A LEETON writers group is providing a place for residents to go while the world outside seems to be "upside down".
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The Historic Hydro Writers' Collective is continuing to grow every Wednesday night, with residents from all walks of life taking part.
There's writing, the sharing of stories and it all ends in some sort of magic being produced.
The collective's leader, Sarah Tiffen, said members were from all walks of life.
Two of these are Leeton's Chris Dawe and Ben Smith.
Mr Dawe works in agricultural research by day and is the father of two boys.
The group soon discovered while he works on rice research trials at the Yanco Agricultural Institute, he is writing poems in his head.
When he heard about the writers' group starting up, he decided the time had come to act on his secret passion for writing.
His little boys were intrigued.
"Where are you going, Dad?" they asked. "I'm going to a writers' group," Chris replied. Sensing their dad's trepidation, they re-assured him that "it's probably about narrative."
"When Chris started reading (his work) to the group, silence fell," Ms Tiffen said.
"Chris's poems spoke about the philosophical and spiritual ideas revealed in the everyday life he observed around him, giving voice to issues at the heart of the life of our town."
Mr Smith, an English teacher at Leeton High School, is also a composer of powerful, heroic and emotionally charged poems about life, loss and struggle.
While he read the group was captivated by the epic passionate quality of his poems.
As Mr Smith revealed later, though he has been writing for many years, at school he really struggled.
School was a time when he thought he couldn't write at all.
"Lucky for me, a couple of my teachers, and my mum, had faith in me, and now I am teaching kids who are just like I was - and I really try to help them imagine a future where they too have a voice," he said.
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Ms Tiffen said the message from this tale was you never know what hidden superpowers people in our community have.
"Men you know as a father, teacher, colleague, mate, may also in fact, be writers and poets," she said.
"It is serendipity that has created the writers' collective, and we are excited to see what other secret superpowers we uncover in town."
For more information about the group, which meets at the Historic Hydro every Wednesday evening, contact Ms Tiffen on 0404 348 277 or sarah.tiffen93@gmail.com.
The Serendipity of Chance
By Chris Dawe
The serendipity of chance
Who will I lay beside
For all of eternity?
Unless otherwise specified
It will be in between
The one before
And the one after
I might have known them
I may well have not
But in no fit state to forge new
acquaintances
It will be where I lay
Be they who they may.
Drawing from few resources
By Chris Dawe
Drawing from few resources
A decision was made
In the interests of most
Which affected a few
Those concerned were informed
Their concerns duly listed
As the decision continued
And affected a few
In due course
The former referred to the latter
And the latter did too
As the minds concerned
Did what they must do
And in time it was seen
That between me and you
A decision was made
Confounding the few.
Brave
By Ben Smith
Brave:
Am I brave enough to stare into what makes you scared
And absorb the afflictions that dig in deep?
Redirect the grief, and aim it at me.
I will shoulder the pain and set thee free.
The scars prove that I shall try again.
Not for glory, just sincerity
I will shoulder it to set thee free.
These wound won't heal over.
But Ill be brave and face the way
Of the demons that hang over.