Firefly Zodiac: Selected Poems by Fiona Mcilroy

By Fiona McIlroy

The poetry collection called Firefly Zodiac has a focus on the big picture, our planet earth, our galaxy and constellations beyond. Fiona telescopes space and time into our view, giving a fresh perspective on everyday events. Surprise is an element of her poetry, as well as refreshment of the senses. Fiona is passionate about human relationships, and the natural world. She transcends the boundaries between the seen and unseen, tangible and intangible. The reader becomes a space traveller. The poems hover between the terrestrial and the celestial. The energy of each word, line and verse draws us into the line between the material and numinous world.

‘Heavens above, heavens below. Only an inkling of the infinite can stun…’

“This new collection of Fiona's poetry takes us to the ethereal universe of her soul and mind. The poems dance melodically through the sky to her own tune, illuminating and igniting the passion of our inner fire. She reveals a deep understanding of the oneness of humanity and nature. Fiona writes with honesty, generosity and hope.” —Maria Lourdes Doronila OAM, Poet & playwright

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Nov 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796007770

Fiona McIlroy

Fiona McIlroy is passionate about poetry and the natural world. She majored in English Language & Literature (BA 1970 Univ of Melbourne), and then lived in pioneering rural co-operatives for 20 years, teaching in small schools and raising 3 children. Since moving to Canberra in 1992, Fiona published a joint anthology: Warm Corners, and her own poetry collection: Taste of a Poem (Ginninderra Press 2009 ) She has also been published in more than ten anthologies, and was shortlisted three times. Fiona was awarded the Poetry Prize in the HRAFF competition 2010, and ACT Mental Health Poetry Award 2009. She has facilitated a poetry group Majura Café Poets since 2009, producing a chapbook every year. She is happy to offer the 10th Anniversary chapbook Poetry on the Menu. Fiona organizes the Poetry in Motion train from Canberra to Sydney on a biannual basis, sponsored by Australian Poetry, NSW Trainlink and ACT Writers Centre. This results in a chapbook of poems written on the train. In 2016, the Poetry in Motion project was included as part of the Poetry on the Move Festival Canberra, where Fiona ran a workshop. In 2017, Fiona was invited to read her poetry at University of Sassari at a reading titled: Home to Poets (named after one of her poems written about Sardinia). Fiona was also invited to read at the Latin American Film Festival in Sydney 2015. She has a deep connection to the environment, and human impact on the earth. Many poems take the reader travelling between space and time.

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Copyright © 2019 by Fiona McIlroy.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/05/2019

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

804968

Contents

Firefly zodiac

October babble at Bowen creek 2006

Slumbering

Stars underfoot

String theory

The smallest articles of faith

Tenacity

Moonlight ride

Aphrodite in Sardinia

Art in the park

Bark

Blue sky thinking

Between Sea and Sky

Imbroglio

Poet to physicist (daughter to father)

Hive of poets

Cut

Bright

Slant

Sleepers

Entwining

Full moon before bed

Black holes

Hummers Oratorio

Listen

Longevity

Home to poets

Ozieri medley

Swiss fairy-tale

Sardinia windows

Peach moon

Perfect anomaly

Punctured

South coast pilgrim

Reclining tree

Return to Bombala in snow

Seeking the tomentella

Spirit level

Lake Meroo Dreaming camp

Tuross Head

Whale tail

A myriad masts

Black cockatoo

Black stones of Cape York

Dark Ages

Dreamcatcher

Dropped

Bird’s eye view

Transit of Venus

Dog stars

Half-moon setting

Poetry emissions

Jingallalla river grieves

Sky

Mangrove

Monaro tableau

Patched sky

Pebbles scattered

Monaro exile

Rising temperatures

Tethered

Gap

Ruffled

Meteor shower

Unwinding

Hiding from the moon

Sickle moon

Sign of things to come

Love boat

Firefly zodiac

a constellation has drifted

down from the Umbrian

night sky

flickering, beckoning

itinerant fireflies

footlights to the theatre

of The Torrente

de Cavallo Morte, or

Dead Horse Creek

tumbling beside us

as we stroll

uphill in Morrano

after dining on local

fare with a

transplanted Brit

turned Umbrian

a breath’s breadth

from da Vinci’s brush

dipped in the astronomer’s

broad palette

we inhale the pure delight

of this