Meet poet Kevin Morris and a review of his latest book, Light and Shade; serious (and not so serious) poems
Posted: July 25, 2020 Filed under: Book Review, Poetry, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Book Review, Kevin Morris, Poet Interview, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 43 Comments
Today, I am very excited to share poet, Kevin Morris’, thoughts about poetry and his favourite poem. I met Kevin a few years ago soon after I started my blog and I was immediately captivated by his interesting poetry which frequently presents new angles on current events and even some historical events. I have read and enjoyed a number of his lovely poetry books, including his latest book, Light and Shade; serious (and not so serious) poems which I have reviewed later in this post.
Over to Kevin
Choosing a favourite poem is a difficult task, as my head is full of poems, many of which are favourites of mine. However, as I have to make a choice, my favourite poem is Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam, by Ernest Dowson, which runs thus:
“They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate:
I think they have no portion in us after
We pass the gate.
They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.”
Dowson’s poem deals poignantly with the brevity of life. We are here for a short time. Our lives are full of “weeping”, “laughter”, “love”, “desire” and “hate”. But all of these are but a passing show for, when we “pass the gate” (the gate signifying the entrance to the land of the dead), all are loves, joys and sorrows are at an end, and we are no more.
Whilst the poem invokes in me a feeling of sadness (it is, after all about the shortness of existence), my primary response to Dowson’s lines is one of admiration. I say admiration for he sums up admirably, in 2 short verses the brevity of life. Other writers expend pots of ink on the subject of our mortality, but Dowson gets to the heart of the matter in a mere 8 lines of poetry.
I never deliberately copy any of the well-known poets. Although, doubtless their work impacts on my writing.
Whilst Dowson’s poem has a Latin title (a language unfamiliar to many people, including me), the message and style of his poem is simple, and it’s the poem’s very simplicity which I so admire.
Thank you, Kevin, for sharing your favourite poem and your reasons for loving it. Your choice greatly interested me as the brevity of life and the inevitability of death is common topic in your own poetry.
My review of Light and Shade; serious (and not so serious) poems
What Amazon says
Life is full of light and shade. For to be human is to experience joy, beauty, love, pain and laughter. This collection reflects all facets of human experience. hence the title Light and Shade; serious (and not so serious) poems.
My review
Light and Shade; serious (and not so serious) poems is another delightful collection of poems by talented poet, Kevin Morris.
Section 1 – Love, nature and time includes poems written mainly in freestyle, that tell of these aspects of human life. Each poem has a streak of melancholy running through it which is extremely effective – a bit like biting on tinfoil – in the way it highlights the underlying certainty of death even in the midst of life. There are a few poems that hint at the trauma of the coronavirus and the related lockdown.
One particular extract that demonstrates this is from a poem called “Oh Creature of Night”:
‘Twas a strange thing
To hear.
Yet I
Felt no fear
But pondered on your incongruous cry,
And a virus, invisible to the eye.”
Section 2 – Humour
The second part of the book comprises of amusing takes on life. I personally prefer the poems with the underlying dark undertones, but these are a lovely and light relief. A large number of these poems comprise of limericks, a form of poetry that the author excels at. One of the verses that entertained me from this section of the book, also relates to Covid-19, and goes as follows:
“Sunscreen on skin
Is no sin.
The birds sing
For it is spring.
One may go outside
But woe betide
The man who offers resistance
To the concept of social distance.”
From At a Time of Social Distancing.
I highly recommend this book of poetry to all poetry lovers who enjoy unpacking meaning and delighting in subtle messages of humour and darkness.
Purchase Light and Shade; serious (and not so serious) poems
Kevin’s recently released poetry collection, Light and Shade: Serious (and Not so Serious) Poems is available from Amazon as follows:
For amazon.com customers please click here https://www.amazon.com/Light-Shade-serious-not-poems-ebook/dp/B08B4X3GVX/ (for the Kindle edition), and here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B37VVKV/ (for the paperback).
For amazon.co.uk customers please follow this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Shade-serious-not-poems-ebook/dp/B08B4X3GVX/ (for the Kindle edition), or click here https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08B37VVKV/ (for the paperback).
About Kevin Morris
Kevin Morris was born in the city of Liverpool, United Kingdom, on 6 January 1969.
Having graduated from University College Swansea with a BA in history and politics and a MA in political theory, Kevin moved to London where he has lived and worked since 1994.
Being visually impaired, Kevin uses software called Job Access with Speech (JAWS), which converts text into speech and braille enabling him to use a Windows computer or laptop.
Contact Kevin Morris
Links:
Blog: https://kmorrispoet.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdog2060_
About Robbie Cheadle
Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with six published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about my mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of my children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.
I have recently branched into adult and young adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my adult writing, I plan to publish these books under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first supernatural book published in that name, Through the Nethergate, is now available.
