Primarily today’s poem is a reflection the slow process of losing someone to dementia, for example Alzheimer’s. All the things you remember become tales from a strange land for them: strange, and frightening, tales they don’t want to hear and you don’t want to tell them again. The poem also reveals a fear that lingersContinue reading “Letting go”
Tag Archives: remembering
Memory triggers
This poem was inspired by an image that came to me of someone opening an old cupboard and seeing a blue jacket. In writing the poem I put myself in that person’s shoes. A “manrobe” is a half-height wardrobe with a small set of drawers, which were very popular through the first half of theContinue reading “Memory triggers”
What happens to old ideas?
Today’s poem is a reflection on some of my best ideas, some of which were shared and others muttered only to myself. Looking back, there will have been thousands of them. Old ideasMy ideas are fallingoff my boneslike rotting flesh.Once beautifully formedthey are nowjust a fetish.Something held longafter I should havelearned to forget.But there theyContinue reading “What happens to old ideas?”
Not fit for publication
Trigger warning: this post and poem deals with child abuse and animal abuse. Please do not read if these topics will cause you distress. Today’s poem is one I submitted for inclusion in a periodic journal of poetry. It was deemed not to be of high enough standard. It’s not the first time I’ve beenContinue reading “Not fit for publication”
Origins
Today I participated in an online conference focused on advancing workplace diversity, equity and inclusion. The speakers ranged from academics, advocates, business and public sector leaders, and innovators. And there’ll be more again tomorrow. Many of the speakers had a lived experience of being disadvantaged because of the labels that get attached to them. LabelsContinue reading “Origins”
Driving
This poem was inspired by my experiences driving for hours on end in Australia and the song “Hound Dog” released by Cold Chisel (lyrics by Don Walker). You can see live performance of the song recorded in the early 2000s here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywRVABy4j6Y The song was on the 1982 album, Circus Animals….side note: how could thatContinue reading “Driving”
The hollowness
I caught a moment of the midday news today. Due to the increasing cost of living and the ongoing impact of covid-19 on segments of the economy, child poverty is rising again. All afternoon I’ve been thinking about what it’s like to be the child who goes to bed hungry, who struggles to concentrate inContinue reading “The hollowness”
The last diary
So it’s almost 2am local time and my brain is defiantly kicking around ideas. It started with me thinking about climbing attic stairs as a way to step back in time, and then rest of it just flowed to point that it seemed like a good idea to write it out so that I wouldn’tContinue reading “The last diary”
The ways we remember
Today there are two completely different poems centred on the theme of remembering. The act of remembering is complex – a memory can be triggered by the slightest thing: a smell, a word, a sensation, anything. But once triggered our minds pull us back to that time and it becomes real again. Some memories weContinue reading “The ways we remember”
Echoes from the past
Memories are like pieces of art – everyone reacts differently to them, seeing meanings that are invisible to others. Perhaps its the angles at which we see things when looking down the corridors of the brain. Maybe that’s the wrong analogy. Perhaps the process is more like old German fairy tales being given the DisneyContinue reading “Echoes from the past”
Angele Toomey Poetry 