Garth Dutton

Reversable Poem – A Poem

The third writing exercise at the Kensington & Norwood Writers Group was to write a ‘reversable poem’, that can be read, and still make some sense, when read either up or down. We had to start writing it last line first, and work our way through to the first line.

My poem is simply called, ‘Reversable Poem’.

Reversable Poem
© Garth Dutton, 2010

Long morning.
Car windows misted-up.
Crows call from stobie pole.
T.V. is on, but the program is off the mark.
Mailman brings no letters.
Waiting for change of fortune.
Listlessly listening to music.
Beer or wine?
Winter day.
Rain squalls.

Rain squalls.
Winter day.
Beer or wine?
Listlessly listening to music.
Waiting for a change of fortune.
Mailman brings no letters.
T.V. is on, but the program is off the mark.
Crows call from stobie pole.
Car windows are misted-up.

Tags: adelaide, australia, garth dutton, poem, poet, Poetry

Collage – A Poem

The second poem I wrote as part of a writing exercise set up by the Kensington & Norwood Writers Group. The task was to write a poem in a format called ‘collage’.

We were given a dozen pieces of paper of varying sizes and shapes, and had to write a line of poetry on each of them. Then we had to shuffle the pieces of paper into a heap, draw them out at random, and however they came out was the poem.

The result of my effort is simply called ‘Collage’

Collage
© Garth Dutton, 2010

Reflected light from a rock pool.
In Kansas it is easy to believe the world is flat.
‘Centre of a triangle’ written at the centre of a triangle.
Daybreak rises.
Trip on kerbing and nearly break wrist.
Cold wind whistles around drainpipe.
Friends come back from McDonnell Ranges, three days early,
rained out in July.
Icelandic volcano closes down Europe’s airways.
Hooray! Coopers Creek flood reaches Lake Eyre.
The River Torrens is trying to stay calm
in the wind. The waves are reduced to ripples.
If I lock my screen door at night,
I’d never get out in an earthquake.
White gum blossom/ lots of honeyeaters/ too cold for bees.

Tags: adelaide, australia, collage, garth dutton, poem, poet, Poetry

Window – A Poem

I am a regular attendee at the Kensington & Norwood Writers Group poetry workshops and at the latest workshop we were given an exercise of writing a poem from a list of single words to be used as a the title. I wrote three poems from this exercise with the first one called “Window”

Hope you like it…

Window
© Garth Dutton, 2010

Window pane is cracked.
Paint peels from weatherboard.
Mining town
when mines have been closed.
Even the pub is run-down.

Tags: adelaide, australia, garth dutton, poem, poet, Poetry