your opinion, your perspective.

We then workshopped our own writing beginning

My . . . . . . . would not want me to write about . . . .

We did not have to share it, but the brave souls who shared . . .showed us the power of truth – telling.

Earth Day. A Celebration – Saving the Jacaranda

colleen General, Poetry 23/04/201923/04/2019Earth Day, Elizabeth Keating-Jones, jacaranda, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Neil Gaiman, Rachael Carson, saving the jacaranda, Silent Spring

Thank you Mary Reynolds Thompson for your inspiring email . . . a reminder for me to act today.

jacaranda_tree

saving the jacaranda

the line for the new concrete
drainage pipe
runs under the massive old jacaranda

meticulous to protect its roots
day after day the council men
ratty and mole in fluorescent yellow
dig a man-made warren
wide and deep

exposed roots
stretch and coil like dark bearded monsters
from a tenebrous underworld
smelling earthy airless damp

then overseen by an arborist
a crane lowers the pipe into place
and this private world is reclaimed

a year on
standing before its gnarled trunk
on a lilac path
i am corralled in its aura
of blossom-laden branches
and i rejoice with the breeze
in whispered mantras

White Pebbles, Autumn Meeting 2019

colleen General 13/03/201919/03/2019Autumn walk, Beverley George, Edogawa Japanese gardens, Gosford, Haikuists

White Pebbles, Autumn Meeting 2019

The poet of ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, John Keats, would be proud of our group of Haikuists taking an autumnal walk around the Gosford /Edogawa Gardens on the Central Coast this past Saturday 9th March 2019. We were aware of the concept of ichi-go ichi-e, the Japanese idiom ‘treasuring the unrepeatable nature of the moment.’

Our happy band meets four times a year for our ginko; with Beverley George our leader and present were Kent Robinson, Verna Rieschild, Marilyn Humbert, Maire Glacken. Samantha Hyde, Colleen Keating with an apology from Gail Hennessy

Beverley commented how lovely to see our group growing and developing over the past year.

white pebbles march 2019 — L to R: Marilyn Humbert, Kent Robinson, Maire Glacken, Beverley George, Verna Rieschild, Colleen Keating, Samantha Hyde

We began our morning with a welcome coffee and catch-up on the café patio sharing some newly published work and thoughts from our ‘homework,’ – a handout that Beverley emailed earlier to help us prepare.

We spent about forty minutes contemplatively moving around the garden, walking, sitting, pondering, jotting down thoughts and ideas for haiku writing; some of us lucky enough to have a haiku readily unfold to us.

beverley in park

A quiet moment, Beverley George

Lovely to sit in the open tea room overlooking the white pebble beach, the koi and ducks performing in the pond as usual. Cheeky peewees and plovers and a solitary whip bird added to the delight of our morning.

We are privileged each visit to enjoy a quiet working space in the Art Gallery precinct and we gathered at a great round table to share our writing. We marvelled at the rich and varied takings from our observations. I feel sure we all feel encouraged and affirmed from our sharings.

We left inspired in our haiku writing and look forward to our next winter meeting.

Some stayed to enjoy the choices from the delicious lunch menu in the café.

Report by Colleen Keating

Stop Press; Hildegard is journeying well.

colleen General 10/03/2019Ginninderra Press, hildegard of bingen, Poetic Journey, Stephen Matthews

tulip bud in Liz garden

The birth of my new book Hildegard of Bingen: A Poetic Journey like this fresh bud moist with morning dew is being birthed.

It was exciting to receive the manuscript from Ginninderra Press for my first read and edit.

Stephen and Brenda Matthews, from Ginninderra Press have worked very sensitively with my manuscript, that was accepted by them last year for publication.

Every step has its mix of excitement and challenge.

Now for the decisions about cover and blurb.

hildegard

Hildegard receiving one of her visions .

This photo is taken in the ruins of Disibodenberg where Hildegard lived for nearly 40 years, firstly in an anchorage which opened up to become a convent as more girls and women even widows asked to come and live. Michael took this photo of me sitting in the area which is thought to have been Hildegard’s Kapelle.

Some of the items from Bingen that helped to inspire me on my writing journey.

Love is Powerful by Thomas Keating-Jones

colleen General 18/02/2019Love is powerful, Power up your green heart, Thomas and our planet, Thomas Keaating-Jones

There is hope. Just read Thomas’ s latest poem .As a poet myself, I am so proud of my Grandson 7 1/2 year old Thomas. His poem is a healing for our planet. I think you will agree with words like this, there is Hope .

Love is Powerful

When rage is too powerful to overcome

Love is the one who steps forward to take its chance to change.

The universe greets life with the most powerful force –

Friendship and unity

As together they create something that’s alive.

It cannot be replaced

It cannot be destroyed.

It can be forgotten and that is the danger!

So power up what you love most

to bring the Earth to health.

Power up your green heart.

Power up your blue heart.

Power up together to face the rage and destruction.

Our planet is worth it to protect our nature and its wonder .

