Poetry Treasures 2: Available now!
Posted: April 9, 2022 Filed under: Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Poetry, Treasuring Poetry, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Arthur Rosch, Colleen M. Chesebro, D.Avery, Elizabeth Merry, Harmony Kent, JulesPaige, Lauren Scott, Leon Stevens, Lynda McKinney Lambert, M.J. Mallon, Miriam Hurdle, Poetry Collection, Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, WordCrafter Press 44 CommentsYes! It’s finally here.
If, like me, you thoroughly enjoy Robbie Cheadle’s “Treasuring Poetry” blog series and can’t wait for her posts to come out each month, then you’ll be as excited as I am to learn that Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships is available at your favorite book distributors now!
Relationships are golden and each of
Arthur Rosch, Elizabeth Merry, D Avery, Robbie Cheadle, Harmony Kent, Lauren Scott, JulesPaige,
Leon Stevens, Colleen M. Chesebro, Miriam Hurdle,
M J Mallon, and Lynda McKinney Lambert
pay poetic tribute to their most intense
personal moments.
That’s right folks. Now you can get this wonderful collection of poetic gems by Robbie and her 2021 “Treasuring Poetry” guests all in one place. We’ll be doing a book blog tour April 25 – May 1 so you can learn more about the amazing treasures contained within, but you don’t have to wait.
Just click on the Books2Read Universal Book Link (ULB) to find your copy at your favorite book distributor now!: https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK
Welcome to the WordCrafter “After the Fires of Day” Book Blog Tour
Posted: September 6, 2021 Filed under: Blog Tour, book marketing, Book Promotion, Book Review, Books, Poetry | Tags: After the Fires of Day, Alphonse de Lamartine, Cendrine Marrouat, Haiku, Kahlil Gibran, Poetry, Poetry Collection, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 10 Comments
To start off the WordCrafter After the Fires of Day Book Blog Tour, we’ve got an interview with poet and author Cendrine Marrouat and a review of her wonderful poetry collection and tribute to the inspiring poets, After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine. I hope you will all follow the tour this week and visit each of the tour stops to learn more about this inspired this inspired poet who is herself inspiring.

Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, poet, and the multi-genre author of more than 30 books. In 2019, she founded the PoArtMo Collective and co-founded Auroras & Blossoms with David Ellis. A year later, they launched PoArtMo (Positive Art Month and Positive Art Moves) and created the Kindku and Pareiku, two forms of poetry.
Cendrine is also the creator of the Sixku, the Flashku, and the Reminigram. Cendrine writes both in French and English and has worked in many different fields in her 17-year career, including translation, language instruction, journalism, art reviews, and social media.
My Interview with author and poet, Cendrine Marrouat
Kaye: What inspired you to create After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine?
Cendrine: My love for the haiku and my passion for the beautiful words of Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine.
I had always wanted to release something similar to After the Fires of Day. I had many ideas. However, a project like this, which pays homage to two literary giants, was tricky and required a thoughtful approach.
At the beginning of my career, I tried to emulate Gibran’s style—to no avail. But it was not a useless pursuit. It taught me important lessons about my own style and how to incorporate emotions in my work.
Emotions is actually the keyword here. In the late 2010s, I had this idea: An author always leaves a part of themselves, their “energy”, in their works. So why not “borrow” that and go from there?
It’s what I did for After the Fires of Day.
Kaye: Why do you think the haiku is such a powerful poetry form?
Cendrine: Many people limit the haiku to its syllable count. Words are treated like an afterthought, when they are actually the most important element of the poem. In North America, the haiku is misunderstood by the general public.
The haiku freezes a scene in time while implicitly revealing its author’s innermost feelings at that precise moment. It is an intimate, albeit complex form of poetry that speaks to the human experience in more ways than one.
To write a memorable haiku, you need to understand: the importance of conciseness and simple language; and how to leverage the seasonal reference (‘kigo’) and “cutting word” (‘kireji’) to evoke a specific mood.
Kaye: What made you choose Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine as sources of inspiration for After the Fires of Day? And for the people who have never read them, is there a specific book or piece of writing you would recommend?
Cendrine: I chose them because everything in their bodies of work inspires me. Their styles and the flow of their words tug at my creative heartstrings and make me want to write.
The Prophet is the best introduction to Gibran’s work. As far as Lamartine is concerned, you should start with his most famous poem, The Lake.
For the people interested in learning more about Gibran and Lamartine, they can visit my blog. I recently ran a mini-series of posts on each writer.

