I love the night culture of the Philippines and how the twilight turns headlights into the moon. After the hot sun sinks and before the moon rises.

Professional writer, designer, and blogger. When she’s not publishing eBooks, designing embroidery patterns, or blogging — Mel’s out in the sunshine finding new stories.
I love the night culture of the Philippines and how the twilight turns headlights into the moon. After the hot sun sinks and before the moon rises.
Kid's water park excited shrieks wet selfies. Splashed with red flowers. ‘Tita Mel, you have little red flowers on you’ cried 11 year old Jerry as we were leaving a kid’s waterpark yesterday. Underneath the steps of a shrieking watercoaster,…
flying late my Easter moon alighting Dubai
standing next to the sun I saw the city shine © 2019 Melinda J. Irvine © 2019 Melinda J. Irvine
on the window sill bottles sitting in echoes memories -- not dust
street composition afternoon art © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine As I wander the late afternoons I often ponder how the early masters like Yoshimoto, Basho and Buson would haiku and haiga our 21st century landscape.
seeing senses skewed © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Skewed I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Guimaras Island, Iloilo (Philipppines) PS: I found Bertrand Russell's 'The Problems of Philosophy' for 85 pesos buried in a bookstore yesterday,…
one piece of the forest fallen, at my feet © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Forest I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Guimaras, Iloilo (Philipppines)
bare feet uncover a new island old world pandanus © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Observe I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location:Guimaras Island, Iloilo (Philipppines)
a few days remain part of her life the kittens © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Uncompromising I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Estancia, Iloilo (Philipppines)
no sleep tonight the neighbours dogs © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Messy I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Estancia, Iloilo (Philipppines)
touching a 'touch me not' we wait the restart © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Restart I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Estancia, Iloilo (Philipppines)
midnight a wet balcony becomes the moon © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Astral I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Estancia, Iloilo (Philipppines)
seeing someone's feet in the city sludge, I fall © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Creature I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Iloilo City (Philippines)
among the steady trill of motors, beats, our time we are all, just waiting to go home © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Trill I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Balasan, Iloilo (Philipppines)
recurrent concrete - support the tiny framework © 2018 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Silhouette I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Balasan, Iloilo (Philipppines)
concrete cast boy alive for the ocean winsome © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Winsome I'm part of Post A Day 2018 Location: Banate, Iloilo (Philipppines)
Phoebus Stretched his hands Unto each tiny stem and floret © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Elegance Weekly Photo Challenge: Ascend I'm part of Post A Day 2017 Location: Batad, Iloilo (Philipppines)
women's gowns compete with Christmas lights resplendent to the ceiling © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Atmospheric I'm part of Post A Day 2017 Location: Jaro, Iloilo City (Philipppines)
bottle caps black street stones white ball-pen scraped checkerboard © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Black Weekly Photo Challenge: Temporary I'm part of Post A Day 2017 Location: Estancia, Iloilo (Philipppines)
burning orange sky poverty reduced to a silhouette the panacea of dusk © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Panacea I'm part of Post A Day 2017 Location: Estancia, Iloilo (Philipppines)
flames, cousins, aunts, fire tentative photo of mum the old fire place © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Tentative I'm part of Post A Day 2017
though he smiles for me the hand on the water pump stuck, in his eternity © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Jiffy and Trance I'm part of Post A Day 2017
baby takes a a bath laundry tub filled with brothers one partner hiding © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Partner I'm part of Post A Day 2017
her sultry shimmer betwitching her passersby late night fiesta © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Shimmer I'm part of Post A Day 2017
the late sun falling into each new stem of rice © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine I'm part of Post A Day 2017
faded sun finding its last men waving goodbye © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Caper I'm part of Post A Day 2017
every thing primal in your wreckless purrrrrrrrrr © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Savage I'm part of Post A Day 2017
little white sail inside a green sea aloft © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Sail I'm part of Post A Day 2017
Jerry visits an old playground where his house used to be © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Scamper and Snack I'm part of Post A Day 2017
along an old trail we walk to grandmother's house seven kids and me © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Roots and Gray I'm part of Post A Day 2017
he wanted pets trapped small fish and shrimp in plastic cups © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Cringe I'm part of Post A Day 2017
stately white flowers hold tall their golden sceptre perfect lined satin © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Illusion I'm part of Post A Day 2017
we watched the tide fall chased tiny fish into cups swimming till sunset © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Commit I'm part of Post A Day 2017
this scribbled blossom I must have dreamed of triffids in a dusty book © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Blossom and Create I'm part of Post A Day 2017
bamboo walls don't keep out the rain puncture marks © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Puncture I'm part of Post A Day 2017
lunchtime stains little white shirt spaghetti © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Uniform I'm part of Post A Day 2017
heavy concrete wall dissects mine from neighbour's mine except a red hibiscus © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Farce I'm part of Post A Day 2017
street paint eyes broken bamboo bits hang like teeth © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Buff I'm part of Post A Day 2017
mud garden footprint old bottles stem a bright rose gentleness reaching © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Tender I'm part of Post A Day 2017
World Oceans Day! Blissfully unaware, of what we've done. © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Crisp #WorldOceansDay #WorldOceansDay2017 #OurOceansOurFuture I'm part of Post A Day 2017
