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Spillwords Presents Rain in Pirongia

The long awaited Rain in Pirongia is my latest poem to appear on Spillwords Press. It concerns legends of the mysterious Patupaiarehe which are a living part of New Zealand’s history and lore. Spillwords has beautifully captured the idea of the poem in the image above.

The Patupaiarehe Find a Voice

Pirongia is visible from Te Aroha and provided the material for the poem. Inspiration came one evening when walking by the Mokena Geyser, I caught a glimpse of the misty outline of Mt Pirongia in the far distance. The air was sharp and touched with the expectation of rain. The mood of winter descended upon me and the first impressions for a poem stirred. The place is evocative and rich in the ancient world of the Patupaiarehe who are said to dwell there.

The mountains of the Waikato, including Te Aroha, conceal the magical world of these mysterious peoples. Their preferred abode is the mountains, as the local bushmen will tell you. Once, when exploring the slopes of Maungakawa, I caught a glimpse of them. Strange figures appeared fleeting and silvery in my peripheral vision.

**A drawing,** **Dream Thicket, is a visual depiction of the elusive Patupaiarehe**

The Patupaiarehe are familiar to locals, who have heard their singing and flute song on the slopes of Te Aroha when on early morning walks high on the mountain.

A wealth of material is available about the Patupaiarehe on YouTube. This video is a personal favourite and captures the atmosphere of stories told around the camp fire. Here, ancient threads weave through the family history of the story teller, Tom Roa:

Waka Huia explores the Spiritual Beings of the Mist and their connection with Pirongia

The mighty Spillwords Press

Spillwords.com was the first e-zine to publish my poetry. The indefatigable Editor-in-Chief, Dagmara K, is a long-time supporter. You may find more about my work on Spillwords here.

After announcing the imminent publication of Rain in Pirongia, I knew the editors or art directors would choose the perfect image to accompany the poem. I could hardly contain my delight when it appeared. The picture of the night sky perfectly captures the spiritual presence of my subject. And here it is.

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Flight of the Dragonfly

The Flight of the Dragonfly Poetry Journal is the creation of two UK poets, Barbara Mercer and Darren Beaney. I stumbled upon the Flight of the Dragonfly and E-Journal on X, my go-to place to network all things poetry. Aptly named, the collaboration entails Spoken Word events held in Brighton and Zoom workshops, in which I became involved. It began in November 2022 when I put forward my name to read my poem The Miner’s Triumph at their online Spoken Word. Afterwards, I joined the Flights Writers and thus began the journey through numerous workshops and publication with the Flights E-Journal.

Fly Dragonfly Airways!

The workshops involve a 12 hour difference as the participants are all UK based. I’m the only foreigner! It’s like international travel but without jetlag. As I sit in a predawn gloom still clad in pyjamas, I converse with poets and watch the evening sun pour in through the windows of their homes and offices. A feast of accents flavour the discussions. I’m in England! Poetry – about maps, travel through exotic lands and unlikely adventures – become a conveyance of flight. A virtual airplane; a dragonfly of supernatural import!

Flights E-Journal

Inspired by a mid-winter stay at Okoroire Springs near Tirau, I wrote Alone at Dusk. It is a dreamy contemplation set within the womb-like enclave of secluded hot pools for which Okoroire is famous. To reach them, one must walk through a long forest path to a gate, whereupon an electronic key admits the visitor to the inner sanctum at the bottom of fern-lined steps. I sank into the inviting warmth, steam floating above the dark water, and gazed at the sapphire sky, Venus a bright sentinel above a line of trees. After a while, all the other bathers left and I was alone to journey in spirit as all poets do. Night softly descended. I spent two hours in heavenly solitude.

Sharing the poem on the Flight’s platform becomes a voyage, inviting visitors from abroad to partake in the magical Okoroire Springs – through words where one may sink one’s virtual body in the womb-like warmth of the Springs without leaving their living room. Or inspired, perhaps one day to travel in person to the very place.

**A view of the magical Okoroire Springs from the nearby Waihou River.**

Issue 10

Alone at Dusk is one of three poems published in Issue 10 of the Flights E-journal, which may be found here, and winged their way into the world in October 2023.

