The Door Also Opens Inwards

A haiku written in response to a word prompt.

THE DOOR ALSO OPENS INWARDS (January 3, 2009)

We open our doors
With kindness in the spring-time
In winter we close

(c) Lillian Martin

The Mirror

This is another exercise poem to experiment with iambic pentameter, trochaic substitution and pyrrhic substitution. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it shows the techniques.

THE MIRROR (13 November, 2008)

I have a small mirror upon my wall
Its frame was once gilded, now worn away
I stare at my face and wonder of those-
those faces this mirror has seen before.

Are they still there? In part - as an echo
Will I see them if I look hard enough?
What did they see as they looked at themselves?
And do they see me as I search for them?

(c) Lillian Martin

Poetry Exercise Number 2

So I'm working my way through a book by Stephen Fry called 'The Ode Less Travelled' which has some great information on writing poetry and techniques - none of which anybody bothered to teach me in school. Here is one of the exercises I wrote to get a feel for iambic pentameter, one of the basics of writing English poetry (again, don't exactly remember ever being taught this fundamental, but then, I only completed Grade 12, a Bachelor of Arts degree and Grad. Dip in Library Science).

POETRY EXERCISE NUMBER 2 (10 November, 2008)

The laundry basket needs putting away
But I cannot face that horror today
The constant soiling and cleaning all day
When all I want is to go out and play

(c) Lillian Martin

Bubbles

Here's a free verse effort from when I was a lonely teenager. lol.

BUBBLES (14 April, 2003)

How am I supposed to understand
The things you say
The things you do

I know that you are speaking
I can hear the words you say
I see your lips moving

But it all means nothing to me.

How am I supposed to comprehend
Anything beyond myself
When I am wrapped in bubbles

People can see me
But they cannot touch

This is my bubbleworld
In bubblewrap

Untouchable
Unreachable

They are supposed to protect me
... the bubbles

But I feel suffocated.

(c) Lillian Martin

Ode to Golf Revised

Upon reading this poem again (and 11 years in between!) I can see some issues with it. The rhythm wants to work, but doesn't ... so I revised it (and got rid of that annoying un-rhyme I remember not being able to lose in 97). So here it is:

ODE TO GOLF REVISED (9 November, 2008)

An endless sea of rolling green,
With sweaty palms and face so keen
I stand upon a lonely hill
A silent breeze, my bones do chill.

A thick silence envelopes me,
It's like a fog I cannot see.
My arms swing back, I sight once more,
I slice the air and call out 'Fore'.

(c) Lillian Martin

Exam Time (haiku)

This is a haiku I just wrote. It is of a modern haiku style - that is 5,7,5 and containing a kigo (season word). I'm unsure if haikus have titles though ... if anyone knows could you let me know. In the meantime I think I'll name it just for the ease of posting.

EXAM TIME (8 November, 2008)

Jacarandas bloom -
The students rush to and fro
Books trailing behind.

(c) Lillian Martin

Ode to Golf

I won a highly commended for this one at school when I was 14. I think it's a bit daggy now, but thought I'd post it anyway ... lol.

ODE TO GOLF (1997)

An endless sea of rolling green
With sweaty palms and a face so keen
I stand upon a lonely hill
A silent breeze, my bones do chill.

The silence it surrounds me,
Like a stuffy blanket I cannot see.
My arms swing back all stiff and taut,
I slice the air and call out 'Fore'.

(c) Lillian Martin