squatting over a mud puddle catch the moon © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Polish I'm part of Post A Day 2017
as he writes I ask "Ano ini?" ... Man-og! [snake] © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Trace I'm part of Post A Day 2017
rainbow reaching (a tiny distant moon) both sides rainbow reaches World Environment Day both sides © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Distant I'm part of Post A Day 2017 World Environment Day #WithNature
creativity an urban reprieve outside collective focus Artivism was a curated street art collaboration of Ilonggo Artists sponsored by the British Council. The gallery in this blog is a collection of fragments I photographed from the complete work which spans a carpark…
ripened bract unfolds her music, line and textures dance inflorescence © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Impression
every market corner stained with your pungent odour ma'am! you not like this? © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Notorious
fresh fish shine under market light a living © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Pursue
random memories fairy floss, flowers, kids, poo all my year in pink © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Pink
summer tides fall little friends an island weekend © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Post: Temporary
like bold ink scratchings haiku ancestors, unknown bird songs are yet heard Audax scratchings quasi atramento Haiku et maiorum suorum ignotum carmina sunt avem tamen audisti Scratchings as bold ink Haiku Poetry and those of their own ancestors are pardoned…
wreathed boy spoke limestone or held bird © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Photo: Limestone statuette of a boy with a wreath of leaves
little frog sitting long wooden centuries this me writing poems © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Photo: Netsuke of Frog on a Straw Hat I haven't written a poem or been out photographing for weeks, so it was a delight to read…
manicured sky blue dainty arms and sleeves to match but will she float boys? © 2017 Melinda Irvine
dinagyang parade warriors dance for maidens the tremble of drums © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Tremble
long since a palm tree weaved tight, neatly stitched by hands above now below © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Craft and Recognize
Arrived unwilling, he rusted (hammered in tight). Forgetting what for. © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Resist
inside simple space we find creative moments family type stuff © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Simple
women's "comfort" room we squat over grilled river (brown boxed "privacy") © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Post: Privacy
Write in bright colours like your life could be, could might be Still reality. © 2016 Mel Irvine Weekly Discover Challenge: Transcript About eight years ago I bought myself a beautiful bound sketchbook and started sketching my guitar strap and…
your end of day flight blackened by the sun's late shine living passed to less © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Shine
Before sunset walk photographing river stuff. Nothing specific. © 2016 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Specific
Lady gone to sea (her mimsy flanks all about). She won't float tonight. © 2017 Melinda J. Irvine Daily Prompt: Float
My grandmother's hands found little ships in tree bark. Tempted by the sea. © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Tempted
She lies behind you another century, back turned she will remain. © 2017 Melinda Irvine Weekly Photo Challenge: Resilient
Linen stripped and washed (my friends will still be driving). Soon I'll be gone too © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Gone
the living the left behind facing their ending down inside the sea © 2017 Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Interior
Her bespoke lie is all she's lived; 5 star girl only Yes, never ... © Melinda Irvine Daily Prompt: Bespoke
somewhere by the edge of the moon sits history. everything past. © 2016 Melinda Irvine © 2016 Melinda Irvine This is my contribution to the Blogging-U course Photography: Developing Your Eye II (Day 8 Edge).
this red bench was the 'pop of colour' i had been seeking to finish the 'developing your eye' wordpress course. there is usually an street vendor sitting here reading the newspaper while he sells sweets, fans or small plastic toys. at night he sleeps between pieces of cardboard in an alley behind an international hotel.
nostalgia sits inside two pot plants and home mother's gardened hands © 2016 Melinda Irvine
Muddy in a city puddle I saw myself © 2016 Melinda Irvine Photos taken in Iloilo City for the Weekly Photo Challenge (Mirror).
water falls into my pocket, but my friendship is carefully placed. © 2016 Melinda Irvine https://youtu.be/3DOSV8QrwKI&rel=0
your little cries loud; so loud you pull my ears too my eyes too, my heart. © 2016 Melinda Irvine
all life runs deeply hidden from eyesight (the truth) all us connected. © 2016 Melinda Irvine
flung down like water find your timeless fall and flow running, never still © 2016 Melinda Irvine
wet season brown-out squandering the last cell phone charge. slowly. slowly. © 2016 Melinda Irvine https://youtu.be/eIX4NI43v1A&rel=0
the sun is warming my tropical island feet back home for winter © 2016 Melinda Irvine
where i once stood still a memory (bright shells) held in my little hand © 2016 Mel Irvine
they rush into night. and soon, you won’t even see the poverty. © 2016 Melinda Irvine
when the pathway blurs, and i can't find my way back, do i close my eyes? © 2016 Melinda Irvine
Child's birthday party: cake, games, spaghetti. Later, ladies find red wine. © 2016 Melinda Irvine
where is home these days? maybe home is no longer a place: just photos? © 2015 Melinda Irvine
still life coloured green i find green everywhere now guitar life sits still © 2015 Melinda Irvine
Two years older protects little brother; baby man. Superman at three. © 2015 Melinda Irvine
clearing photographs I am pulled homeward hearing Australian beach sounds © 2015 Melinda Irvine
Traffic. Manila. Traffic. Traffic. Stopping for ... red lights optional. © 2015 Melinda Irvine
leaving again soon walking his mate with purpose taking memories © 2015 Melinda Irvine
searching for signal yeh! that’s what teenagers do on magic islands © 2015 Melinda Irvine
Too grown for children, not yet men. Late afternoon amigos, pretend. © 2016 Melinda Irvine
pretty city pics no begging or busted pipes plastic bag homeless © 2015 Melinda Irvine
two young brothers held 1950's camera excited tyre tube © 2015 Melinda Irvine
I arrive at the Singapore Zoo expecting elephants not art © 2015 Melinda Irvine
spins my head around (like sparkling wine at the bar far below). slow. slow. © 2015 Melinda Irvine
afternoon sun life sets on these last of my days I’ll find you again © 2015 Melinda Irvine
weed or flower? which will make a difference? will it? will it? why? © 2015 Melinda Irvine
1975 you are tall like the sun, me small as you are now © 2015 Melinda Irvine