Ring in the New Year

It's been a strange old year, full of stuff.

Good and Bad.  But lets face it, in the bigger scheme of things with earthquakes and the bite of recession, it all makes my life look damned good.   Should be grateful. 

Professionally this was a reasonable year with a number of publications in Australia and New Zealand, but it's always the fish that gets away that disappoints after all it was, "...that big!"

Never mind, every set back is an opportunity, and I'm hoping to publish by Christmas next year.  So that's the new year's resolution, and I'm trying to assemble the pictures for it now.   The formal announcement will be later in the year when everything is ready to go :)

As for poetry.  It's been a light year for actually writing poetry, but the blog has somewhat taken off.  I've tripled my readership...and proved somewhat obliquely that sex really does sell.  So having comfortably passed the 10,000 views threshold the aim for 2012 is 20,000 and to maybe rack up a little spending money.   After all poetry isn't really pulling it's weight given the amount of time I waste writing the stuff  ;)  If only it wasn't so fun! 

So there we have it.

Another year over.  And I'm kind of pleased that it is.  Let's hope that 2012 will be a good year for everyone.  Happy New Year!  :)

A.J. Ponder 

 A.J. Ponder's work is available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, and good Wellington bookstores

Running away with a Christmas Sonnet

Go kiss your prince below the mistletoe

And hang those stockings high above the hearth

For Christmas is the one day you can show

The greatest love of all and peace on earth

Still, I wish you would take your Christmas cheer,

Pack the day with bows and loving care

And bundle it so far away from here

And don't you mention Grinches, don’t you dare.

For while the thought of presents makes some sing

And has the children dancing round the tree

Christmas makes me wish more than anything

That I could wash my hands and be set free-

Just wander off, enjoy the sunny beach

forget the rules, and

lie

in the

sun-drenched

sand.



And that was the plan this Christmas.  No stress.  Go to the beach.  

Yeah right.

ok the picture isn't of sun drenched sand,  - but that fin in the water is an orca whale :)

Anyway Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and all that, love to see you in the New Year.

A.J. Ponder 

If you love sonnets and want to read some more "This Year of Fire"  and "Sonnet to the Muse" are fun, and if you want to learn how to write a sonnet The The Poetically Incorrect English Sonnet is there to help (watch out for the bad language though!

 A.J. Ponder's work is available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, and good Wellington bookstores And 

An appreciation of action soundtracks in suburbia

The car is

carrying an orchestra

out

on a mission.

Excitement tumbles by

on the beach

on the beleaguered wharf

                                    in the air -

even the birds find new purpose

        as they      strike

into the clouds

eyes peeled

in wonder

as even the sea is

ruffled,

nervous,

opaque,

unsure             

with impending danger.

Across the harbour

buildings

hide

behind cloud,

planes disappear

and  reappear

as we drive                 

in time

to heroically  

face

                          danger

every vital

second

                       until the   

 final triumphant overtones

transport us

                         all the way               
                                          to                 
                                             Wellington. 
A.J. Ponder 

 A.J. Ponder's work is available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, and good Wellington bookstores

Authors and Poets

Busy week, there's lots to do in the build up to Christmas - there's the obligatory making of Christmas Cakes and scramble to tidy the house and the garden, not to mention all those social event -  books, writing, books and more books - in my case ;)   

And like most people these days I'm also working - although some of it is fun -  Rona Gallery is putting on "The Santa Trap" (One of Peter Friend's and my School Journal Plays) for Christmas.   Not to mention the Christmas exhibition itself - and all the advertising.... so

So for a change I'm putting up about twenty favourite authors -  and in as few words as possible why they are so fab.  Feel free to contribute, I'm sure I've missed more than a few!

JRR Tolkein 

       for historical fiction that went the extra mythological mile

John Wyndham

        for disconcerting and surprising children     

A A Milne

         a bear however hard he tries grows tubby without exercise, 

         he gets what exercise he can by falling off the ottoman --

         and yet other authors seem to lack a certain good willed knack

         of finding love in little things, in toys and chairs - and crackpot kings.

Frances Hardinger

           the newest inductee.  Not for the prizewinning "Fly by Night,"

           but the bottomless well that is Verdigris Deep

C. J. Cherryh

          Down Below Station -  Enough said

Andre Norton

          The lady of science fiction herself   

Helen Cresswell

           There was winter, and there was birds --

            but I although I read the same words I could never read the same story twice

Roald Dahl

           Danny the Champion of the World, not to mention an abiding love of chocolate.

CS Lewis

          For opening the wardrobe door.

Terry Pratchett

           for raising a smile, and adding footnotes.

E.B White

          Thankyou for Charlotte, and your even more endearing mute swansong.

Diana Wynne Jones

           Ged

Mary Norton

           For making little people big.

Astrid Lindgren

          Two strong arms, plaits and an indomitable personality. 

Ursula K Le Guin

           Ged - and  more recently the little known Lavinia. 

Lewis Carrol

          A glimpse into madness,

Maurice Sendak

            One night Max made mischief - and the rest is history involving a boat and some very cute monsters.

Dr Seuss

           And the song of the swomee-swans rang out in space

Douglas Adams (both really I guess, but this one in particular) 

          Got towel - can travel. Don't panic.     

HG Wells

          For travelling back in time to get there first.

I hope you enjoy these authors as much as I do,
A.J. Ponder

A.J. Ponder's work is available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, and good Wellington bookstores

My very popular, Wizard's Guide to Wellington on my author webiste.