I have participated in a number of anthologies:
- Two short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Dark Visions, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre;
- Three short stories in Death Among Us, an anthology of murder mystery stories, edited by Stephen Bentley;
- Three short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Nightmareland, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre; and
- Two short stories in Whispers of the Past, an anthology of paranormal stories, edited by Kaye Lynne Booth.
I also have a book of poetry called Open a new door, with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.
Find Robbie Cheadle
Blog: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Goodreads:
Twitter: BakeandWrite
Instagram: Robbie Cheadle – Instagram
Facebook: Sir Chocolate Books
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879063.K_Morrishttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879063.K_Morrishttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879063.K_Morris
Writing to be Read 
Reblogged this on Robbie's inspiration and commented:
Today, I am delighted to host talented poet, Kevin Morris, for my Treasuring Poetry series over at Writing to be Read. I have also read and reviewed Kevin’s latest poetry book which I really enjoyed.
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Many thanks for your kindness in hosting me on your blog, Robbie. Thank you also for taking the time to read and review my latest poetry collection, which I very much appreciate. Kevin
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It is my pleasure, Kevin. A lovely book, I really enjoyed it.
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Thank you, Robbie. I am delighted you enjoyed Light and Shade.
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Welcome Kevin. Robbie has a knack for finding talented poets for her “Treasuring Poetry” series, and I can see she has done it once again. Thank you for sharing with us on “Writing to be Read”.
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Thank you for your very kind comments on my poetry, and for affording authors the opportunity to promote their work and be reviewed on your blog. I very much appreciated the chance to appear on your site. Best wishes, Kevin
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[…] Treasuring Poetry Today, I am very excited to share poet, Kevin Morris’, thoughts about poetry and his favourite poem. I met Kevin a few years ago soon after I started my blog and I was immediately captivated by his interesting poetry which frequently presents new angles on current events and even some historical events. I… — Read on kayelynnebooth.wordpress.com/2020/07/25/meet-poet-kevin-morris-and-a-review-of-his-latest-book-light… […]
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Many thanks for sharing my guest post and Robbie’s review of Light and Shade, Patty.
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I love the poem that Kevin chose as his favorite; I hadn’t read it before. I wish him all the best for the success of his new book!
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Many thanks for your kind words, Liz. And I’m pleased you gained so much pleasure from Dowson’s poem. Kevin
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You’re welcome, Kevin.
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Hi LIz, Kevin is very knowledgeable about poetry and history and shares his knowledge in his poems and on his blog. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
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It was my pleasure, Robbie.
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A fantastic review, Robbie. Your new poetry book sounds wonderful, Kevin. Toni x
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Thank you, Tony for your extremely kind comments on my new book.
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Thank you, Toni. It is always easy to write reviews of good books. I appreciate your visiting and commenting.
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Lovely poem and review!
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Thank you, Bette. Kevin writes thought provoking poetry.
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A great review, Robbie. I liked the poems of your choice!
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I’m pleased you liked those poems of mine chosen by Robbie, Miriam.
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I liked it very much, Kevin!
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Thank you, Miriam. I enjoyed how Kevin wove the current events into his poems.
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Yes, I should do that also. My poetry class had a session last week to write poems with the current events.
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Nice to meet you Kevin! Thank you for the introduction, Robbie.
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My pleasure, Mark. I am a great lover of poetry and am delighted to introduce you to the talented Kevin.
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Nice to meet you also, Mark! Kevin
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Delightful for you to have featured Kevin!
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I love Kevin’s poetry, Annette. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
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Thank you for your kind words, Annette. Best wishes, Kevin
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Beautiful poem. Thanks for introducing us to Kevin and his writing Robbie 🙂
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I am delighted you enjoyed reading my poem. And thank you for your kind comments on my work. Kevin
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It was my pleasure Kevin 🙂
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My pleasure, Debby. I really love Kevin’s poetry. Thanks also for your share in FB.
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Thank you also Debby for sharing on FB.
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Most welcome Robbie and Kevin 🙂
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A great feature, Robbie. Thanks for sharing your review of Kevin’s book, and thanks to Kevin for sharing a favorite poem. All beautiful. 🙂
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Thank you for your kind comments. Kevin
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I am so pleased you enjoyed Kevin’s choice, Diana. I love the style of Kevin’s poetry and its thought provoking topics.
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Thanks for sharing this, Robbie. I love poetry that manages to be timeless while at the same time dealing in things we are all going through, and Kevin has an evident knack for it. I also love his choice of poem. Good luck with your writing, Kevin, and thanks for the recommendation, Robbie.
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My pleasure, Olga. You have said that very well. That is exactly how I feel about poetry.
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Many thanks for your kind words and best wishes as regards my poetry, Olga. I’m pleased you like my choice of Dowson’s poem.
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