Thomas Keating-Jones

Image 18-2-19 at 3.20 pm (2)

A New Review of Fire on Water in Tamba: A selection of poetry and prose

colleen General 31/12/201801/01/2019Fire on Water, Goulburn Valley Writers Group, Helene Castles, Review of Fire on Water, Summer 2018, Tamba A Selection of Poetry and Prose, Tamba Journal

Book Review

Fire on Water by Colleen Keating

Published by Ginninderra Press, 2017

Winner of silver award for Poetry 2017 Nautilus Book Awards

Highly commended, Society of Women Writers Society Poetry Award 2018

Keating Cover

The poems of Colleen Keating are divided into seven sections, yet when I read Fire on Water the 84 poems came together, as if each held a link to the other.

Darginyung, a short poem at the beginning drew me into anticipation of a follow up on the indigenous story and the understanding of that story by the poet, as evident with:

the didgeridoo its spirit/ circles the hollowed wood’. In forgotten warriors, in the section titled ‘Lie of the Land’ Colleen asks: is it a dark forgetting’ and the important question ‘dare we disturb our complacency’. Other poems on the subject make it clear that the poet is not complacent.

A meditation – in search of Hildegard of Bingen takes Colleen deep within herself to discover the presence felts so strongly amongst the ruins. Not a cared-for monument but a place for a true pilgrim, rough, so personal to the writer, ending with joy, as: ‘her muddy hand-made sandals make me laugh’. I didn’t read the back cover or the acknowledgements, to stay fresh for the poems, so that I would not be influenced in my responses, but it didn’t surprise me to find that in search of Hildegard of Bingen was a finalist in the Dame Mary Gilmore Award, for the 90th Anniversary of the Society of Women Writers, NSW 2016: Hildegard is here/ I do not flinch I expect her’

I went to the internet to search. I found Hildegard and knew that the poem had already told me her story.

farewell beautiful home is written about a time of life- style change, where down-sizing is the next step. Nostalgia, questioning, thoughts of the sounds of the surrounding bush and the: ‘conversation’ of each room in their family home of forty years .

As with many of the poems the last line is positive : ‘now space for a new story’.

The process of decluttering , the brutal choices of what to throw away, is shadowed by a sudden strange idea that the writer would ask nothing more of her poesy. It wasn’t the first time. In out of a black sea looking through her window into the darkness, Colleen: ‘questions the point of writing anymore’. The sun then slowly rises and reaches out to her ‘with tiny blissful pieces of inspiration’ . Doubts may creep in, but i can see and hope that there will always be new poems waiting to be revealed to Colleen Keating , that she can share with us all.

Reviewed by Helene Castles – Shepparton East Vic.

Summer 2018 Goulburn Valley Writers Group Inc.

Thank you Tamba and thank you Helen Castles for a very affirming Review. Your dedication to poetry and writers is very much appreciated.

VARUNA WRITERS’ HOUSE – Poetry Residential Masterclass

colleen General 16/12/201817/12/2018Blue Mountains, Eleanor Dark, Katoomba, Poetry Masterclass, Shhh Quiet Zone, Shhh Writers at work, Timeless Land, Vanessa Kirkpatrick, Varuna House, Varuna Writers' House

Poetry Residential Masterclass VARUNA WRITERS’ HOUSE

shhhsign

As I roll my car into the Varuna Writers Centre, a sense of tranquillity settles.

Leaving a hot, busy, noisy city and winding my way up into the Blue Mountains is in itself for me, a meditative journey, even inhaling the mountain air is a reminder of what breathing is all about.

My excitement hardly contained to have a one week writers residency.

The poet Vanessa Kirkpatrick is our convenor for the week, with four other committed poets we look forward to an enriching, rewarding time of learning, writing and sharing. Vanessa shares three stimulating WORKSHOPS, that make us think both of the structure and content of our poetry. Having two sessions of ‘one on one’ with Vanessa crafting our words helps us step up to a new level. Vanessa is so generous with her time and sharing her expertise.

For those who are not familiar with Varuna, this Writers’ House was the home of Eleanor and Eric Dark, who bought the land in 1923 and built their home over the next years with the piece de resistance – The Studio set in the garden built for Eleanor as her writing studio.

studio my desk in studio for a week

Varuna is surrounded by a mature rambling garden of a few acres in Cascade St near the beginning of the Katoomba Falls.

A bush walk takes you to a lookout to enjoy the falls and a vistas of The Three Sisters and the majesty and solitude of the Jamison Valley. The Scenic Skyway glides silently between cliff tops.

Eleanor was a prolific writer and Eric was a medical doctor .

