Poetry of Life

About the Book

I have enjoyed collating the poems for my first book. The book of poetry came about when I met a young woman going through a very tough time in life. As she told me her story, she expressed her belief that butterflies were inspirational. That night, I went home and wrote “The Butterfly” for her. Although our paths have not crossed for many years, I feel the poem was a comfort to her, as she was grateful when I wrote the poem for her. From that time on, I began to write more often. Sometimes just a word or image would bring a poem to my mind. I wrote “ Devotion” for a man who was caring for his very ill wife. His kindness and caring touched me deeply, as he was so loving. I wrote “The Old House” about a derelict farmhouse. Some time after I wrote this poem, the old house was pulled down and a new house built in its place. One day, I decided to take a copy of “The Old House” to the owners. After the owners read the poem, they told me I had written their life story without having met them. I wrote “Homeless and Broke” in Houston, Texas, in the United States. We stopped at traffic lights there, and at one, I saw the homeless man. The poem immediately came to mind. After I write a poem, I rarely change it. Words come to mind that fit my thoughts. I wrote “ The Elephant” for a friend who was experiencing troubled times. This friend took comfort in elephants with their trunks up.

About the Author

I grew up in post-war Australia. My childhood was happy. I have an older brother and a younger sister. We were encouraged to read good books. My ideal Christmas present was lots of books. When I started kindergarten, my older brother walked me to school and back home. It was on these daily walks I noticed old men in a shelter shed. For some reason, the image of them stayed with me. When second grade was completed, I went to an all-girls primary school. Boys went to the boys’ school across the road. After primary school, my education continued at an all-girls High School. Writing compositions was never a chore for me. In fact, one time, I came home with a mark of 11 out of 10. My parents were quite thrilled. As I got older and left school to work in a department store, singing took over as my focus. In 1963, I married my husband, whom I met through a youth group. When we were in our mid-thirties, we sold our home to fund a news agency in a regional town. Making contact with so many customers,proved to be a rich ground for stories and anecdotes. While in that town, we became very involved in the community, my husband as a councillor and myself as a singer at charity events. Our two children completed their education there and then left to start their own lives. We now have two adult children and five grandchildren. After a busy life in business, we are now enjoying retirement.