By June Perkins and Friends
It has been a long year, and I have so enjoyed a week of rest, to sleep, to read, and enjoy family.
Wishing you all the best for 2024 ! This poem was written a while ago, but I had some fun making it into a slide show.
You can find a version with music and some animation on my instagram.
Been digging deep for the next poetry collection. Filling a purple notebook with ideas, often written in prose.
Sometimes lines just spin out like poetry.
Then I type them up. During type up sometimes words and lineation change.
Sometimes metaphors are born.
Sometimes phrases that surprise HAPPEN!
Then I revisit them with what I have been discovering in my mentor texts. These texts suggest experiments. Things to try that I might not have done before. Or I see that I do something that poet does already.
Had some positive feedback from my mentor recently (and a new question) and the journey continues!
This is my reflection on Citizen and I have written some new poems based on this reflection (those are top secret for now).
Citizen by Claudia Rankin – Devices/Observations.
There are no titles only sections I – VII.
There is often a use of the second person you – to put reader in the shoes of the narrative speaker- the reader, you must inhabit the body of a black person.
Her series of vignettes is very prosaic at times but then there are these massively poetic metaphorical lines that just pop out at you
‘the sky is the silence of brothers'(p. 89 in citizen- very moving )
‘a novelist with the face of English sky’ (p. 115)
that said the work progressively becomes more and more poetic to express a depth of sorrow and critique of society that is indeed lyrical.
She mixes memoir, essay and the poetic. There is the mention of other texts and citations, like from James Baldwin. Something about the way she quotes them makes you want to read those intertexts.
There is the integration of photographs, surreal art works, multimedia scripts and more.There is an engagement with popular culture / tennis/ academic texts/ everyday life, news.
By referring to you I sometimes feel like the poet is in dialogue with herself, trying to understand herself, or the person she is embodying.
She deals very deeply with the objectifying of the ‘black body.’
She has great compassion that does not judge for the black person that rebels and responds to prejudice in the ways they have access to.
So what next? What do I read next after the mentor texts?
Link for payment coming soon!
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How are we all going to find peace in this pandemic?
That is a huge question.
Today the Premier of Victoria said there is a long way to go.
We need a vaccine.
We need to deal with finding peace of mind to make it through the day.
What does the world need to find peace from this common foe?
Unity of effort to find the vaccine?
But beyond that discovery will be administration to share it
beyond that administration to share it will be
share it justly to all nations and
all walks of life.
People are panicking.
They want to say the covid19 is not real,
exagerrated, a conspiracy.
Should they take a trip to India
to Italy, to America
and walk another nations nightmare
for a dare.
They want to imagine we will build immunity
that after many deaths it will begin to roll away
and they think that we can shut all the borders and all will
be well … but this virus is tricky .. monstrous… persistent.
And in all the nations where the the death toll rises
and rises
those with a low death toll think they will escape
if they shut it all out.
They want to rescue their own economies.
They want to avoid their own recessions.
And nobody wants to live a life as if it is in a prison.
And strange things are happening, like mask fashion
like connecting people all over the world
to listen to fairytales
And still we wonder if we are not scientists
and medical researchers, what will role will we play
to keep the world going until the vaccine is found?
What will it take?
How will we not break into
hysteria and vain imaginations
that the world can be disconnected to win this fight?
And we must win it!
We must strive.
We cannot see this
become humanity’s demise.
Until then –
I visit photographs to take me
all the places  where
I can find  peace.
June XXX
Tread lightly
walk in softness
Photographs whilst walking
become source of reflection
inspiration and care on
days when I can’t walk.
Thread lightly
memories only a few days old
This feather nestled in
the surrounds of the park
a moment of grace
saying ‘stop and be with me’
Today my heels are in a sorry state,
covered in antiseptic cream
band aids and slippers
and still I can hardly tread
on ground.
So this what the little mermaid
meant when she said
‘I walk in pain.’
I must be content with scrolling
through the beauty of my last walk in
nature
just down the street.
Move lightly
swim in softness
So near and yet so far.
This soft feather a solace.
Move lightly
become softness.
And mystery is a feather
discovering its poetry.
(c) June Perkins
A huge thank you to the Queensland Poetry Festival team for the invitation to be part of Panacea Poets.
In Panacea Poets, Queensland Poetry Festival administers a twice-weekly booster of short readings from wonderful poets via their youtube channel.
QPF will deliver these soothing doses of poets-in-iso indefinitely.
It is such a great honour to be part of a project to apply the bird of poetry to the experience of the Pandemic, and to maybe inspire listeners to draw on their strengths and optimism.
So many esteemed and inspiring poets – Kirli Saunders, Stuart Barnes, Charmaine Papertalk Green to name just a few, do check out the playlist! I’ll share a few of my faves from time to time!
Here is my reading!
I invited the wonderful Delia Olam to the launch of Illuminations, via a video presentation. We have a mutual admiration for the Tahirih a hero of the Baha’i Faith.
Delia Olam is an Adelaide-based Actor, Director, Playwright and Singer-songwriter with Bachelor degrees from Flinders Uni Drama Centre, UNE NSW, and AC Arts with Honors in Directing.
She has worked for over 10 years as a freelance and touring performer, singer-songwriter, director, theatre maker and drama teacher – performing the collected songs of 2 released albums and 3 new theatre/cabaret works and engaging in attendant forums and workshops on the Equality of Women and Men, Creating Theatre from (Baha’i) History, and songwriting from poetry.
Among these shows is “Just Let The Wind Untie My Perfumed Hair…”, a historical drama – which took 2 years to research and develop and which tells the story of ṬahÃrÃh The Pure, through 5 different characters. It is now in its 5th year of life as a Nationally and Internationally touring solo performance work.
Tahirih inspires Baha’i creatives, and women and men wishing to work for the equality of women and men the world over.
You can read more about the poetry of Tahirih on Baha’i Blog.
As for Delia, you can find out more about her FACEBOOK or her website.
Ripple Poetry 