Stories in Verse

After one of our group attended a play written in verse, we decided to give writing a story in verse a try - with rhymes optional extras depending on the person. We generally used a story that we already knew well. Despite that it was challenging to say the least. Still some great writing was done!



FANTASY WORLD

You live inside a world of the mind
In a fantasy world in which truth is pined

I wish that in your haunted wood
Everything would turn out good

Although I know that in summer there is no snow
Yet still I feel cold and slow

Your world is orbiting round and round
Although I stay here on the ground

Alas what will we ever do
To make this story rich and new

Your mind is a book
Within which we look

I will read your fancies free
And I will always wait to be

The object of your mind
To be truthful and kind.

- M.F.




THE FIRST CUT

You are going away
and I wish you would stay

Although there were no if's and buts
Into your brain they'll be making cuts

I do not know what to say
To keep the men of science away

I know that soon
All will be quiet in the room

In which you walk
We dare not talk

Standing there in the rain
Carrying just half a brain

Yes, a zombie made by men
Your true self immortalised by your pen

A writer yes, a writer good
You never did what you should

Through your brain they dragged a knife
And made you a zombie for the rest of your life.

- M.F.

(the above two poems are inspired by Janet Frame's 'Owls Do Cry')




HERE COMES CHRISTMAS AGAIN

They left Palmerston North Railway on train number 626
All were excited, as the day was on the eve of Christmas

They packed the carriages all full and loaded baggage too
And the logo it did strongly pull, train 626 on through

When Ruapehu came in sight, its beauty was admired
But all aboard then took full fright, as 10:21 expired

The rail bridge, as the lahar crashed, was broken and washed down
And the loco downwards fell and smashed and carriages, six, did drown

So many died that Christmas Eve, one-sixtyone we hear
And Christmas 1953 was spent in grief and despair.

The mountain warning is now in place to protect the downstream travelers
But we remember Tangiwai as each Christmas Day approaches.

- Kate Jenkins

A narrowing field

What we write on can sometimes change what we write. At least that was the plan at today's writing session which involved decreasing widths of paper, forcing us to write in shorter sentences until we were writing only one or two per line. Each paper had a different topic. First was about Dunedin/Otepoti; second was about a character, person or statue; and third was about what made us feel good and gave us a sense of wellbeing. Big thanks to Karen for the concept!


Dunedin - Best Place to Live

I think of students down the north end.
Dunedin comes alive when they are here.
Quiet at Christmas holidays.
Then we get visitors who enjoy the beaches with the locals.
Depending on weather, sports teams play on Oval.
Scottish, Irish and English are Dunedin's heritage.
Now we have people living here
from all parts of the world.
Best place to live.

Gail


Feeling Good

Weather - seeing sun, smelling flowers.
View from top of hill anywhere,
Breathing fresh air.
Visiting with friends.
Animals love me no matter what I do.
Going to Artsenta.
Having an aqua jog at Moana Pool then hot shower.
Heaven

Gail

I Feel Good

Sunshine
Ocean
Splashing
Hills
Trees
Flowers
People
Animals
Love
Friendship
Family
Walking
Out
Food
Music

Gail

Peter Pan

Young boy stands proud in the gardens.
Children climb on him,
Birds sit on him.
Peter Pan
Friend to all
Story book friend
Saves Wendy from Captain Hook.
Looks after the lost boys,
Our hero.

The Unexpected

Life often throws up unexpected situations. A weather event, a trip, a gift or old friend. It can be positive or negative and sometimes what appears a negative at first can become a positive once we settle down to dealing with the situation. And so it turned out at Writer's Group, with the usual staff member away, the group turned to their own resources to keep the session going. Hence the theme for this session - the unexpected!

THE UNEXPECTED

The unexpected

Takes you

By surprise

It turns around and

Spits directly 

In your eyes

It says ha ha!

I fooled you again!

Not once, but twice

See how you like that

It's not very nice!

The unexpected 

Seems to say

Not your will but mine

Will be done today!

The unexpected

Can leave you feeling

Lost, abandoned

And somewhat reeling

The unexpected

Leaves you knowing

Nothing is certain...