The Shape of Bliss

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The Making of Mirrored Time

Mirrored Time the new poetry collection by Elizabeth Barton.

Much inspiration lies behind my new collection of poems. Mirrored Time has a plethora of meanings, encompassing time as memory and myth. Mirrored Time is the title of the opening poem and reflects the whole work in a fabric of temporal markers. The past as myth, the future as dreams and hope, form a clockwork of symbolic journeys. Thus began the poetic quest.

Time as a Mirror

Mirrored Time is a recurring theme in my life. The future echoes the present, the prescience of future events arises from the remembered past. Within that framework lies a unique journey, an understanding of the world and one’s place in it – a hero’s journey. These ideas may have arisen from knowing that I’ve always been ‘different’ and had to find my own way in life. The hero’s journey is an idea which began in antiquity but is equally alive in the present.

Mirrored Time was a natural choice as the title of my pamphlet and refers to a dream I had when I was nineteen. In the dream, Te Aroha was my home, where I lived to a great old age. After I had died, I wandered as a ghost through the historic Domain and the mountain beyond. The mountain became my spiritual abode. I spent my childhood in nearby Matamata and then left home to travel and live abroad. I never imagined I would indeed live in Te Aroha, as my dream foretold.

An iconic clock with backward hands features in the Edwardian Domain playground, the heart of Te Aroha. This play clock perfectly pictures the idea of time travel. Or the prescience of dreams, which I wove into my poem. The poem announces the dream world in the movement of clouds, bringing the idea of sleep and dreams through the idea of a feathered duvet. Within the feathered nest of dreams, it is possible to travel to the future. Or the past.

The Retelling of Myths

The past recurs in the poetry as excursions into Classical and Celtic myth, woven around a personal Mythos of self-discovery. For example, Adonis typifies such an experience. New discoveries lead to discernment and wisdom. The rejection of certain norms draws a line between what belongs to oneself and what doesn’t, what feels right and true. Or false. In such cases, an old world recedes, and a new world awaits – as the poems Double Take and Lunar Eclipse describe. Conversely, other poems reflect a fascination with myths as story-telling, whether ancient or modern, particularly the consequences of lust – as The Moth and Pasiphae reveal.

Time and Wisdom

It takes time to acquire wisdom; time is a luxury and necessity to allow us all we wish in our allotted life. Accordingly, discernment instigates greater attention to the heart’s desire which the flagship poem, The Miner’s Triumph, amply demonstrates. It reveals how death perenially looms but recedes in the courageous embrace of one’s heart’s desire. Similarly, Christmas Voyage echoes themes of yearning and fulfilment, sidestepping death in the moment time ceases. Finally, the poem Solaris, named after the 2002 film, makes love the ultimate victor over death. The poem, which ‘glows like a posy in a window’, refers to Dylan Thomas’ great work And Death Shall Have No Dominion. The quote forms the backdrop to the film’s meaning. I made it my own by imagining myself as the poet returning from the dead to hear his poem. So life is not bound by death; it becomes illusory.

The Miner’s Triumph

Originally filmed in the Waiorongomai Valley, the flagship poem, The Miner’s Triumph, is part of my youtube collection. It appeared as part of an online poetry event: https://elizabeth-barton.co/events/

The Miner’s Triumph is the flagship poem of Mirrored Time.

In conclusion, they say at the moment of death, life flies before one’s view. The collection Mirrored Time encapsulates a parallel experience, forged shortly after my mother’s death. The work belongs to a period of my life when a diverse collection of poetry flowed from a single stream.

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The Unveiling of Mirrored Time

Gasp! My long-awaited poetry collection Mirrored Time is about to go live with the Cover Reveal. Now you can step into the holy of holies and experience a halo moment with my much-awaited poetry collection. While sainthood is elusive, an engaging and uplifting spiritual sojourn is in the offing. All good things come to those who wait.

