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”
Tag Archives: poetry
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”
Getting crafty
Today’s poetics invitation from dVerse – write about craft in any poetic form. Perhaps a simple haiku will do. Crafted a fine craftIt’s only an Aldi kitInstructions missing! (c) Dennis Ryle November 2025
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”
Cob of Grace
We went because the call came –a need, a name, a dose to deliver.No invoice, no ledger,just the quiet urgency of breath. The growth economy would chart it:kilometers driven,time logged,value exchanged.It would ask:Was it efficient?Was it scalable? But then –quite unrelated,unasked,unearned –a cob of fruit sourdough,still warm,cradled in hands that had no partin the medicineContinue reading “Cob of Grace”
The Jesters Stockmans Pie
This is one of my go-tos when I’m on the road and its time for a quick lunch between commitments – it’s light yet filling. Lately, it’s what I’m eating in my dreams. When I shared this yesterday with a group of friends who know me well, they laughed tellingly. “You are both a bitContinue reading “The Jesters Stockmans Pie”
Poetry Play
Occasionally, I dabble in verse.Rising to the challenge to write about my hair using a Scottish Burns stanza, I came up with this: A number one cut hides historyMy follicles are mysteryDark colour faded so swiftlyNow blinding whiteAnd standing on end all bristlyO what a sight! Okay, right number of lines, syllable count is fine,Continue reading “Poetry Play”
Wondering Pilgrim 