Introducing my first Guest Writer, Sharon Martin. Read on to learn a little about Sharon and her creative work entitled ‘Begleri Poem’.
A little bit about me…..Let’s see…..ever notice it’s easier to write about almost anything, than it is to write about yourself? Okay, here goes. I have always loved books, magazines, short stories, poetry and my passion is reading comic books. As an only child I had to find ways to amuse myself a lot of the time, aside of getting into a lot of mischief, reading became an important life skill and a big part of my life from a young age.
Inspired by the books and poems I read, as a teenager I then started coming up with poetry of my own. Nothing brilliant, just little limericks that can usually be found gracing the schoolbooks of friends and the occasional school building or school bathroom wall. Fast forward some twenty odd years later and moving states, I wrote a poem regarding a little old church out at Leadville. I presented the poem with a photo of the church to its current owner, all framed up for a Christmas gift. That owner saw in me a bit of writing talent and she got me a job working with Outback Press as a freelance writer/photographer which I done purely on a voluntary basis. Locals started to know me as the Dunedoo Correspondent and I soon found my days spent at various events, sports venues and becoming a publicity officer for a few sporting clubs.
During this time I also took up a Summer job as a volunteer Aqua Fitness Leader. Unfortunately, recent years have seen my health take a nose dive so I had to scale back my workload although I still have my Summer job and I am still the Dunedoo Aqua Fitness Publicity Officer, Treasurer and Aqua Fitness Leader.
Being a job for warmer weather, this leaves the cooler months free for me to indulge in my passion of creative writing and poetry. I am by no means ever going to be as good as Mr Patterson or Mr Lawson but I do hope you enjoy a little of my poetry.
Photo courtesy of Sharon Martin
Begleri Poem
by Sharon Martin 08/07/19
There are many different things to do, To pass the time away. There's writing, fishing and gardening too, That help to get us through the day. For me there is a thing called Begleri, That helps me pass the time. It's a simple bit of string with beads, That's always in these hands o' mine. It's an ages old Greek Skill toy, Through the fingers mines usually slippin'. Related to the Greek's own komboloi, That thing that I've been flippin'. They come in many different shapes and size, Titans, Standards, Everymans and many many more. But these simple little begleri of mine, Spend a lot of time on the floor. There's heaps of tricks to be tried, The gunslinger, the mic drop and the slip. Some can even trick your eyes, When you want to do more than flip. There's a whole bunch of us slingers, That's how we are all known. Even a Begleri Enthusiasts Hangout, Which feels a lot like our home. We are all our own little family, From far and wide we come. To talk about our begleri, And share the tricks that we have done. Yes! There's many different things you see, To pass the time away. But if you see me with begleri, Feel free to say G'day.
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