‘There is Something Almost Mythical’

The cover design perfectly encapsulates the mythos of the poetry. I chanced upon the image back in the mists of time when discussing publication with the Editor. But even more exciting is the inside cover photograph, chosen by Mark Davidson. His comments have a touch of the poetic: “There is something almost mythical about Elizabeth’s poetry, and when she chose the image, it was perfect in every sense, so there was little at all for me to add … The inner cover (below) also picked up on the hazy brightness of it all …”

A field of sunflowers drenched in the rays of a setting sun creates a suitably anticipatory atmosphere, setting the mood and drawing the reader into a magical world. The published version hides the gorgeous image behind a clutch of previews.

I can’t wait to see my book in print. Mirrored Time garnered joint Winner in the 2020 poetry competition White Label – Cinq. News first bubbled about my success here.. No, it wasn’t a Delphic Oracle – it’s now happening!

The Official Release Date of Mirrored Time

The book will also be available on Amazon Worldwide, and the official release date is the 1^st of September 2023. But you can buy a signed copy directly from me much sooner. And cheaper. With Mirrored Time, the reader will receive a selection of greeting cards featuring images of my art – the cards are left blank for your own message. I am happy to post abroad to poetry lovers in the UK and elsewhere, within the bounds of reason, I am not completely a hermit – you can reach me on my contact page. An exciting reading experience awaits you – as the publisher said, ‘This collection is one I am eager to hold’.

Greeting Cards with art by Elizabeth Barton — **The greeting cards**

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A Poetry Revelation

Sunset over Te Aroha as an accompaniment to my poem Desert Song.

‘The Wonderful Poetry of Elizabeth Barton’

Two new poems, Recognition and Desert Song, adorn the mighty Literary Revelations Journal and are available to read online. It’s a tremendous honour for Literary Revelations to include my work; to meet expectations was a challenge. To quote the editor, Gabriela Milton, in her mission statement: ‘We expect work that dazzles the intellect and delights the soul; work that makes feelings blossom into symphonies of love, beauty and sorrow. Interpret the silence… Be the voice of prophets. Be the soft whisper of Sakura.’ Wow, that is a calling! What a tall order. And the paraphrasing of Virgil was equally challenging: ‘Literary Revelations favours the bold and the talented.’

The soft whisper of Sakura intrigued me. Who is, or was, Sakura? After an online search, I knew it wasn’t an Anime character or the American crayon company. I concluded Sakura must be the iconic cherry blossom tree of Japan. I had imagined Sakura was some ancient goddess or great poet steeped in the mysticism of Japan.

The Journal is the online arm of Literary Revelations publishing house, which released its debut anthology, Hidden in Childhood, in January. I have two poems featured, The Moon is a Time Traveller and Nineveh. There’s more about Hidden in Childhood and Hidden in Childhood a Poetry Anthology.

Inspiration Came Like Lightning

Recognition and Desert Song are my latest poems to appear in published form. I had sent them fresh from the creative forge.

I don’t recall what inspired Recognition, but I do remember what prompted Desert Song. The poet can also be a Muse, and that is true of Gabriela Milton. I have a copy of her book, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings. While immersed in her transcendent work, I saw myself as a desert traveller reuniting with an old lover – I was a man, perhaps Baudelaire, writing a poem to his Creole mistress. The poem then came to me in a cloud, as if dictated from some celestial source. Inspiration is a mystery and can strike like lightning. The human mind is a time machine, able to travel to past and future worlds simultaneously. Other ancient spirits can likewise converse with the mind – which is why the Greeks so valued the Muse and built a pantheon of ideals around her.

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The Summer Stickleback

Th Summer Stickleback from Hedgehog Poetry Press

The Summer Stickleback is here! Continuing with Seasons in Poetry, Hedgehog Poetry Press has released its Summer Stickleback as a free download. It is the second anthology in a series of four. My poem Spring Day featured in the first of Seasons in Poetry.

The poem Inflorescent is among my favourites and graces the Summer edition. Never before published, it features among a select gathering of works from stellar poets worldwide. The Collection contains nine works from authors to create a shoal of poetic outpourings about all aspects of Summer. It initially appeared on Hedgehog Poetry’s website at the Solstice, in our midwinter when I was dreaming or busy creating elsewhere. For the reader who wants to feast their eyes, here it is.

