The Master Of All
When the cat's got to go he lets everyone know, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
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When the cat's got to go he lets everyone know, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
Step One - Read Alison Ross's before-the-Bucket-is-kicked list.
Step Two - Compile your own Bucket list.
Step Three - Set about ticking off all the items you've put on your list.
Alsion Ross tells of a young man's thoughts and dreams.
Alison Ross’s poem suggest that a second, and even a third, medical opinion is required to deal with a touch of flu.
There's nothing sadder than the death of an infant. Alison Ross's poem expresses that greatest loss.
Alison Ross wrote this poem for a young friend whose divorce coincided with her ex’s birthday.
It doesn't pay to be too cheeky when you are a tiny animal. Alison Ross's poem is based on a story told to her by the owner of a guinea pig.
Alison Ross dedicates her poem to parents whose sons go missing, or die young.
Alison Ross tells of a thoroughly modern grandmama. But surely a bikini would be a garment too far?
It's the little ones who suffer most when there's a domestic parting of the ways, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
To read more of Alison's poetry and prose please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Cat lovers come in all shapes, sizes and ages as Alison Ross reveals.
Bow hunters who shoot carp are welcomed in New Zealand, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
Chicken can be very tasty. But chicken feet? Alison Ross's poem tells of an Aussie who was confronted by an unwelcomed dish.
Alison Ross's poem tells of a couple who share a home - yet they are a thouand miles apart.
"Passing a father and a son on the way down to the dairy I heard the lad ask his dad what a forward pass was. I imagined the answer.''
Kiwi Alison Ross presents a sporting poem.
The outbreak of war brought terror to one little girl. Alison Ross tells of a memory from her childhood.
When a young lad writes a naughty word on the side of a van drastic measures are called for, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
For more of Alison's friendly words please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Continue reading "A Naughty Word (A Young Boy’s Thoughts)" »
Allow these robots onto your farm and there's no telling how things will turn out, says Alison Ross.
Out there on Gentle Annie, a hill from which you can glimpse the sea, many mile away, there's buried treasure!
Alison Ross tells of a ruby necklace.
The naked bus company is a low fare bus company which operates in New Zealand. www.nakedbus.com
Thoughts of being one of their passengers inspired Alison Ross to write the following poem.
Alison Ross's ingenious rhyming want advert should bring all the good men running.
One of Alison Ross's good friends struggled with deafness for years. This poem is about the first time that Ray became aware of what the future held in store for him.
Alison Ross's poem outlines the thoughts of parents who fear that their sons are marrying too soon.
Alison Ross's poem tells of a monumental mistake at the parent-teacher's event.
Alison Ross's poem tells of a young girl who is discovering the fun of being a woman in the making.
Here's a poem which Alison Ross wrote back in the 1970s. Are the Rolling Stones going to be the exception to the rule?
Alison Ross is fed up with young people who are running amok, spraying graffiti around town.
Make a happy memory
For when the times get bad...
Alison Ross's poem gives sound advice.
Please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page for more of her words.
It's amazing what four-year-olds know these days, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
When couples go their seperate ways other relatives are engulfed by waves of sadness, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
Alison Ross's poem is about those times when words refuse to match feelings.
For more of Alison's poems please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Alison Ross's poem will stir the hearts of all fathers and sons.
Alison Ross honours a "sister'' poet.
Please click on Here's Alison to read more of her verses.
Alison Ross's poem reveals a fact of nature - a mother knows the heart and mind of her own son.
Alison Ross tells of two cousins who decided to beat The Bulge - but was there cheating?
Alison Ross's poem advises that a man's character can be seen in his eyes.
Every lad sooner or later reaches a day when it's time for the Mo test, as Alison Ross reveals.
Alison Ross pays humorous and timely tribute to the Plunket Nurses - timely because the organisation is this year celebrating its centenary.
For more of Alison's tasty and timely rhymes please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
The canny New Zealanders have reason to welcome those mosquitoe-hating Aussies.
Alison Ross has some fun at the expense of New Zealand's neighbours.
It's one thing to long for the perfectly-behaved cat, but would he really be the special one? Alison Ross's poem will delight friends of felines world-wide.
Jimmy, one of Alison Ross's old friends, found that fresh milk curdled aboard the commercial fishing boat he owned. He was reduced to drinking 'tinned coffee and milk' while out fishing. He didnt care for it at all and longed for a nice cup of tea. Finally Alison and her family found what they thought might be a good solution and wrote to offer it to Jimmy...
