Tag: poem

Roberta Writes – Reblog: Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet Paul Cannon

Today, I am delighted to introduce talented poet, Paul Cannon, as my first Treasuring Poetry guest of 2026.

Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

A riverbed with lillypads, water, and grasses. Text: Treasuring Poetry with Robbie Cheadle and KAye Lynne Booth

Hi everyone, welcome back to Treasuring Poetry 2026. My first guest of the year is talented poet, Paul Cannon, who I met through the d’Verse Poets Pub. You can find the latest d’Verse challenge here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/01/15/its-open-link-night-and-our-live-session-is-just-around-the-corner/. d’Verse hosts three challenges a week and they are all very interesting.

Tell us a bit about Paul Cannon. How and why did you start writing poetry?

My earliest memory of my interest in poetry is my parents encouraging me to listen to them reading poetry to me from the Children’s Book Of Verse. I remember in later primary school having to memorise poems like Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and Southey’s ‘The Inchcape Rock’ along with Patterson’s ‘The Man From Snowy River.’ Poetry captured my imagination.

Later, in high school, we were introduced to many poets and forms from around the world. We were also tasked with writing poetry which I enjoyed. One poet who I continue to read from that time is Robert Frost, I love the way he draws me into observing human behaviour and feelings, and how he observes nature.

After high school I continued to write. The incentive was, naturally, love interests. My girlfriends were always polite about my writing, not least Lyn my wife to be. From the time I married in 83 to the mid nineties I was hit and miss with writing, what brought me back in earnest was my journey into becoming an Anglican priest and the pathway of training to be a spiritual director or companion for those needing a sounding board for personal discernment. This journey opened me up to the poetry of Mary Oliver, R.S. Thomas, Denise Levertov, Blake, Milton, Edwina Gateley, Noel Davis, Rumi, Hafez, Layli and many more. These poets inspired me and I became intentional about my writing at this point.

I didn’t go online with my poems until 2017. I was writing prose on Face Book and switched to WordPress in 2013 and it was through the WordPress community that I was encouraged to take the plunge into poetry after posting some tentative pieces.

Continue reading here: https://writingtoberead.com/2026/01/21/treasuring-poetry-meet-talented-poet-paul-cannon/

Roberta Writes – Esther Chilton’s writing prompt and DL Finn’s Creative Perspective Challenge #poetry

Esther Chilton’s writing prompt for this week is team. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/02/12/writing-prompts-52/.

I am not much of a team player. I have had some very bad experiences where my hard work and creative solutions have been accredited to more senior people on my so called team. I’ve also had situations where the team doesn’t listen and a crisis results. These situations have left a bad taste in my mouth and now I prefer to run my own processes with as little involvement from other people as possible.

No Team

There is no I in teamwork, so they say

My experience defies this simplistic view

There is always an I who leads the way

The one who takes control

Does most of the hard work

Burns the midnight oil

This is the same one who gets

To share the recognition and rewards

With the rest of the team

There is no team in

Taking the initiative

Or getting things done

But there are numerous I’s

***

The next poem is not new, but it fitted how I absorbed Denise’s picture prompt. You can read what other writers have created here: https://dlfinnauthor.com/2025/02/18/creative-perspective-challenge-two-links-and-haibun-writingcommunity-flashfiction-poetry-haibun-creativeperspectivechallenge/

Picture caption: A desolate scene in black and grey with a large building with towers and a bridge across a ravine

The Corporate Giant

It rears upwards

into the blue sky

a monstrosity

of reflective glass and

shiny stainless steel

towering over

the ant-sized people

who scurry about

in its imposing shadow

***

An emotionless giant

it is bereft of a soul

it feeds on small businesses,

corner cafes, fruit and nut shops,

independent butcheries, bakeries,

confectionaries and cake shops

even book sellers and

small stationers

are swallowed whole

disappearing into the gaping maw

of the corporate giant

***

It shreds and ingests

taking the sustenance it seeks

spitting out the bones

independence and individuality

creativity and uniqueness

mere entrails, unwanted and discarded

it stamps on difference

in its pursuit of profits

imperfections and belmishes

an unacceptable blight

on a perfect track record

***

What remains will finally

emerge as a mirror

reflecting the sameness

uniformity and consistency

it holds so dear

providing its market

with the conformity

and rigidity

that has taken over

and turned the world grey