The Inspiration for Inflorescent

The poem came after spending time in the Coromandel, when, on our last day, I saw a lone pohutukawa on a hillside still ablaze with flowers when all other trees had faded in the dry, parched summer. The pohutukawa is an iconic tree native to New Zealand and flourishes along the Coromandel coastlines. Many cheap reproductions of pohutukawa trees crowd the walls of beach baches for the delight of visitors. Naturally, one might shy away from an overused subject, but there is no escaping the unique beauty of the flame-red trees edging turquoise blue coastlines in high summer. I have composed a number of poems after visiting the magical wilds of Coromandel, and the mood and atmosphere linger in the words whenever I read them. Two of them, Relic and Orchard Vignette, haunt the collection in All Revolutions Begin This Way.

The Poet’s Hideaway

The secret summer hideaway in the wilds of Coromandel.

The Coromandel is rich in history and legend and was the centre of New Zealand’s Gold Rush in the 1860s. The real attractions are the Waitaha Dream Paths which lace vast tracts of hill and valley. As a poet, I have discovered two of them. But their secret remains with me!

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They Have Arrived!

One of the most cherished occasions in an author’s life is the arrival of newly published books, especially their first. It is a moment to savour, releasing freshly printed books from the confines of their secure packaging. (In truth, All Revolutions Begin This Way is not my first collection – that accolade belongs to Mirrored Time, conceived in 2020).

I waited an age for the consignment to appear after the publisher sent the order to Amazon. The books’ arrival was like a thunderclap, with a last-minute announcement from DHL by email – and synchronously coincided with the delivery of a T-Shirt I had ordered from Alien Buddha Press much later. The timing was uncanny. Both were celebrated at once.

The T-Shirt was irresistible. A friend, who purchased a copy of my book, commented the Alien Buddha smile is ‘gathering’ – warmly welcoming and inviting. It speaks of the idea of a Starseed behind the publishing company, disseminating the creative Word freely into the world. Her observations are likely spot on.

A Revolution from My Keyboard

So far, the chapbook has attracted 5-star ratings and a review.

All the books featured as part of my art exhibition Waiting for the Golden Age, held at the Whitaker Gallery, have sold. But they are available to buy at Piako Stationers in Whitaker Street and at the i-Site in Te Aroha.

Fittingly, the local i-Site proudly displays a lot of information about the Waiorongomai Valley, being a place of historical interest and looms large in my collection – naturally, my books were welcomed at the office and adorn their shelves.

My book was also available at an unlikely but attractive venue – Gayles Fashion in Thames Street, Morrinsville. Gayle has known me for a while and encourages any creative endeavour. She had offered to take a few of the poetry books just to see how customers might react. That is the way to spread the love of poetry!

Copies of All Revolutions Begin This Way were available at the Whitaker Gallery during the exhibition Waiting for the Golden Age. Every one of them sold.

Signed copies are available directly from me. My email address is on the Contacts page. I post anywhere in the world, within the bounds of reason. One thing; you’ll get them cheaper than online elsewhere, which will offset postage costs. My collection awaits the pleasure of all poetry lovers!

All Revolutions Begin This Way has arrived!

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The Stickleback Experience

The Stickleback is a bijou pamphlet unique to Hedgehog Poetry Press. I have wanted forever to see my poetry in a Stickleback collection.

The Stickleback pamphlet is a bijou creation unique to Hedgehog Poetry Press. I have wanted forever to showcase my poetry in a Stickleback collection. At last, I have my wish. Over the years, individual poets have tantalised readers with four flagship poems for the Hedgehog pamphlets, bound in an aesthetically appealing format. As usual with Hedgehog publications, the booklets come with watermarked endpapers and beautifully hued covers to create an immediate impression featuring the iconic fish on the front cover. Each of the colours used on the covers represents the shade of a classic car, perhaps revealing the editor’s passion! The collection is an attractive introduction to any poet’s work.