Alison Ross mourns a departed budgie. For more of Alison's zestful poems please click on Here Comes Alison in the menu on this page.
Young grandson has a birthday question for his grandpa in this poem by Alison Ross.
Alison Ross's poem highlights the damage that selfish parents can do to their children.
Alsion Ross's delightful poem features a very special family occasion.
A shopping bill presented to Alison Ross by her son prompted the following poem.
Alison Ross's advice in verse could be used by every mother of a teenage son.
Alison Ross's reaction to New Zealand's new anti-smacking bill was to write this robust poetic riposte to what she considers to be legislative folly.
Continue reading "New Zealand's Anti-Smacking Bill - March, 2007" »
Alison Ross writes a poem about a family which tried to work their way to a fortune by selling encyclopaedias.
Alison Ross's poem tells of a young woman who lost her baby. It died shortly after being born. She and her husand, grief-stricken, turned their sorrows inwards. Each felt abandoned by the other. Then one day he gave a lift to a young woman who was hitchhiking. She was skilled in he art of listening...
So when there's a war on between cat and mistress as to what appears in the supper dish, who do you think wins?
Alison Ross tells a cautionary rhyming tale about a very special four-legged friend.
Many years ago the New Zealand post office issued stamps that would not hold the ink used to frank them. Alison Ross had a young friend who wiped them clean and re-used them.
Sandy a cabinet maker by trade rang his mother one morning to tell her his latest money making idea. Alison Ross imagines his sales pitch.
Alison Ross's chuckle-filled poem could readily be re-titled The Ballad of a Farmer's Wife.
For more of Alison's delightful words please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Years ago the New Zealand Federated Farmers had a special meeting for the share milkers in the area where Alison Ross lives. Unfortunately not as many turned up as were expected. A scathing article appeared in their next magazine asking whether they were all dead or asleep. Alison wrote the following poem and sent it to them.
Alison Ross's poem concerns the most unusual of all birthday presents.
For more of Alison's delicious rhymes - and some prose too - please lick on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Alison Ross offers sound advice to a lad abandoned by a girlfriend.
Alison Ross tells how a pet cat brought a positive prognostication to her itinerant and her family.
To read more of Alison's heart-warming poems and stories please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Alison Ross tells of Detective Ally who can clean and shop and garden, cook the tea, then solve a murder overnight.
Alison Ross pays tribute to the floral inspirers of a famous poem.
Alison Ross tells of a child's busy day, the highlight of which is helping Poppa with his work.
For more of Alison's poems and prose please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Alison Ross's poem reveals that there is one Christmas gift that a wife should never be given.
For more of Alison's funny and moving poems please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Alison Ross tells the wonderful rhyming tale of a beloved cat, Patches.
For lots more of Alison's warm-hearted words please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
It's the small events in life which provide memories to treasure, as Alison Ross reveals.
Alison Ross's poem brings a warning that you should be careful what you say to ad salesmen in pubs.
Alison Ross's eight-line poem brings an important message as we rush helter-skelter into the season of overspend.
Oh dear. Fancy being on the loo when Santa's sleigh lands on your roof. Alison Ross tells of an embarrassing situation.
Alison Ross's poem concerns one of the most poignant letters ever written to Santa.
Sometimes a seven-year-old's wrong answer to a question is better than the right one, as Alison Ross reveals in this tale about her grandson Grant.
To read more of Alison's prose and poems click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/heres_alison/
New Zealander Alison Ross tells of her love for horses.
To read more of Alison's heart-warming poems and prose please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
So you want to sunbake and there's a puddle on the lawn? What do you do? A problem easily solved by a four-year-old in this delightful poem by Alison Ross.
To read more of Alison's poems and prose please click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
When you're four foot eight inches tall and shaped like an elongated ball it's best not to try water ballet.
New Zealander Alison Ross tells a splendidly salty tale concerning an incident which happened during a childhood holiday.
Alison Ross writes a moving poem about an old lady and a loving grandchild.
Alison Ross pities the Bag Lady who, in all weathers, has to deliver that mountain of junk mail.
Alison Ross's minimalist poem highlights the over-confidence of some young folk - and the wisdom of a mum.
Alison Ross's poem emphasises that a working wife deserves a few birthday treats.
"Bond-style Fugitive Meets Her Fate.'' The headline concerned a 33-year-old prostitute who made a James Bond-style escape from police in Queenstown after stealing a watch. After reading the story Alison Ross was inspired to write the following poem.
A good dad knows what advice to offer when a lad loses his think, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
Alison Ross writes of a clever little lass who knows how to manipulate her grandma.
