Some weeks ago I posted Iron Poet Challenge No 16, Colours of My Life, and then life kind of got in my way and I've been here only just a little since. I hope all concerned will forgive me my tardiness in not coming back till now to post the collection of responses to the/… Read full post »

Atrous and silent is the door of night
It locks within and safely blinds the light
Love amaranthine dwells not in this place
Devoid the touch of a mother’s embrace
 
Haematic secrets: small; and hard; and bent
Deception rules; cinereous parent
Stramineous the child is made to feel
H… Read full post »

When I was a little girl, an Aussie group, The Seekers, sang a song called, "Colours of My Life".  The lyrics went like this: 

...so I'm out the door too!

Open Salon is a community that uses the OS website to stay in touch with a core group of people who enjoy writing and discussing all kinds of topics. We, the writers, are the community; Open Salon is only a platform.

We believe the… Read full post »

The sheer beauty of our world at times
leaves me gasping for breath as rhymes
swirl and twirl and dance in my mind;
wanting to share, searching to find

words. Words that describe the purest joy
for life; for love between girl and boy;
of hearts and minds and souls shared by two… Read full post »

The leaves

twist gold and red

and drift like butterflies.

To earth they fall. On cooled, bared ground;

a shawl.

© Kate Little  Read full post »

J D Smith, you asked us to have fun and, well, I've certainly gone with the "fun" angle!  This has to be my silliest piece of writing but it's absolutely written in fun.  So here's my very late (I hope you weren't holding your breath!) response to Iron Poet Challenge No. 15 -/… Read full post »

A Simple Shutterbug asked us to show her our Summer.  Well, it's Winter in Australia but I kind of figure my friend, A, won't mind.  

The weather has been glorious lately and last weekend I took a quiet and peaceful drive in the country.

A time and place to be alone,… Read full post »

with a heavy heart and heavy steps

i climb the stairs

and enter the void.

Emptiness - my silent, inhospitable host.

She has prepared nothing --

offers nothing.

nothing but Her smothering, palpable, deafening presence.

 … Read full post »

In her arms gently he rests;

Swathed, secure and oh so snug.

Tucked against his mother’s breast;

A tiny, precious cherub.

Eyes firmly closed, elfin nose;

His mouth, rose-red and puckered;

Little fingers, little toes;

His head with black is covered.

Proudly she embrace… Read full post »

For those that might not be familiar with what the Iron Poet Challenge is all about, here is a bit of a recap.

J D Smith and I have, for the last couple of years challenged one another at poetry. We’ve proffered challenges ranging from… Read full post »

&nbs… Read full post »

Across water-hungry and stone-burdened paddocks we ran
Stopping only to crouch and gingerly edge our way through barbed wire fences
Yet so often we were outwitted by those evil bastions of invisible fortresses
They would snare our pants and tear our shirts
And cruelly snatch tufts of snow-white and russ… Read full post »

As seems to have been the case each Sunday morning for many weeks now, the sun shone brightly through my bedroom windows … beckoning me to get up, to stop whiling away my time, and to enjoy the day ... to make the most of it!

In previous weeks, I’ve refused… Read full post »

The Murray River, Australia (Image courtesy of Google Images)

"THE RIVER" ANTHOLOGY

IRON POET CHALLENGE NO. 11

A deep and heartfelt thank you to all those who participated. 

J D Smith: Under the Coolibah Tree 

Olga Stathi: … Read full post »

Oh beautiful is the high country
The Australian Alps, my home
Six thousand feet above the sea
My trickle begins to roam

Fed by alpine rain and snow
Kosciuszko’s slopes I travel
My heartbeat gathers pace
My blood, creeks infused with gravel

Snowy gums chee… Read full post »

He likes to start them and I like to finish them.   Iron Poet Challenges that is!

For some time now, J D Smith and I have challenged each other at poetry.  And goodness there have been some doozies!  We've challenged each other on writing in the voice of the other gender/… Read full post »

I promised a friend I'd share this ... a little bit of a different take on a favourite.  Not the full version but, still, I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did. My favorite version has always been K D Lang's but I love this young girl's raw and gritty voice.… Read full post »

Hot-ASH red, stormy violet, peasouper green
Strange
Frightening this smoldering, bruised sky
I cannot fly on
I must get home to the nest
To my little ones --

* * * *

Tall, grey gums tremble
Eucalypt leaves quiver
Fear courses usually strong, trusted skeletons
Panic
Terror
Consuming all around me
Swallowi… Read full post »

 CRIKEY! 

Kim, I told you I CAN'T draw!!!

 But because you asked nicely ... here you go friend ....

For you.

And don't you just love that I signed my name to it?!!!

Big smile.  : )

  Read full post »

Sliding from the silky, satin sheets
She skirts the moon-skimmed terrace
And scans the sparkling, star-sprinkled sky
 
As slender arms loosely clasp her svelte silhouette
So too her thoughts encircle her sweetheart
 
She smiles as she recalls their tryst...
 
    &… Read full post »

 Always hoping, always dreaming. Alone.
Big sister to her brothers; minded dad.
The little girl so full of love; now grown.

Tomorrows came and yesterdays were gone
Some days were good; but, God, some days were bad.
Always hoping, always dreaming. Alone.

Said mother to her/… Read full post »

Celestial, heavenly queen
beauty unrivalled
Oh vanity! ‘Tis quicksand of reason
and angry Gods speak

Purity and innocence
surrendered
shackled to crystalline quartz
and blamelessness the sacrificial quarry

Retribution is costly --
though beauty shines brightly;
with vanity
comes lonely truth

&nb… Read full post »