Writing a book that is and is not the story of my father
Poems in the haze of bushfires Part I
Poems in the haze of bushfires
25-27 December 2019
Camping at Pinch River, Kosciusko National Park NSW
25 December 2019
Blue sky above
after weeks of
smoky haze
The world on fire
or at least
a continent on fire
The glory of clouds
only visible when
against blue sky
The sun
shining through
spreading out
its rays
after days
as a red ball
surrounded by
grey smoke haze
The sounds of
the river
and the cicadas
Pinch River, Kosciusko National Park, Australia
In the stream
water rushing over
a rock dam
Cicadas crescendo
Orange ball sun
Shrouded in smoke haze
Bushfire season
Cleaner birds
Black feathers
Red eyes
White tipped wings
when in flight
Waiting in trees
Will they drink
at the stream
if I leave
Dried up forest
Adult kangaroo
Two juvenile roos
Forage by the creek
Juvenile Kangaroo foraging by the stream
Stream colour changes
brown green gold
Boulder colour changes
grey blue orange pink
The sun decides
I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. I have a B.A. from Stanford University and a M.Sc. from Cornell University. I have lived and worked in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland, California as well as in Washington, DC. Outside the United States, I lived and worked in Venezuela, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Uganda, Somalia and Kenya. I currently live in Canberra, Australia.
I edited three books: Bold Plum: with the Guerillas in China's War against Japan by Hsiao Li Lindsay; Peace and Milk: Scenes of Northern Somalia by James Lindsay and Fatima Jibrell; and Solo vale si piensas rápido by Mehedy Lopez, a book of poetry in Spanish. In 2016, I published a book of my poetry and drawings, Silence Spoken.
I have taught communication skills, English as a second language, and English for journalists (in Beijing, China) at university and secondary school levels. I was a features writer for the Daily Journal, (Caracas, Venezuela), and The Chronicle of Higher Education. I am a member of the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Writers Centre, active in a writers’ group and a contributor to poetry readings, That Poetry Thing, in Canberra, Australia.
View all posts by Pamela Collett
3 thoughts on “Poems in the haze of bushfires Part I”
I appreciate your ability to take observations and turn them into poetry. A reminder to all of us that we can enrich our lives by observing nature.
Loved your poems, and the way you find beauty even in the midst of a continent on fire. I would like to stay in closer touch with you because I think our cares and concerns overlap in significant ways. I have been facilitating Fire Drill Fridays on the sidewalk in front of Portland City Hall, as well as engaging in a year-long campaign to stop Zenith Energy from expanding a Tar Sands Oil export terminal in the Willamette River right in the middle of Portland. Have also been working for four years to get Cap & Invest legislation through the Oregon State Legislature. We are also seeking to build bridges between senior climate justice activists and youth climate justice activists in Portland Public Schools. Fortunately, Portland is full of robust climate justice activists, so we all get to work as part of a warm and collaborative team.
Best wishes for small and large victories in 2020!
Tracking the Human: nobody's a long time 
I appreciate your ability to take observations and turn them into poetry. A reminder to all of us that we can enrich our lives by observing nature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lawrence for your always thoughtful comments!
LikeLike
Pamela,
Loved your poems, and the way you find beauty even in the midst of a continent on fire. I would like to stay in closer touch with you because I think our cares and concerns overlap in significant ways. I have been facilitating Fire Drill Fridays on the sidewalk in front of Portland City Hall, as well as engaging in a year-long campaign to stop Zenith Energy from expanding a Tar Sands Oil export terminal in the Willamette River right in the middle of Portland. Have also been working for four years to get Cap & Invest legislation through the Oregon State Legislature. We are also seeking to build bridges between senior climate justice activists and youth climate justice activists in Portland Public Schools. Fortunately, Portland is full of robust climate justice activists, so we all get to work as part of a warm and collaborative team.
Best wishes for small and large victories in 2020!
LikeLike