Today I took a photo of the first spring daffodil to bloom in my garden. As I posted it to to Facebook, I started crying. Just over three years ago I moved into my home after a heartbreaking but necessary separation. I was sad, excited (weird, I know), confused, and frightened. I had no idea…
Ten tips to beat writer’s block
This is an extension of my last post (Writing tips: come and get 'em). It repeats some of the tips, but I've added five more, and some other new stuff. Keep reading. "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." -…
A Posy of Poems
It's been a while, but here I am at last. Some time ago I wrote a post listing some of my favourite books. I badly need to update it and will do so before too long. But today, given it is National Poetry Day here in NZ, I want to talk poetry. I love reading poetry…
My daughter’s bedside, 3am
Mothers Day (tomorrow in New Zealand) is always special to me. I am so proud to be a mother, and so very grateful. I wrote this poem today. My daughter's bedside, 3am You are far away, somewhere mothers cannot follow. But I am near; so near your breath is my blanket. It won’t be long until the…
The Gift of Poetry
I love getting presents, especially when they are precisely what I want at that moment in time. But if I could only get one more present for the rest of my life, it would be this: a poem written exclusively for me, by one of the poets I truly love. I would want to meet…
After the party
As our bodies collide and we miss each other, I start thinking of all the times we have touched but not touched. I open my mouth to tell you this then shut it again without saying a word. Our bodies part and we tuck and fold, packaging ourselves up again, gifting ourselves once more to everything…
The Riches of Love
I wrote this poem in the late '90s. It was published in The Collection of New Zealand Poetry & Prose, 2001. I originally called it "The Troubadour" because it felt more like a song than a poem to me. Then I realised that the song was being sung by a woman - and a female troubadour…
Patricia Bell, Author 