- Pauline

THE EXPECTED

Sinister

Invisibly

Colouring everything

Enemy of the moment

Unadorned

By the past

Ghosts of childhood 

Revisited

- Pauline

THE UNEXPECTED

I was going along nicely,
- Washing done
- Job application in
- Paper read
- Phone calls answered
All points bulleted and ticked off,

when the door bell rang
    Missionaries?
    Real estate agents?
    Fundraising school kids?
    Politicians?
    ... family??

I open slowly the sticking door
Hello.
  Hello?
    HELLO?

No.
  No one
    Nobody, nil, nada
      Nothing to see
 No one to talk to

- Kate Jenkins




THE EXPECTED

I thought I had time planned
not Life itself, but bits and pieces
job, retirement, popping off
all bits of Being on life's horizon
but formatted, calculated, analysed
and endlessly (endlessly) thought about
pondered, cogitated, ruminated

So I'm told I over think things
that I should just jump in...
...but what if there's a hard landing?
a trip, a fall, a mental blip?
Should I take a leap of faith...
...but where did God go?
Should I float on a wind...
...that could become a gale?

I like the expected, it's warmth, comfort
with occasional planned excursions
Because every now and then I like to
ride the gale, commune with God
and follow a thought less spoken

- Kate Jenkins

Vertical Word Play

Today Christine led our writing group, choosing to revisit a session on acrostic poems. These use words written vertically down a page with the poem flowing from, or dictated by, each letter. We started out with the most obvious word, Artsenta, and then moved on to random words chosen from a box. Ideally the poem would explore or reflect the word that we chose in some way. As always it is interesting to see the way different people tackle it. There's no one right way to do this (or anything?).



Artistic awareness
Reels you in
Tremoring with colour
Seductively
Enticing
Never dull
Triumphantly shouting
Art




Arriving at an art space
Ready to make and create
Thinking about transforming matter
Sort of like a mad scientist or magician
Except it's about beauty and it's
Not always easy
There's practice and patience
And lot's of artistic license!




Artistic creativity will become the
Recognition of your activity, it is
There but disguised before your eye of detail
Sensing pride within your
Emotional sensations to your own pathway of exploring your
Neutral self-esteem of expressions, your
Thoughts can show significant exposure within your own
Artistic world




Artistically created
Rough edges
Tenderly smoothed
Stumped
Empty of ideas
Nothing coming
Turmoil
Aaargh!!




A
Rough
Time
Smoothing
Edges
Noting
The
Aesthetic

Pet Loves

Almost everyone has had a pet, had one in the family, or encountered one in their wider whanau circle. They often generate strong emotions, to the point where tears almost smudge the writing (for one of our writers at least!). But joy is ever present when it comes to pets which was the topic of our writing today.


A WALKING CARPET

From the corner of my eye I see ...
movement, on the floor
grey shadow
tapering 10 inch length
wool fibre curling, waving
lint and dusty debris walking
swiveling, swirling

1 right foot swivels forward
toes extended, grip the carpet
body flexing
2 left foot swivels forward
toes extended, grip the carpet
and somewhere under fibre and dust
3 left foot follows 1 right and
4 right foot follows jerkily with 2 left
wide mouth opens with two fat lips
tiny teeth
dinosaur-like tail follows S-bending
Migrating from your pool
should not be over carpet!
I put you back in the tank Axolotl.

- Kate Jenkins




BIRTHDAY BOX

my eleventh birthday
I tell my parents that if they really loved me
they would get me a  dog

walking towards a paper carton
my heart thumping in my chest

suddenly the black object in the box yelps
I turn and run
the next few months are terror

you chase me and my sister along the carpet
while we stand screaming
on the couch

then you got bigger
and you jumped up beside me
and so we became friends

I remember your quirks
20 x bigger than our guinea pigs
and you still reacted with terror

I still remember the day the cat
swiped your nose
and won the fight

dragging me through the streets
I spent hours with you whilst you
pulled me uphill and down dale

the night you protected me in north east valley
saving me from a person
who might not have had the best intentions

of all my pets
rats, mice, guinea pigs, cats and dogs

you were my protector and friend
always love you
missing you heaps

- M.F.




