Anne Ashton is thrilled to receive her Poet of Merit award from the International Society of Poets.
By Callan Date
DOUBT turned to delight for a budding Pakenham poet recently when an award of international significance was delivered to her doorstep.
Anne Ashton had never written a poem before she put pen to paper earlier this year and expressed some of her innermost thoughts and feelings in prose.
And the 48yearold gave little thought of her work being read and commended worldwide by the International Society of Poets when she entered the Internetbased competition.
Ms Ashton said she was slightly sceptical when the congratulatory letter first arrived, outlining the Poet of Merit award she had won, and asking her to fly to the United States to collect her award.
“I just fobbed them off when I got the first letter,” Ms Ashton said.
However, the initial scepticism soon turned to shear joy when a French crystal trophy, medal and certificate arrived at Ms Ashton’s Pakenham house last week.
“My eyes nearly shot out when the award arrived,” she said.
Ms Ashton wore her medal with great pride on the first day and was more than happy to let anyone know what it signified.
For some the poetry process is hour after hour of trying to find the right words and rhythm, but not for Ms Ashton.
“It comes with ease. It probably took me less than half an hour to write each of the three poems I submitted,” she said.
Ms Ashton drew inspiration for her words from several different events in her life, from the devastating death of her threeyearold daughter 18 years ago to the scenic sites surrounding her holiday house in Metung, with different emotions running through each piece.
And with the continued enthusiasm and natural ability there may well be many more future poetry awards in store for the talented writer.
