‘Family Photo’ by Stephanie Boase
I just love the reality and happiness of this poem!
Miscellaneous Collection by Gretchen Bernet-Ward
I just love the reality and happiness of this poem!

My dragon gives me dirty looks,
When I borrow his favourite books.
I settle down in cosy nooks,
Or rest beside babbling brooks,
To read about pirates with curvy hooks,
And wildly passionate celebrity cooks,
And scattered flocks of noisy rooks,
And a veggie patch of scratching chooks.
There’s even a dungeon full of crooks,
Trying to hide from shimmering spooks.
My dear dragon sulks and sooks,
He folds his wings and mutters ‘zooks’,
Then joins with me to read his books.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward


It’s Henry Lawson’s birthday today. Writer, poet and balladist, Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867–2 Sept 1922) redefined and immortalised early Australian life despite suffering many hardships including deafness. Along with his contemporary Andrew ‘Banjo’ Paterson, Henry Lawson is among the best-known Australian bush poets and fiction writers of the Colonial period. He was the son of the poet, publisher and feminist Louisa Lawson.

Read the full version of this ballad on Australian Poetry Library website.

Quote: “Old Mathews drank to drown sorrow, which is the strongest swimmer in the world.” The Ridiculous Family, from ‘Triangles of Life and Other Stories’ (1913)
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

How many tides
have rolled it round,
this stone I hold
warm in my hand?
Rose-pink and grey
it is, you’d say,
the sky at dawn,
or held this way,
the silver glitter
of sun on water.
Sea-washed and smooth
it seems to breathe,
familiar there
like an old friend,
or a father’s warm palm
to the hand of a child.
‘On Holding a Granite Pebble Found on the Beach’
https://www.poemhunter.com/poems/beach/page-2/613435/
Pete Crowther
https://www.poemhunter.com/pete-crowther/biography/
Website
https://www.poemhunter.com/
This is a break from my poetry and I do love this one.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward


Hot nights, boiling days
Anger bites, temper frays.
Clothes stick, sweat drips
Fans click, weekend trips.
Seaside splashes, kids squeal
Sand rashes, sunburn peel.
Straw hats, ice-cream soothes
Cricket bats, sluggish moves.
Lush green, drooping leaves
Magpies preen, beetle weaves.
Shimmering heat, mown grass
Barbecued meat, chilled glass.
Family spats, neighbour snoops
Buzzing gnats, endless loops.
Afternoon heat, swaying palm
Tired feet, wanting calm.
Soft breeze, cooler places
Air-con freeze, calmer faces.
Car toots, dog greets
Unlace boots, cotton sheets.
Dissolving day, warm rain
Moonlight ray, night again.
♥ Maud Fitch – Guest blogger

Boredom sets in––
Think of something
Not cooking
Not cleaning
Not walking
Not tai chi
Not writing
Not doing anything
Boredom sets in––
Start a project
Ideas flow
Creativity expands
Love it
Best work ever
I can do more
Much more
Boredom sets in––
It is tricky
It is hard
It will never end
Why did I start
I don’t like it
I hate this thing
Had enough
Boredom sets in.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
Boredom – even the explanations are boring! Etymology and terminology:
(1) In conventional usage, boredom is an emotional or psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is not interested in his or her surroundings or feels that a day or period is dull or tedious.
(2) The word boredom comes from a device called a “boring tool”, a kind of drill that works slowly and repetitively; around 1768, bore, meaning “be tiresome” became a popular slang term and the word “boredom” soon followed.

STAY HOME DAY
A clock that ticks
A window that sticks
A wet, scrubbed floor
A locked front door
Home for the day.
A shelf that needs dusting
A tap that is rusting
A load of dirty dishes
A long list of wishes
Home for the day.
A basketful of laundry
A mess from all and sundry
A need to be freed
A desire to read
Home for the day.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
ODE TO MY COLD
My chest wheezes
My nose sneezes
I continually sniff
Every muscle is stiff.
My eyes are blurry
My tongue is furry
My back is sore
My nerves are raw.
How my head aches
Oh, for heaven’s sakes
Get rid of this pain
I want to be normal again.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
XBOX LIFESTYLE
My daughter is not a tot
She’s a futuristic robot
The years are a passin’
Now she’s an assassin.
She’s finished her tour of duty
Her score’s a beauty
Masterful chief is circled by gore
Dead aliens become a bore.
Her swearing is profuse
I really should call a truce
She’s grandly thieving cars
And meets a hit man in bars.
My daughter is another girl
Keeping track makes me whirl
A lizard tail on the rim of sky
Oh, dear my brain will fry.
Perhaps limit the time
That she fights crime
When taking on every role
On her Xbox console.
She’s scaly, she’s rough, she’s tough
That’s it, I’ve had enough
I look very smug
In my hand I hold the plug.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
BLOGGER
Got myself a WordPress blog
To give my thoughts a jog
I guess I’m just another cog
In the internet machine.
Remember to post every day
So readers won’t go away
But, eh, come what may
On the internet machine.
A photograph looks nice
Attract readers at any price
Make my blog their vice
On the internet machine.
Followers, likes and tags
Stats with peaks and sags
My enthusiasm lags
On the internet machine.
A thought has stirred
I will not be deterred
Write down every word
On the internet machine.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