My Review

After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine is both a tribute of admiration to two wonderful poets and a collection of Haikus by Cendrine Marrouat, the expressions of her own unique voice and style of Haiku, in which their inspirations can be seen.
I was familiar with Kahlil Gibran’s work, but Alphonse de Lamartine was new to me. I am thankful to Cendrine Marrouat for the introduction to this poet. The poetic words of Marrouat’s beautiful Haikus bring me back to when I was introduced to the Haiku poetry, in the fourth grade. At that time, I felt that the sheer simplicity of the Haiku was lovely, although my fourth-grade mind didn’t yet understand that it was the ability of the words to capture and conjure a moment in nature so exquisitely that sent so much awe flowing through me.
I’ve included my favorite poem from this collection below. I think this Haiku speaks to me because my son, Michael, was born and died in September and since his death, September has always been a hard month for me to face. Marrouat’s Haiku allows me to look at the month of September with more positivity. The vivid imagery reminds me of what it is like to wait in anticipation of cooler days and fall colors.
Valley sits in gold,
Reflections in water
Welcome September.
While reading the Haiku poetry of Cendrine Marrouat, I couldn’t help but smile as her words summoned vivid images in my mind, which is exactly what a quality haiku should do. I give After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine five quills.

Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Day 5 of the WordCrafter “Behind Closed Doors” Book Blog Tour
Posted: August 27, 2021 Filed under: Blog Tour, book marketing, Book Promotion, Book Review, Books, Guest Post, Poetry, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Behind Closed Doors, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Leave a comment
We’re wrapping up the WordCrafter Behind Closed Doors Book Blog Tour over at Zigler’s News with a guest post by poet and author Robbie Cheadle and a review by Victoria Zigler. Please join us to learn a bit more about the author and her book.
http://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2021/08/behind-closed-doors-collection-of.html
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Day 4 – WordCrafter “Behind Closed Doors” Book Blog Tour
Posted: August 26, 2021 Filed under: Blog Tour, Book Covers, book marketing, Book Promotion, Book Review, Books, Guest Post, Poetry, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Behind Closed Doors, Book Review, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 1 Comment
Day 4 of the WordCrafter Behind Closed Doors Book Blog Tour finds us over at Miriam Hurdle’s Showers of Blessings blog site with a guest post by author and poet Robbie Cheadle and a lovely review of Robbie’s latest book, Behind Closed Doors, a collection of unusual poetry. Drop in and learn more about this fascinating poetry collection and its author.
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Day 3- WordCrafter “Behind Closed Doors” Book Blog Tour
Posted: August 25, 2021 Filed under: book marketing, Book Promotion, Books, Guest Post, Poetry, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Behind Closed Doors, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 2 Comments
For Day 3 of the WordCrafter Behind Closed Doors Book Blog Tour we’re over at This is My Truth Now with James Cudney and a guest post from author and poet, Robbie Cheadle and a wonderful review of Behind Closed Doors. Please join us to learn more about this author and her wonderful poetry collection.
Day 2 – WordCrafter “Behind Closed Doors” Book Blog Tour
Posted: August 24, 2021 Filed under: Blog Tour, book marketing, Book Promotion, Book Review, Books, Guest Post, Poetry, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Behind Closed Doors, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 12 Comments
Day 2 of the WordCrafter Behind Closed Doors Book Blog Tour brings us another wonderful guest post by author and poet Robbie Cheadle and a review by DL Mullen. After you enjoy the guest post below, please pop on over to DL Mullen’s Undawnted blog site to check out her review:
http://www.undawnted.com/2021/08/wordcrafter-blog-tour-robbie-cheadles.html
Behind Closed Doors, a collection of unusual poems blog tour – Day 2
Do you want it enough? is a freestyle poem I wrote while contemplating why it is that some people and/or poets are prolific and manage to get a number of books, short stories and/or poems published while others don’t. It is not a question of talent generally, as many writers and poets who don’t publish their work are incredibly talented.
So what holds some writers and poets back?
This poem captured my ultimate view that it depends on the determination, resilience, and drive of the person in question. Publishing a book or any other work is a massive effort and requires numerous re-writes and edits. Once that process is complete, there is still the typesetting and final proofing phase to undergo before you can hit the publish button.
I also believe that there must be an acceptance that a piece of work will never be completely perfect. I have realised that I must accept a 96% perfection level in order to get a book finalised for printing and publishing. No matter how hard I try or how many times I read my work and get other people to read it and edit it for me, I always find a few typos and punctuations after the book has gone live. That is that nature of writing and is almost impossible to avoid. The fact that I detect typos and errors in traditionally published books gives me some comfort in this respect.
These ideas of mine resulted in the following poem.
Do you want it enough?
You tell me you want
Your time in the sun
To dance in the light
That reflects off your fame
Do you really want it?
Do you want it enough?
To give up the good things
Like relaxation and rest
Sleeping late in your bed
Toasty and warm
Are you sufficiently mesmerised
By the task to hand
To trade pleasure for work?
And sit in your office,
Juggling ideas and possibilities,
While your friends watch movies,
Eat out, drink, and socialise
Spending their weekends
Having a jolly good time
Can you be disciplined and sit
At a computer for hours
Tapping out words
While creating worlds
Actions and events
That form themselves into stories?
Will you watch
The world passing by
Through the glass of your window?
While you pursue the fantasy
You hope to achieve,
Knowing there are no guarantees
Few things in this life
Come without paying a price
And the tag accompanying fame
And its bedfellow fortune
Is always high
Taxing time and good health
With no assured return
Are you ready to exchange
Your freedom and pleasure
For the discipline required
To chase that elusive light?
If you prefer to listen to me reading this poem, you can find it on my Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEXJnzzMYZo
What are your thoughts on perfection in publishing and the road to publication? Let me know in the comments.
Book blurb