Stickleback Anthology: Four Seasons in Poetry – The Poetry of Spring

For this Collection, Hedgehog Poetry has produced an anthology on the theme of Spring, as part of a Four Seasons series published in 2023. I am delighted that my poem Spring Day features among the works of 14 other poets for this issue. Its release coincided with the Vernal Equinox of the Northern Hemisphere. You may download it here.

My only reservation is that it is available exclusively in PDF form. The culmination of my dream wish is to see the Spring Stickleback as a printed leaflet. There is nothing quite like holding a book in your hands, being able to smell the subtle imprint of ink and feel the freshness of the pages. Perhaps a genie may grant that wish in the nearish future.

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The Alien Buddha Gets Rejected 2

An Original and Witty Collection

A new anthology from Alien Buddha Press gently subverts the genre of rejected work. Unloved poetry and flash fiction find a happy home in an exciting and witty collection, with rejection letters included. The juxtaposition of published work alongside letters explaining the reasons for rejection is both telling and entertaining. Much of the work is highly original and brings to mind a busy workshop of inventors and engineers working on a new experimental flying machine. Readers will find wings for their pleasure; poets and writers will find new ideas to fly in a wind tunnel of creative design.

The anthology earned a #1 New Release in Literary Letters on Amazon. It has also attracted two five-star reviews. I wonder what some editors who rejected the pieces would think now?

Tatuanui Roundabout finds a home

My poem Tatuanui Roundabout found a welcome place among works from everywhere else on the globe other than a small town in the Waikato. Preceding the poem is a rejection letter from a prominent NZ literary magazine. All identifying information is carefully redacted from rejection letters. It was challenging to conceal the shape and size of the magazine’s trade name – and it’s possible to see a faint impression of their logo! But who reads NZ poetry anyway? The Alien Buddha Gets Rejected is full of subtle humour – the picture of the smiling buddha bannered on all 2023 publications is perfectly apt here

Iconoclastic Poetry

Rejection is so prone to subjective judgment. A gem of a poem, How a Poet Dies, written by Cait O’Neill McCullagh, took my breath. Divinely crafted and inspired by the discovery of tombs in some obscure location, I cannot see how it failed to see immediate publication. Perhaps its iconoclastic beauty, that rows of dead poets honoured with golden tongues pressed into their mouths could all have been female, roused renunciation in modern eyes. Rather than the poem’s literary merit, it was perhaps the idea, which drew repeated rebuffs. But not all editors are myopic. The author may triumph and we may admire her work.

I love publishing projects that devote attention to ‘rejected’ works.

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Hidden in Childhood: a Unique Anthology

Why is Hidden in Childhood so special? It is an attractively original concept and possibly never conceived in such a form. Generously filled with works from poets worldwide, Hidden in Childhood is a bumper crop of some 450 pages. Many books cover the topic of childhood, but this is a dedicated collection in which myriad experiences and memories encompass the spectrum of human experience. From the most painful and tragic to exquisite memories of pinnacled joy, the book cannot fail to elicit powerful emotion.

The editor, Gabriela Marie Milton, invited contributors to share their thoughts on what the anthology meant to them. I wrote: ‘I knew at once this book would tremendously impact our society and the literary world – it is a unique concept. It is an honour to have my poems in the collection alongside many great talents.’

**The Moon is a Time Traveller in rough draft.**

The Editor describes her work as a lovingly crafted Collection. Emerging poets share their outpourings with well-known authors. A monumental anthology in which ‘every poem sends shivers down your spine’. Childhood’s joy and trauma expressed – with stunning talent and sincerity – by over 150 poets in more than 280 poems’. … ‘Over 150 voices call you to read this book’. … ‘You will be reminded of the beauty of the seraphim …’

I foresaw that the book would be a huge success. It quickly reached #1 on Amazon Poetry Anthologies on the first day of publication.

It was a joy to return to some of my childhood haunts to relive the recollections that wove a delicate tapestry for my poems.

The poet reads Nineveh from Hidden in Childhood

Find out where to buy Hidden in Childhood here.

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