Maeve Archibald was born and grew up in the Central Tablelands west of Bathurst, NSW. She trained as a teacher and has lived and worked in Broken Hill, the West Coast of Tasmania, Cobar NSW, and Perth before settling in Adelaide in 1990.
The bush has had a profound effect on Maeve’s life since her childhood. She learned to read early and developed a love of books. She has also had a life long passion for live theatre. She began as a storyteller and writer and later moved to writing poetry. Her favourite form of poetry is Haiku. She loves word play and has a deep interest in Anthroposophy.
Maeve has read at poetry readings in the Adelaide Hills and attends and runs poetry workshops. She is a member of three writing groups. Her poems and Haiku have appeared in the Friendly Street Poetry Readers.
Autumn Dreams
Did you see him, the shining Archangel?
On outspread wings of filmy cloud he soared.
He held aloft, for us, his might sword
He sang through the words of the wise minstrel
Did you hear his voice calling me, and you?
It rained on us in streams of scarlet leaves
The meaning full, in swirls of gold, he weaves.
A slender thread which each must work anew.
But autumn leaves turn brown and clouds move on
And on, above a carpet crackling crisp
Which, when dust and ashes will meet anon
As smoke spirals up into cloudy wisp.
Such visions of glory, but briefly stay
Our dreams, like the distant clouds, fade away.
From Friendly Street No. 22
Summer Haiku
Sunlight and blue sky
a pattern of knotted lace
the work of branches
From Beating Time in a Gothic Space: Friendly Street No. 23
Haiku
A white bird flying
across a black road, skimming
the surface of today.
From Friendly Street No. 24