rain
in the evening, the rain falls/ punctuating the pergola roof/ what if rain/ was the language of God/ the tongue of tactile vernacular/ we wait within the silences of drought/ sitting with our commission and omission/ afraid of the deluge of the flood/ holding a cup to catch holy water/ to slake our thirst
Posted in Short Stories
Tagged creativity, experimental, fiction, fiction friday, flash fiction, microfiction, poetry, slice of life, very short story, writers, writing
Advent
A waiting…
an anticipation…
about hope, of hope, and for hope
for our success, our health, our dreams and visions
a pregnant waiting and pause
believing for the fulfilment
to hold that one thing in our arms.
In the meantime,
send the text
ask the question(s)
pick up their groceries
mow their lawn
fold their laundry
make them cups of tea
and the time of hopeful waiting
will be shared, encouraged, unburdened
because you have loved your neighbour
as yourself.
(frangipani flower photo taken in my garden)
Posted in Short Stories
Tagged creativity, fiction, just because of thoughtfulness, microfiction, poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
Random list poem inspired by something I saw about all of us being the same.
Posted in Ars Poetica
Tagged experimental, just because of thoughtfulness, microfiction, poetry, writers, writing
Welcome to The Drum and Page.
If my desk was named like an English pub, it would be The Drum and Page. My writing collaborator, Jodi, calls her place, The Dog And Book. Therefore I am renaming my work space like an English pub even though I live in Australia. It simply sounds better. What would your creative space be called?
I digress but this initial tangent leads me to my WORD OF THE YEAR.
Each year I choose a word to help guide and direct me. They are written on a Post It Note and stuck to the wall above my desk. Last year I had two words: “limitless” and “breakthrough.” I found success in these two words in the release of my chapbook, Mount Pleasant, in February, and winning a local writing competition about the middle of the year. I kept writing and drawing, sifting through the what was to see what would be.
This year, the word is RELENTLESS.
It will take a year to explore the nuances of this word and what it means for me. And that will be an awfully grand adventure.
It’s a word to apply to my creative life through writing and drawing, and will have application to the spiritual, emotional/mental, and physical aspects of my life. I don’t know what the final outcome will be at the end of 2022. I may have made no progress other than developing my creative practice. I may have opportunities to explore because I asked about a collaboration, or I put in an application for a writing mentorship, or I submitted work for publication and only received rejections. I don’t know. But I will be relentless in my pursuit of this creative life.
Grace and peace be upon you all from the desk of The Drum and Page.
Possible Observations to Consider About Life Through the Metaphor of Food
the dehydrated pea rattling around an empty plastic bottle
makes a great rattle for a child but
represents the entirety of your mortality
a secret being told to you
is the opening of a packet of chocolate biscuits
and you scoff the lot
doubt sticks to the roof of your mouth
like a fresh white bread and peanut butter sandwich
after adding a layer of butter as an undercoat
you take your tea with milk and sugar
same as your father
and recycle the teabag to make another cup
Posted in Ars Poetica
Tagged fiction friday, flashfiction, poem, poet, poetry, writing, writing life
I am an English teacher and drummer/percussionist with an interest in literary pursuits, creative endeavours, rhythmic permutations, theological amplifications and comedic outbursts.
Here you will find my creative detritus: articles on living a creative life and writing explorations.
And other ideas I have snaffled from the papers stuck on the fridge door.
Twitter: @RevHappiness
Instagram: @handwrittenpages
My collaborative epistolary novel, "Post Marked: Piper's Reach," written with Jodi Cleghorn (@JodiCleghorn) out now via Vine Leaves Press.
Come and browse through the library; there is no need to be silent.
A Fullness in Brevity - Adam Byatt 