MR RIGGINS

He’s a ginger furry cat
I met him when I visited my Aunty
He is fun to be around
He is named Mr Riggins
He loves to follow everyone around
He never likes being left alone
He likes to take naps on a fluffy pillow
He meows a lot meaning he loves his food
When you’re around Mr. Riggins
It's like you’ve gone to another world of happiness and fun
Even if you leave for a few minutes then come back
Mr Riggins comes crawling back to you
Meowing madly
Mr Riggins is a very cute cat
Every time I am with him
He makes me wish that I had
A cute kitty cat just like
Mr Riggins


- Julia Godfrey

GERI

I don't own you!

Terror drove you to my door

Or rather, to the loft above

A safe place

A haven

From the neighbour's dog

Hunted

Time and time again

You sought refuge.

One day

Miaowing plaintively

You let me know!

How thin you were!

Too afraid to eat from your usual place

Caught between two worlds

Danger and safety

Now I feed you

And love has grown

Slowly

Imperceptibly

You found me.

 - Pauline

DIXIE

Cocker Spaniel

Brown and black

Floppy ears

- a target for Ted!

Slowly plodding

Up the hill

Not fast

Not slow

Just constant

And constantly beguiling

Accepting

Philosophical even

Confident

She was loved.

Pretending somnolence

When night-time

Call-to-kennel came

Huge paws

Sliding forwards

In resistance

Farewell!

- Pauline

Creative well-being

At today's session we focussed on well-being, firstly using the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week (23-29 Sept) as a prompt - Explore your way to wellbeing. After our first effort we looked at a collaborative exhibition in Wellington called 'Get a head, Get a hat' which is a different take on an old 1940s advertising slogan ' Get a hat, Get ahead'. Apparently if you want to make progress in life you need to get a hat and hats were everywhere in those days! Instead the creative spaces undertaking this project want us to think about getting into a good head space as a way of making progress in life, hence 'Get a head, Get a hat'.




PLAYGROUND OF WELLNESS

A seesaw movement of mood
exaggerated at both ends
forcing me to hold on so hard
that it is the only reason
I don't fall off

If I could find a way to navigate
the playground of wellness
I must first experience everything
the playground has to offer

Ups, downs and psychosis
must first be experienced before
taking the model railway to wellness
The seats are small and I'm
afraid I might fall off

Taking the first step away
from the playground
I make it to the meadow
of well-being

It is an affirmative step
that I must consciously make.
Do I hide in the shadows
of this playground?
Or do I decisively walk away?

- M.F.



DIVE RIGHT IN

The words flow from the pen
slowly viscous like honey from a spoon
Wanting to taste and feel and hear and see
A feast for the senses

If only I could become a part of it
Just dive right in
Immersing myself in the poem
and having it cling to me

A barrier against illiteracy
A protective education
If I can express myself in
as few words as possible
I will be happy

- M.F.



QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What is more important?
What goes on it?
or what is in it?
A head is not just a shape
an object
for hats and glasses to perch upon.
A head is full of thoughts
and ideas
useful and destructive
helpful and not so.
Full of memories
which do we value and treasure?
the successes?
or the failures?
Why do some
remind themselves of their failures?
while others can hold onto their successes?
A head needs to be maintained
and cultivated
so it can be productive
and grow the best crop possible.

- Christine Philp

A HAT, BEING WELL

If well being was a hat

it would be well fitting

A good fit doesn’t slip

holds tight in the wind

adjusts to a preferred angle

It keeps off the rain

and the burning sun

shading the eyes so

Life’s detail is clearly seen

This Well Being Hat is So Cool!

It struts down the street

saying “Look at me;  I am OK”

