out of body
public speaking - what was i thinking?
my mind, a vacuum

Two haiku for Miss Alice

beach date
yet another boy
weather-dependent

back to full time
no more fridays for you!
mu-uu-ar-rg-gh!

Taxi!
Get me to work on time
In body only.

Jenny Morris

Speed Round 1

i.
"bring a plate" we said;
food with an Australian theme -
iced vo vo anyone?

Cathy Dineen

ii.
The sun sets, light wanes
and you look ever more sweet.
Blind me, I'll be yours.

Chris Gill

my raspberry muffin
is a friend like no other
you can't eat your friends

The Grampians Collective 4

i.
Boy flips me the bird
as his dad’s truck eclipses my Morris
A curse on you, child

The Grampians Collective 3

i.
Country op-shopping
four stores in two frenzied hours
I go, girl!

ii.
Country blokes…
scowling brutes, rough and ready
All bark and all bite

iii.
burnout tracks
weaving predictably
like ribbon

iv. Two Haiku about a milk bar in Cavendish

Claim to fame
Australia’s largest burger
Feeds six

Proposition:
Finish it in an hour,
get your money back

v.
It’s too hot
to play photographer
tourist or poet

vi.
the southern approach
the ranges divide; open up
like a pop-up book

vi.
The trees are singing
Evening chorus of cockatoos
Children at recess

The Grampians Collective 2

i.
The sandstone ridges
within reach, the snooze button.
Holiday on ‘pause’.

ii.
White people imposed
not just law & religion
but their four seasons*

*The Indigenous people of Australia mark time by six seasons - Season of Eels or Kooyang (late summer), Season of Honey Bees or Gwangal Moronn (Autumn), Season of Cockatoos or Chinnup (Winter), Season of Nesting Birds or Larneuk (Early Spring), Season of Wildflowers or Petyan (Spring), Season of Butterflies or Balalambar (Early Spring)

iii.
Mackenzie Falls – we
assess if it’s worth the climb;
Looks pretty from here.

iv. Guljurn Manja*

Cluster of handprints
A handful of young ones, thousands of
years old; old souls

*Flat Rock, an Aboriginal shelter

v.
The setting sun
Grazing kangaroos – it’s safe
A joey steps out

vi.
night driving
by full moon and reflectors
Real life Xbox

The Grampians Collective 1

i. A haiku about a lady from a craft shop in a country town

I sew. I have to.
That’s my R&R; I sew then sell.
I have to.

The Grampians Collective: Introduction

Located in Western Victoria, Australia, the Grampians National Park is 260km from Melbourne and 460km from Adelaide. The Grampians comprise a system of rugged mountain ranges formed mainly of sandstone. The entire region is a showcase of ancient volcanoes, grain fields, heritage townships, living deserts, open forests, woodlands and wetlands. There are over 1000 different types of native wildflowers and ferns and a limited species of animals – kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possum, potaroo, bandicoot, echidna, platypus – including 230 species of bird.

The park has a diverse and rich human history. Known by Aboriginal people as Gariwerd, which means ‘mountain range’, the region holds deep cultural resonance for Australian's Indigenous people. Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung communities lived in and around the Grampians’ mountains and valleys for at least 3000 thousand years before the arrival of white settlers. The people of Gariwerd had a symbiotic relationship with the land and nature, which helped them grow and sustain societies, economies and lifestyles. The area is also of unique cultural significance with 80% of Aboriginal art sites in Victoria located in the park.

In January 2006 a major bushfire ignited by lightning consumed more than 130,000 hectares of national park, public land and pasture land. The Mt Lubra Fire affected approximately 47% of the National Park. 12 months later, there are sure signs of recovery and regeneration.

Sources:

Offical Visitors’ Guide – Halls Gap, Stawell, Ararat, 2006
Official Touring Map – The Grampians, 2006
Grampians National Park Vistor Guide, 2006
50 Walks in the Grampians (3rd Edition) by Tyrone T Thomas, 1986

The Spider Suite

i.
spider, poised
in the nebula of lamp
we wait

ii.
take this, spidey
pssst. pssst. pssst. for god's sake! pssssst.
die already

iii.
convulsion, then the
graceful suspension by web
a perfect dismount

carly simon
afternoon lullaby
as good as a cuddle

Little Black Samba

There he goes, all curls
and highlights...FLASHBACK! I cringe;
Little Black Samba

Ian Row

Last night, I dreamt
the entire contents of today.
Psychotropicale

Ian Row

Asked but not answered,
the question holds its power
like a river dammed.

Chris Gill

Two haiku about the ARIA Awards

*Australian Recording Industry Association

formulaic sex
careful market research
you too can win an ARIA

raw gifted talent
soul touching song writing
missed it by that much

Shell Pocock

i.
those voices again
in his head and on his lips
a torrent of words

ii.
there is a new cast
the editing is tighter
same fucked-up story

iii.
need to drive or dance
lip-syncing helps stem thinking
he can still hear them

Ian Row

Spot Haiku 7

i.
helpful and smiley
looks good in a suit 'n tie
thinking girl's crumpet

Cathy Dineen

ii.
inertia
there is no cure
chocolat

Ian Row

iii.
What's (cough!) no (cough!) fun?
Upper respiratory tract
(cough!) infection (cough!)

Chris Gill

iv.
sweaty palms, dry throat
rising anticipation
hot beach date tonite

Cesca Alice

v.
pre tax or post tax
my new threshold for living
a life less simple

Ian Row

vi.
Penguin on a plate
With a glass of French Champage
Oh Pingu, not you?

Paul Rozario

three good deeds today
puts me in pole position
"Christian of the week"

Sweet organics
back to nature
buy a hand

Karen McVean

Rolling in plenty.
Deck the skies with fireworks.
Groundhog day.

Karen McVean

New Year's Day
For the first time, a feeling
that change could come