One question I’m often asked is, “When did you start writing?”
The answer is: a very long time ago! Somewhere in my house is a tiny book of poems I wrote for my Grandmother and Auntie when I was about eight years old. I still remember writing a poem about a pencil and another about my two pet turtles, Tuppence and Thrippence. Sadly, the little book remains hidden, but I can still recall the final lines of the turtle poem:
“Tuppence and Thrippence you mean so much
To me, a mere human being.
If I could turtle talk I’d say
I love you and hope you love me.”
When I was 13, I received my first guitar and began writing songs. It may seem hard to believe, but until then, I had never listened to secular music. My musical world consisted entirely of classical music and church hymns. In fact, when a school assignment asked us to write about our favourite music star, the only singer I could think of was the man who sang at church!
Needless to say, I felt a little out of place compared to my classmates.
Over the years, I was often asked to write poems for weddings, engagements, birthdays and other special occasions. Writing seemed to come naturally to me, and I found great joy in creating something meaningful for others. One of my most memorable pieces was a poem called “After the Rain”.
My dear Auntie Delmai, a wonderfully talented and creative lady, asked me to write it for a presentation she was producing in Adelaide. The presentation, titled “The Four Seasons”, combined plants, light and sound and featured the music of Vivaldi’s. Remarkably, the poem came together in about 15 minutes. The event opened with a reading of my poem by my favourite teacher of all time. Unfortunately, by then I had already moved to Queensland and never had the opportunity to see the performance. Even so, it remains one of my fondest writing memories.
That’s just a small part of my writing journey.
I’ll share the next chapter of the story in the next edition of the Wonderwhirl Books newsletter
