Trying to Find a Poem

[aspiecat]

Hi all

I have been trying to find a particular poem for AGES. I read it as a child - it would have been the early 80s - and it stayed with me for ages. I have no idea what happened to the book of poetry in which I found it, so I have been looking on the Internet for a year or so since it began to bug me. Coming across this forum, I thought I'd see if there is any chance someone here has an idea of the poem, so I will put down as much of the poem as I remember.

If I could see this fly
With an unprejudiced eye
I would see he is blue
No, peacock blue
And he breathes
As I do

Now - I might have missed a couple of lines, but it's a very short poem, so I don't think there is too much missing.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could help me locate this poem, as I'd like to show it to other people and attribute it to the poet.

Aspie

[tailor STATELY]

Extremely convoluted but I believe resolved:

googled: found ? year 2014 ? -

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?client=opera&q=cache:dsMxdgOBqp8J:http://pdf.thepdfportal.net/PDFFiles/219376.pdf%2BIf+I+could+see+this+fly+With+an+unpre judiced+eye+I+would+see+he+is+blue+No,+peacock+blu e+And+he+breathes+As+I+do&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest&gws_rd=ssl&hl=en&&ct=clnk


Page 8

Speech and Drama Section 2014
Page 8
Test – Under 8
A Fly
Ruth Dallas
If I could
See this fly
With unprejudiced eye,
I should see his body
Was metallic blue – no,
Peacock blue.
His wings are a frosty puff;
His legs fine wire.
He even has a face,
I notice.
And he breathes, as I do

https://www.google.com/search?q=A+Fly+++Ruth+Dallas+++If+I+could++++See+t his+fly+++With+unprejudiced+eye%2C+++I+should+see+ his+body+++Was+metallic+blue+%E2%80%93+no%2C++++Pe acock+blue.+++His+wings+are+a+frosty+puff%3B+++His +legs+fine+wire.+++He+even+has+a+face%2C+++I+notic e.+++And+he+breathes%2C+as+I+do&client=opera&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest&gws_rd=ssl&oq=A+Fly+++Ruth+Dallas+++If+I+could++++See+this+fl y+++With+unprejudiced+eye%2C+++I+should+see+his+bo dy+++Was+metallic+blue+%E2%80%93+no%2C++++Peacock+ blue.+++His+wings+are+a+frosty+puff%3B+++His+legs+ fine+wire.+++He+even+has+a+face%2C+++I+notice.+++A nd+he+breathes%2C+as+I+do&gs_l=heirloom-serp.3...771816.826246.0.827805.4.4.0.0.0.0.3401.4 933.6-2j9-1.3.0....0...1ac.1.34.heirloom-serp..4.0.0.hNyzgB-Cn1o

re-iterated 2014 ? @ https://uppsaladenhaagochpoesi.wordpress.com/

Music 1994 ??? (partial) http://sounz.org.nz/media_items/0001/8323/1417_043001_smp.pdf

Narrated 2014 ??? https://www.powtoon.com/show/djJ27WvsMTA/the-fly-by-ruth-dallas/

Less refined search yields perhaps more - https://www.google.com/search?q=%22A+Fly%22+++%22Ruth+Dallas%22+&client=opera&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest&gws_rd=ssl&oq=%22A+Fly%22+++%22Ruth+Dallas%22+&gs_l=heirloom-serp.3...888007.909778.0.910706.7.7.0.0.0.0.911.50 33.6-6.6.0....0...1ac.1.34.heirloom-serp..7.0.0.ORpuyBhuDhI

@ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:DKdsla3sIEMJ:http://www.androidillustrated.com/q/People_from_Invercargill%2B%22A+Fly%22+++%22Ruth+D allas%22&client=opera&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest&gws_rd=ssl&hl=en&&ct=clnk
Ruth Minnie Mumford, CBE (29 September 1919 – 18 March 2008), better known by her pen name Ruth Dallas, was a New Zealand poet and children's author.
Dallas was born in Invercargill, the daughter of Frank and Minnie Mumford. She became blind in one eye at 15, then spent three years at the Southland Technical College and was engaged at 19. But her fiance broke off the engagement to serve in Gre...

Which leads very favourably to: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Ruth+Minnie+Mumford%22&client=opera&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest&gws_rd=ssl&oq=%22Ruth+Minnie+Mumford%22&gs_l=heirloom-serp.12...424572.430896.0.433518.5.4.0.1.0.0.2008. 2810.6-1j9-1.2.0....0...1ac.1.34.heirloom-serp..5.0.0.d0_8VxOojwI

... and a wikipedia page to pen name: Ruth Dallas (real name Ruth Minnie Mumford): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Dallas


Hope this helps ?

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[aspiecat]

Hi tailor

Thank you so, so much! Sorry this reply is so late in getting to you - had my mind on other things lately - but tonight I thought I should check back, and OMG, here it is! I even recall the poet's name now I see it there.

I certainly don't remember Ruth Dallas being a Kiwi writer...but it was probably a collection of NZ poetry I was reading, and considering I was in Form 2 (which is, I think, Gr 7 here in America), that sounds about right for initial study in English Lit. class for home-grown poets.

Again, thank you so much.

Aspie
PS: I didn't do too bad a job in remembering most of that poem after over 30 years LOL.