Diary

Today [yesterday now] was a good day for me when it comes to poetry.

We launched David Barnes' PRAYERS WAITING FOR GOD with Janet Jackson, Mal MacKimmie and myself reading selections from it - and Mal reminiscing about early days in Empowa (Emerging Poets of WA). The publisher Coral Carter of MULLA MULLA PRESS drove down from Kalgoorlie to be present, and many of Perth's poetry push were present.

The Moon Cafe is a pleasant temperature at this time of year, and with the good sound quality and the live streaming to the Net, the Perth Poetry Club's Saturday sessions are bounding from success to success.

This evening I read at a dinner to benefit Blooming Kids and their orphanage in Cambodia. It was held in the senior cit's hall in Old Perth Road, Bassendean. Before I stood, I was reflecting on all the strange places poets get to read in public. For instance, yesterday my wife and I were walking our Jack Russell over the wet lands across from our house. We came across a land management lady who gave us a thorough description of the work doen and planned for this pocket of land, inclduing all the various reeds and rushes, native trees and Eastern States 'invaders'. Chatting away, in her high vis top and muddy boots, she announced she was 'a poet, a bush poet' and immediately launched into a very good and funny poem about Ducks. I asked if she could send it to me for use here. She said, no, she wanted to make money out of poetry. Money! Ha. Poets are the paupers of the art scene - some have defected to prose, others to full-time in academe. Who can blame them - but a fulltime job does make 'inviting the soul' (Whitman) difficult.

More chatter soon ... There are poems to compose and dog to feed.