Alison Ross writes with relish about Toby Russell Rhodes, a Jack Rusell terrier that was erroneously registered as a voter in the 2005 New Zealand election.
Fantails may have neat, pleated tails, but Alison Ross wonders whether the birds might not feel...well, unreal.
Alison Ross recalls a happy family holiday that began wih a sneeze.
Alison Ross voices a heart-felt plea for nurses with the caring capabilities of Florence Nightingale.
Alison Ross fires off a poem from the hip.
Alison Ross's poem brings the happy message that impossible dreams can come true.
Alison Ross puts in a breezy recommendation for local independence.
Dad was the First Boss, Mum was the Second Boss, and three-year-old Jay was the Third Boss - or so he informed his two-year-old brother.
But even a Third Boss cannot fight off sleep for ever, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
A friend on a diet... A teenage son who wants a cuddly mum... Ready ingredients for Alison Ross's versifying talents.
Alison Ross tells a happy tale for big kids.
Once when Alison Ross was in hospital she met the mother of Sam Hunt, the famous New Zealand poet. This poem resulted from the chance encounter.
For more of Alison's poems click on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
Alison Ross couldn't resist writing this poem after hearing that a friend's husband asked if she would mind if he had his hair permed.
Read more of Alison's verses by clicking on Here's Alison in the menu on this page.
In twelve lines of verse Alison Ross expresses deep enduring grief.
Farming when there are kids around requires constant vigilence, as Alison Ross discovered. Expect the unexpected when you hear gales of laughter.
Alison Ross draws a poem from the deepest well of sadness.
Alison Ross is excited by the thought that even after the older "fledglings'' have left the nest there is still a family.
Tomorrow is Mothers' Day in New Zealand, the USA and other parts of the world. In this sad poem Alison Ross thinks of disunited families, of all those mothers who will not hear from their children.
The thoughts of a child who sits and waits reveal the true cost of a failed marriage in this poignant poem by Alison Ross.
So which will it be, Harry or Peter? Alison Ross's poem predicts that true love will have its way.
Alison Ross benefits from the treatment meted out by the good witches of Waihi.
Oh those delcious Easter eggs! And naughty Brendon ate two of them, when he should only have eaten one. Alison Ross writes a tasty poem for this Easter weekend
Alison Ross's poem brings a simple three-word instruction to all those who procrastinate.
Grass may be a modest plant, but Alison Ross's poem reminds us that it can be the fount of great joy.
Of course children should be encouraged to read, but when that little girl with eyes of blue brings you a whole stack of books... Alison Ross writes of a happy imposition.
Alison Ross remembers the magical day when the Orange Mountain was discovered.
When Alison Ross rang a young friend she was asked to hang on for a moment...
Alison Ross's verses go straight to the heart of true happiness.
Alison Ross writes in sadness and in anger of a babe that was not allowed to be born.
Parker the hungry cat does a little owner-training in this poem by Alison Ross.
When Alison Ross's brother had cancer she wrote this poem for him. After two operations he was fine, completely himself again, full of fun and able to have a good chuckle when he re-read his sister's words.
Alison Ross writes a cheery poem about a farmer who ended up with a ring through his nose.
Alison Ross's poem outlines a child's mountain of sadness.
A four-year-old girl "reads'' a book to her Grandpa - and Grandpa asks himself a question in Alison Ross's sad poem.
Alison Ross writes of one of the saddest events in a child's life - the decision of a playboy father to leave the family.
The poetry tutor is not easily pleased, as Alison Ross reveals.
The arrival of a letter prompts Alison Ross to think of a chrysalis and a butterfly.
Not every Christmas Day brings the gift that we long for, as Alison Ross reveals.
Alison Ross writes of one of those grey, gloomy days when the best thing to do is go back to bed, turn on the electric blanket, and dream of sunny somewheres.
Alison Ross writes of a dog which terrorised a neighbourhood.
As she travels down life's highway, Alison Ross has learned to recognise true gold.
Alison Ross's poem offers reasons to be grateful to a son who feels badly done by.
If only all farewell speeches were as warm-hearted witty as the one presented in Alison Ross's poem.
Old Charlie is no more. Died of a heart attack. But in this poem by Alison Ross the Merry Widow is not in mourning.
Alison Ross's thoughtful poem reminds us that there are things far more valuable than jewels.
Alison Ross wrote this poem for her 14-year-old granddaughter, who wished she had ordered fish and chips.