It lifts in cordial greetings to friends,

and at days’ end it flies buoyantly

through the air, to land on the bed

- Kate Jenkins

CONTENT TO SEE

A kitten runs curiously from box to bag

a child escapes outdoors

to a garden playground of thought and task

the teenager runs, and shouts to the hills

and an OE generation boards a plane

I walk slower now, content to see

the many things I raced past in youth

but longing still for the resounding silence of the mountains

augmented by the trill of a lone bird

as clear splashing water explores the rocks

in its downhill rush between tussocks and rare alpine herbs

to join a beech hidden river

a boulder gorge, a tight high waterfall

then the fast meandering of reed coated flats

Content with memory I find

my eyes more active

seeing in detail one path on the road from home

my neighbours’ garden

and a baby tūī going joyous on flax

- Kate Jenkins

EXPLORATION

Wellbeing

Sits waiting

Patiently

Wondering

Where you've gone

Knowing

Having faith

That you will find 

Your own way back

To how things 

Were

Before

Things 

Happened

 - Pauline

BUYING A HAT

Buying a hat

One would think

Would be unimportant

If one had no head

A hat

Bobbing about 

No nose

No eyes

No mouth

No ruffled hair 

Blowing in the 

Wind

No smile

No angry glare

No tears

No fearful glance

A covering only

Sitting on shoulders

Empty

 - Pauline

TV Dinners

Over the last two weeks we have focussed on prose and to help us get into the groove we used a film or television programme we had seen as the basis of our story - or at least the starting point. We were asked to change at least one significant aspect of the original story and to be as creative as we liked but with a word limit of 250. How to convey a film or programme in a short word count was an interesting challenge. We revealed what the programme was once we had shared the story - sometimes it was patently obvious and other times it was a complete mystery. With only about 20 minutes of writing, our group did incredibly well. Here are a few samples.

MY MONSTER, MY FRIEND

I used to dream that when the moon would awaken, he would be there. His long blue fur and deep steps that trimmed the echo of the night. I would be curled up in bed but always feel the creep. The dull sweep of his toes and the deep rumble of his breath. I would dream and there he would stand. It would start with a knock, just enough of a noise to rouse me, then an obscure breeze would tear the curtains. Even though I knew that it happened every night, my pulse would beat like the wings of a butterfly and my eyes would flutter awake. I recall the chill in the room and the way a low groan cut through the silence. I recall following the scuttling sound near the bottom of the bed and how the chill of the room stuck to my neck. Then came the roar. The realisation as to what was there were your skin turns artic and you feel the thick wads of fur suddenly near your pillow. Then the room fills with thunder as this giant blue create with rows of sharp yellow teeth bellows out a roar- the sound is so loud, I recall it making my ears ache, my eyes always watered, and my mouth screamed. I used to think he was terrifying. The way he used to scare me and then one day that changed, and now, when he walks through the door near my bed, so late at night, I welcome him and laugh about all the ways things used to be.

- Nellie Toubon




THE JOURNEY TO HOME

Swimming through the freezing sea, I feel free. My friends are around me and we play as we swim. Soon I'll be home, soon I'll see my family. Nearly there I think to myself. As we get closer to the shore we instinctively swim faster: we know that he'll be there waiting for us. Just as we had expected he was waiting, his looming body blocking our way to the beach. His body at least three times bigger than us, his teeth gnashing at us. At least there is only one beast today, we can outrun him. Like a switch instincts all kick in. We dart past him, weaving around him. His large body slowing him down, he tires quickly. My friends and I arrive at the beach in one piece, I feel the endorphins surge my body giving me that last blast of energy to get home. It's still a long way to go, I see the familiar hill that we must climb. As I look up I see the jaggered  rocks and sudden drops. So one by one we make our way up, catching each other before they slip. It's a long journey home, my feet are aching but the distant sounds of hungry chicks keeps me going. Soon I'll be home, soon I'll see my family.

- Tayla




NEW BEGINNINGS

He arrived in the new town, new country, new everything, wondering what they already knew about him.  Would they know he'd been kicked out of Australia, tail between his legs?  And they'd only taken him on here because they were so desperate?  He'd learn about them quickly enough, being the new doctor.
The first patient was rough, "You can't be the new Doc, you're Australian".  He smiled, grimaced, and tried to explain that yes, they do have medical schools in Australia, and he is indeed a suitably qualified doctor.  After that, dealing with his bunions was a breeze!
His daughter was another issue.  He'd uprooted her from everything she knew and everyone she knew.  And being a teenager, she was quick to tell him what she thought!
After 3 weeks of listening to her moan, he'd had enough and started packing to go back to Australia.  He'd have to start at the bottom again, maybe in a small practice where no-one knew him.  And then the biggest shock of all - she wanted to stay!  She'd started to make friends and wanted to give this new country a go after all!

- Christine