Pages

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Another Poem

Yes, it's Poetry Thursday again. I couldn't decide what I wanted to post this week, so I just opened up my poetry file, grabbed the first one I could see that was already published. (I don't post the unpublished ones, unless I'm quite sure I don't want to publish them elsewhere, because if it's on my blog it is published, and then I can't give a magazine first rights. I'm not sure if everyone putting their poems on their blogs realise that).

The New Zealand flag has the Union Jack (the British flag) in one corner and then the stars of the Southern Cross on a dark blue background. It is a) quite similar to the Australian flag b) rather fussy and complicated and c) tied to our colonial past, which ardent republicans are inclined to object to. (That's people who want us to be a republic, not Republicans as in an American political party). I wrote the following once when travelling on the ferry between our two main islands. (It is supposed to have the lines laid out in a more interesting pattern, but I haven't figured out how to do that in html yet).

On the Need for a New Flag

Keep the old one
seen by Kupe,
Tasman, Cook
three stripes
blue
green
blue
sea, sky
the land between
flown for generations
to mark arrivings
leavings

10 comments:

Deb R said...

Oh, lovely. I could see the flag you describe in my head.

PS...if you ever figure out the HTML thing, will you clue me in? I know some, but I can't figure out that particular problem - how to override the default margins in Blogger. I ran into the same problem with the one I'm posting for this week. To look the way I want it to look, certain lines really need to be indented and I could NOT figure out how to do it. Very frustrating.

Catherine said...

Yes, well, I should probably ask my children. I'll bet one of them knows how to do it. They all know more about computers than I do. Oh by the way, those three names are explorers - the first one possibly mythical and the other two historical discoverers of New Zealand

Jennifer S. said...

great poem, me too re: the html!

Kay Cooke said...

I like this! So much said in so few words.

Clare Dudman said...

I like this very much too - not only terse but tells me about things I didn't know - with lots of room left to imagine more. Now I am very interested in that mythical explorer...

White Square said...

hi,
a powerful poem there...

I was not aware of this rule that if i publish something on my blog then i can not publish in a magzine of a book of poems...would you enlighten me more on this issue!
Thanks for your advice!
abhay(abhay_ifs@yahoo.com)

paris parfait said...

Great ode to the flag; yes, keep the old one!

Jennifer Valentine Morford said...

I can envision the old flag....

Ceebie said...

Argh! What does that mean, that I can't give a magazine first rights if my I published my poem in my blog??? That they'll be more reluctant to publish it? What if I delete the post???

A little advice, please :)

Catherine said...

If it was me, I'd cross my fingers, send it off and hope they didn't find out. and if they did find out, that they wouldn't really care - it would depend on your site traffic, I suppose. I think about twenty or thirty people look at my blog. Not enough to upset an editor too much. But potentially, any blog has an audience of millions.
This is why you shouldn't put anything on your blog that might upset your boss, the IRS, the CIA, or anyone at all who could sue you for libel. Folks, we are not just chatting to friends (as in private e-mails). We are publishing!