Helen Lyne
writer, spoken word poet
Poems
Open mic events are lots of fun and I enjoy taking part and presenting.
My favourite venues in Australia include the Desire Bookshop in Manly and the Friend in Hand Hotel in Glebe. In
I was asked about how I prepare for such an event and a video was made for the website of the Society of Women Writers, NSW. You might enjoy this video.
My themes focus on the peculiar in politics (no lack of subject matter there!) and the droll and the dramatic in everyday life.
Here are some examples.
My chapbooks include poems that I enjoy presenting at open mics and are available from Ginninderra Press and from me at the venues where I perform.
Performance Poems
Poets don’t get rich!
Old age is liberating.
Dreams and poetry are travel necessities.
Platypuses support women’s sport.
Reindeer unionise at Christmastime.
Cricket galvanises a tiger.
COVID masks are sex aids.
Parents are an embarrassment at their children’s weddings.
These and other absurdities distract audiences from their phones.
© Helen Lyne, 2023
At the open mic
Humans and others who grab hold of the mic
all have attitude,
whether they be a four-year-old,
a seventy-four-year-old,
a koala or a fly.
Each has a thing or two to say about life
and the audience had better listen up!
© Helen Lyne, 2022
Clever Kitty
My kitty likes my keyboard
and will pat upon the keys.
His discourse darts across the screen
with feline speed and ease.
And like a politician
he looks wide-eyed and intense,
he loves the repetition
and his words make little sense.
Kay Koala
My poem ‘Kay Koala’ was published on page 7 in The Tawny Frogmouth in August 2022.
Brutus and Maxie
My poem ‘Brutus and Maxie’ has been published on the Spill The Beans blog in November 2021. I do hope you enjoy reading it.
A Writer’s Trials and Triumphs
I am delighted to see my poem featured on page 5 of the winter edition of Women’s Ink! Magazine, published by the Society of Women Writers NSW in July 2021.