Author: Yayi-Australie

I am a French-born Australian linguist who loves writing about multicultural experiences. Taught English in Zambia and Papua New Guinea, gained a Doctorate with UPNG. In Western Australia I worked with migrants and Indigenous communities in Kalgoorlie and Roebourne. In charge of Amnesty International WA, then moved to Adelaide. Short-listed by The Human Rights Commission for the Literature NF Award for the anthology I edited with the Multicultural Writers Association of Australia, I later published my memoir. Volunteered with the Writers Centre, became active with PEN.

V for Vision

Arriving atop, I sit down. As I look up I take in a remarkable

dreamlike vision. Nestled against the river bank are three

pretty red roofed and yellow-fronted houses. Further back

there is a forest and on the side some lush green bushes.

Picture perfect. I take in the beauty of it, but soon

decide something ‘s missing. Not light nor extra

colour or features! I think it’s people.

The elements all make a lot of sense

Yet to create atmosphere you need

people. I long for the warmth

of human vision, touch

and talk. These make

life’s experience

complete.

U for Umbrella Words

          
   Umbrella words are informal ways in semantics of naming a generic term (hypernym) that covers several specific or subtype words (hyponym) which are related in meaning.  Wikipaedia explains that for example, pigeon, crow, and hen are all hyponyms of bird and animal; bird and animal are both hypernyms of pigeon, crow, and hen. 
Linguistics is the overall study of any  language. All languages are studied according to their grammar ( word structure and word form), pronunciation (sound system) and  semantics (word meaning).
So one could also say that Linguistic is the hyponym or umbrella word for grammar, phonetics and semantics.

T for Talking

      
       	          You talk; some hear, some don’t.  They have heard the words, 
                         but not taken them in.  There is no response. You shout. 
              They turn around and ask: ‘What do you mean?  You know they’ve  
               heard you. You repeat the utterance so they do not misunderstand.
                                 		          Later   you   start
                                            	         to  talk again, but 
                                  	                 the  people   who 
                                  	                listen rarely reply,
                                   	                you  start walking
                                  	                around,   flipping
                                                       a hand up in the air
                                                      as if you had nought
                                                     to say,  finally there is
                                                    need for less shouting 
                                                    instead, you stammer
                                                    'Just talking to myself ’
                                                 shrugging  your  shoulder
                                          and flipping your hand in the air.

S – SOUNDS ON

              His parents were not surprised 
             when he first produced a podcast 
            that became very popular. 
          Being the youngest child, 
       he often felt
     whenever his siblings
  left the house without him.
He resented being left behind 
  and complained to be pushed aside, 
        as if he was unimportant.    
          Around that time 
            his parents noticed 
             that he had developed 
               some astonishing
                 sound making techniques. 
 	             He made nonsensical 
                    and blabbering noises. 
       He created such racket and clangour 
    that they needed to give him 
 their undivided attention to appease 
his so-called solitude. His family
     had discovered early how much
        he needed to be heard.

R for Realism

This occurs when you don’t have anything on your mind. 
You've stopped worrying about every thing around you. 
you forget you left 	      the washing out, 
you don’t bother 	to put a heater on 
because you can stay warm 
under the bed covers. 
There is no 
doctor 
to visit
Catch up 
with a friend for coffee? 
Can wait for another day.  Check the letter box? 
Nobody writes any more.  	Some vacuuming? 
You swept under the table 	    the day before. 
Lunch? Sit up and watch TV with        a sandwich and a fruit. 
Water? There’s always a bottle	         at hand on your bedside.

K for Knitting

You can knit outfits from yarn without looking

you can catch up stitches across rows

you can undo what you have just done

you can invent your own pattern

There are some who yarn while they knit

many sing and dance, moving about

others put it down with a sigh

only to pick it up with dreamy eyes

What of those like me whose feet punctuate the rhythm of their hands

following the cadence by keeping up to step

it is a simple beat.

Knit-Purl Step-Up with right foot

back to Knit-Purl Step-up with right foot

Lilting unto the end.

O for OPINIONS

You’re trapped.  
You work from home
and no one is checking over your shoulder  
you’re in charge, running the show 
Just send your report and you are paid, but so little!

Or you choose to take a job in town  
where you are part of the team 
with back-to-back meetings 
while you smile to colleagues till your lips feel sore 
A well-paid job but you will never get your way.  

If  sharing information is at stake 
yet you intend to offset the demands 
and maintain a balance 
keep your views  to yourself 
Saving your wise opinions for an opportune time.

Quarantining some Australians

The shopkeeper signals her over.

’Not my turn!’ she says.

He looks to the side ‘Come on then!’

calling to the Indigenous youth he’d ignored,

who shuffles up holding some sandals.

‘You can’t afford those, he growls, ‘Pick something else’,

returning the man’s card behind the counter.

He turns to her. ‘One sunhat. Any cash with that?’

She shakes her head, enters her pin,

staring at the forlorn card on counter.

‘Cashless welfare’ he grins.

Looking up, ‘That’s better!’

She turns to see the glum youth,

standing, flipflops in hand.

Uneasy now,

she wonders how to report this power keeper.

P for People

I love hearing people and enjoy watching them

but I don’t like to study them. I know gestures,

posture or gait can indicate varied personalities.

I understand some traits like the eyes, the nose

or the mouth might be inherited.

Is there a view that our body shape

could affect our development

as an individual? I don’t

know that either.

For an insight

into my fellow

humans I rely

only on intuition.

No study needed.

When we meet

I start talking with

them. By chance

we open on topics

common to us.

Either we hit it off

or we don’t.

Nightmare for officers

Communication was difficult

due to lack of facilities in a prison.

Prisoners were sometimes refused

pen, paper or envelopes.

Some of the duty officers could be punitive

or unwilling to act.

In the education centre, tutors often worked around that:

pulled out pages, force- scribbled pens,

sharpened pencils.

Student prisoners sometimes came back with

a poem,

other times with a letter for which they needed

an envelope.

They said they could buy stamps but the shop had

no envelopes.

Last night my dream became

a prison administrator’s nightmare.

Education received

a gross of envelopes.

Every prisoner who wanted could send letters!