Two Views of the Lerderderg

The first two sessions of Spring in Our Steps were located around Bacchus Marsh, at picnic grounds and walking tracks near the Lerderderg River. The first day was a trial run for me to figure out what would work. The second day we had Myron Lysenko teaching us how to create haiku and senryu from our observations.

Here are the writings which came out of that session.

by Jan ...
a rope dangles
he lets go leaving nothing
but hope swinging

beside the traffic
I listen to words that move
in opposite ways

a fence puts a stop
to my lingering desire
to go everywhere

they hold hands walking
father, child, happy together
while I'm here alone


by Lyn ...

plovers scolding each other
like out-of-love lovers
where did you go?

kitchen -
mincing steak and words
before dinner is  ready

gravel pathway -
strolling lovers startled
by sprinters in lycra

wooden fence -
barbed wire nailed tightly
you keep me out too

by Myron

will my sister tell me
when my mother dies?
slow moving river

scent of wattles -
soon I must apologise
for being a sook

by Jennie ...

Spring afternoon -
on the dark river
light shines at sun

mid afternoon -
harlequin beetles have sex
out in the open!

running river ...
weeds wave
towards the future

wattle blossom browning ...
my daughter is planning
to move in with him  

Brianna, a student at Deakin, wrote some exquisite poetry but did not send them for inclusion here, unfortunately