The Auckland Greyhound Club had a special night in which a pacer raced against a greyhound. But what if the race distance had been a mile, and the greyhound had been racing against a work-hardened farm dog? Alison Ross dreams of might-have-beens.
Trees were made for boys to enjoy, as Alison Ross's poem reveals.
Alison Ross received a smart reply when she asked her son a pertinent question.
Alison Ross's cautionary poem suggests that a fellah should never be judged by his name.
Do the eyes of a soaring, dipping, gliding seagull have the same capacity to appreciate what is seen by human eyes? Alison Ross's poem was prompted by the wonder of a sunrise.
"Is this my Dashing Knight?'' Alison Ross asks in this poem. And the answer is a resounding yes.
Parker the cat loves to roam on moonlit nights. But do those grownups understand? Do the heck! Alison Ross's poem explains all.
Continue reading "Shut Up Safe - As Told By Parker The Cat" »
Alison Ross tells of the night-time adventure of visiting Glow-worm Grotto.
Alison Ross writes a poem about the Ross brothers - and a very special brand of whisky.
Alison Ross's daughter and her husband ran a book business from their home. A yellow sticker was attached to each book, announcing it's price. And those darned stickers sometimes ended up where they shouldn't be!
A five-year-old boy goes running away over the fields in this poem by Alison Ross. But is it the boy who is straying, or his father?
When Alison Ross saw an advert announcing that 140 nightsoil cans wre for sale she was moved - if that's the right word for this occasion - to write the following verse.
Alison Ross feels the time has come to remember without pain the days of good Old Skip.
Hard to tell from Alison Ross's poem whether or not she likes her birthday treat.
Hair in the bathroom...clothes and papers everywhere... Alison Ross writes of an exasperated parent who decides that an untidy son should be given the sack.
Alison Ross, still feeling a sense of hurt, tells of the time when she missed out on a Huck Finn journey down New Zealand's mighty Waikato River.
Alison Ross addresses this poem to an 18-year-old son who has announced that he is getting a motorbike.
A six-year-old is already thinking in a tough business way in this poem by Alison Ross.
Alison Ross writes a short poem about the stillbirth of poems.
With diabolical cunning, a boy sets a trap to capture the rare blue elephant. Alison Ross's poem is about that wonderful, imaginative part of our lives - childhood.
Every princess needs a frog, says Alison Ross's good-humoured poem - but she should choose with care the frog she kisses. Alison wrote this poem for her 16-year-old granddaughter.
"...For if your people like you, and love to hear you purr, you can bet your bottom dollar kid they'll comb and brush your fur...'' Alison Ross's poem will delight the millions of good folk who like cats.
Continue reading "Just Like Me - Advice From Parker (The Cat)" »
"We must learn to ask much less, walk lonely every while...'' Alison Ross writes a poem about two special people.
Poet Alison Ross creates jolly verses while contemplating her own funeral.
The narrator in Alison Ross's poem thinks that the ways of parting may come soon.
Alison Ross's poem expresses the desperate wish of a hard-pressed mum.
Every father about to flee from the family nest should first sit down and read Alison Ross's powerful poem.
Alison Ross tells of a childhood friend whose mother ran a second-hand shop.
In eight poetic lines Alison Ross defines the pain suffered by a jilted wife.
Today is Father's Day - but Alison Ross's poignant poem brings an unexpected suggestion: don't forget Mum today.
Alison Ross's poem suggests that when a mum goes to watch her son play rugby she should keep her eye on the ball.
Two Disney balloons and a cunning brother taught Alison Ross her first lesson in injustice.
The poet listens with an ear pressed to the bedroom door, an audience of one, while her poems are read aloud. Alison Ross's poem poses a question.
The misdemeanours of childhood come back to scare the narrator of Alison Ross's story.
There's an ocean of sadness beneath Alison Ross's bright poem
Yambo, the family's pet cat, after being hit and killed by a car, was ceremoniously buried. But the next morning there was a miracle... Alison Ross tells an astonishing true story.
Alison Ross tells a true story about a lost dog - and a man who wouldn't quit
Hope is a bird that soars on the wing, declares Alison Ross's exuberant poem.
As she speeds along in her car, something touches the top of her head. A hand? A supernatural being? Alison Ross tells of a spooky occasion.
Alison Ross's poem defines the heart-ache of a marriage in jeopardy.
Here's a welcome to Alison Ross, a new contributor to Open Writing. Alison's poem about Woody, the tom cat gigolo, will delight - and sadden - cat lovers from Aberdeen to Auckland, and all points between.