Author Archives: wonderingpilgrim

Traffic Lights

Dark, grey, tinted, large and ominous, the plate reads 01DRAGON, its gaze catching mine in the mirror of my headlamps. This minotaur lurks at a red light, where the chaos of the unfinished Stirling Mitchell Freeway Interchange— labyrinth or maze?— frustrates those who travel, longing for a clear path, avoiding Innaloo rat-runs, steering through roadworks,Continue reading “Traffic Lights”

Epiphany Haibun

Stranger Things hints at dimensions that are closer than our own breathing. The mood is dark, sinister and compelling. The world as we thought we knew it is transforming. Thin places once hinted at glorious light. Now they also open hazards, concurrently concealing and revealing the dread of the yawning abyss. Yet another dimension, moreContinue reading “Epiphany Haibun”

Let us choose to imitate those who heal.

In the days after the Bondi massacre, Australia found itself suspended between shock and solidarity. The beach, usually a symbol of ease, openness, and shared life, became a place marked by absence. Towels lay where people had fled. Flowers appeared where lives had been taken. Silence settled where laughter had been only hours before. RenéContinue reading “Let us choose to imitate those who heal.”

Does Hope Dare Dawn?

An Advent Sonnet of Isaiah’s Hope Upon the lands where shadows long have lain,A dawn breaks forth, Isaiah’s word fulfilled;In Gaza’s grief, in Ukraine’s frozen pain,The promise shines where hearts are bruised yet stilled. The USA, with restless striving worn,And Somalia, where hunger cries aloud,All nations wait for mercy’s tender morn,A shoot from Jesse risingContinue reading “Does Hope Dare Dawn?”

Puff the Tragic Wagon

“Let’s take it for a whirl,” he said, |that rusty old ute behind the shed.    Its tyres were flat, its paint was all flaked –    but still, it roared when gently waked. We named it Puff, with dragon flair,      and drove it laughing everywhere.   (c) Dennis Ryle November 2025 dVerse challenge – compose a quadrille – a poem ofContinue reading “Puff the Tragic Wagon”

Desktop Dizain

Today’s dVerse invitation is to compose a dizain on any theme. The dizain is a 10-line French poetic form, traditionally composed of a single stanza. It follows a strict rhyme scheme of ABABBCCDCD and typically uses 10 syllables per line. Popularized by French poets in the 15th and 16th centuries, it has also been adaptedContinue reading “Desktop Dizain”

Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep

Today’s dVerse provides a list of well-known lines from horror movies, inviting poets to be creative and build alternative stories in a form of our own choosing. I’ve selected “Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep” – Nancy Thompson, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep‘lest ways of mammon upon you creepStocks and profitsContinue reading “Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep”

Halloween Haibun

https://dversepoets.com/ invites poets to write a haibun on Hallowe’en Today someone accused me of being a poet. A haibun is a Japanese literary form that blends prose with haiku, creating a meditative and evocative narrative. So here goes. Hallowe’en in an Australian suburb is mostly a commercial venture. The faux pumpkins, skeletons and witches haveContinue reading “Halloween Haibun”

Ode To Marjorie Isobel Ryle

Today the Ryle clan gathered on Kaurna Country at Mt Lofty overlooking Piccadilly Valley to scatter the ashes of our beloved matriarch, my mother. It would have been her 101st birthday. Not all could make it, but all were in some way present. Ode for Marjorie Isobel Ryle At Mt Lofty, overlooking Piccadilly ValleyHere, whereContinue reading “Ode To Marjorie Isobel Ryle”