DARK-Eleanor

Eleanor is best known for her trilogy The Timeless Land which was on the School Curriculum for some years and which was made into an ABC series Her books:

The Timeless Land (1941)

Storm of Time (1948)

No Barrier (1953) these 3 make up the trilogy

Slow Dawning (1932)

Prelude to Christopher (1934)

Return to Coolami (1936)

Sun Across the Sky (1937)

Waterway (1938)

The Little Company (1945)

Lantana Lane (1959)

content

After their death, Mick Dark ( their son) established the house as a Writers’ Centre in order to protect the land from possible sub division and to allow the literary spirit of the space to continue. Writing residencies began in 1989 making next year 2019 the Centre’s 30th anniversary. It is a space of solitude, silence called for rom 6am to 6 pm and then writers gather to share their day and writing over a beautifully prepared meal by the wonderful chef Sheila. ( Her Varuna recipe book is coming out in the next six months )

I believe all places are filled for next year. How vibrant and healthy is our writing world .

Our writing world, our poetry world might be grass roots but that’s where the real growth begins and spreads. Thank you Eleanor Dark Foundation for your contribution to this.

Visit to Cairns and writing poetry with the Grandchildren

colleen General 22/11/201811/06/2019Blue Balloon, Cairns, Cameron Keating, Cammie, Cassawary, Friar bird, Grandchildren, Haiku, Lachie, Lachlan Keating, tropics

Having a few days in Cairns with the Keating,

being there for Josh’s birthday, and having time

with the family especially Lachie and Cammie was fun

and one of the highlights of last month.

My Christmas poem for 2018 was seeded there (on next post)

and I had great fun writing poetry with the boys.

One of our highlights was our walk through the Cairns Botanical Gardens

Cairns

by Lachlan and Grandma

Cairns

By Lachlan Keating

The thing I like about the tropics

is the vegetation

The coloured leaves amaze me

pink, red, purple and white

mottled, patterned dotted and striped

so you think leaves are only green

with chlorophyll to catch the sun

well come here with us all of you

to the tropics and have some fun

and you will be amazed too.

*********

Two to three

by Lachlan Keating

From our balcony

in the palm tree

last night we saw a nest

With two eggs

This morning

the mother was on the nest

but when she flew off

to sit on a nearby branch

there were three eggs!

( The story didn’t end there. Lo and behold the next morning there were four eggs.

When we did our research we discovered she is a Friar Bird. Friar birds lays one egg a day, laying from two to five eggs. Yet five eggs is very rare. Did we have a rare bird? We waited till this morning and when she left her nest to sit on a nearby branch and sing her morning song there were still four. So she is special but not rare . Now she will sit for many hours a day to incubate the eggs and they will hatch in about 28 days. I wish we could stay in our Air B&B till then but we have to leave this beautiful sight at the end of the week. Maybe the next guests will enjoy the developments )

The Blue Balloon

by Lachlan Keating

In the pool

we had a blue balloon

we blew it up

got the end

and pulled it down

half way under the water

and we let it go

wham!

it flew up into the sky

we got a shock it went so high!

Tricking Grandma

by Cameron Keating

When Grandma was resting

on the towel

I snuck over to the pool

and filled my balloon up

with water and air

then I crept back

over to Grandma

and squeezed

the balloon really hard

and sprayed water

all over Grandma.

3975327707_549d93915d_o

Waterfalls

by Grandma, Lachie and Cammie

We swim in the cold wet gorges

and it is fun,

diving and jumping off rocks,

playing in the sun.

Splashing under waterfalls

resting on warm ledges

we listen out for bird calls.

The sign says no crocodiles

for miles and miles and miles,

but we still look out

and keep our eye about.

When you swim in gorges

in the month of May

the splashing water falling

is lots and lots of fun

jumping in in such a ball

but later, some say

when the dry comes in

and there is a very hot sun

it would be a miracle

to see a cascading waterfall

Unknown

Territory Day

by Lachlan and Cameron Keating

edited and typed by Grandma

Alice was on fire

on Territory Day.

Boom buzz bang

wham whiz whirl

kabam pop bomb

surprises

twist and twirl

the sky lit up

red like fire

purple like blueberries

green like grass

and blue too

it was such fun

all colours of the rainbow

orange and yellow too

like stars and balls of sun.

****

Both boys having been learning about Haiku

( A small poem originating in Japan.) It consists of three lines

Line 1 has a beat of 5

Line 2 has a beat of 7 and

Line 3 has a beat of 5

This is good for the boys as they learn to count the number of beats

and to think of a story and have the discipline of the form. However Modern Haiku like to write less then 5 – 7 – 5.

The first two Haiku were written by the boys for their home schooling.

Birds

flocks of colour glide

wings flapping swooping diving

flying feathered friends

Lachlan Keating

3975327707_549d93915d_o

Water

deep pools of water

floating flowing tingling skin

cold splash kicking fun

Cameron Keating

More haiku by Cammie and Grandma having fun

blue Cassowary

in the Daintree National Park

walking on our track

***

Cassowary bird

you surprised us in the bush

with your tiny chick

images

***

munching little fish

an humongous crocodile

while we were watching

***

vicious crocodile

with sharp teeth and scaly skin

we won’t swim with you

***

scary crocodile

we know you are hiding

in that swimming hole

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