What goes on behind closed doors: in the boardroom, after death, in the home, during lockdown, and in nature? This collection of poems, ranging from rhyming verse to twisted nursery rhymes, captures the emotions and thoughts people hide behind the masks they present to the world.
What thoughts are hidden
Behind her immobile face
Quite expressionless
Eyes cold and indifferent
Scrutinising me – hawk like
This book includes some of Robbie Cheadle’s spectacular fondant art and cakes.
Robbie Cheadle author bio

Robbie Cheadle is a South African children’s author and poet with 9 children’s books and 1 poetry book.
The 7 Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie has also published 2 books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Robbie has 2 adult novels in the paranormal historical and supernatural fantasy genres published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. She also has short stories in the horror and paranormal genre and poems included in several anthologies.
Robbie writes a monthly series for https://writingtoberead.com called Growing Bookworms. This series discusses different topics relating to the benefits of reading to children.
Robbie has a blog, https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/ where she shares book reviews, recipes, author interviews, and poetry.
Social Media Robbie Cheadle
Robbie Cheadle
Website
https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
TSL Books Author Page
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
Purchase links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BBR94NC
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behind-Closed-Doors-Robbie-Cheadle/dp/B099C8R3T4
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If you missed the Day 1 post yesterday, you can still catch it here: https://writingtoberead.com/2021/08/23/welcome-to-the-wordcrafter-behind-closed-doors-book-blog-tour/
Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Welcome to the WordCrafter “Behind Closed Doors” Book Blog Tour
Posted: August 23, 2021 Filed under: book marketing, Book Promotion, Books, Guest Post, Poetry, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Behind Closed Doors, Poetry Collection, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, Writing to be Read 51 Comments
To kick off the WordCrafter Behind Closed Doors Book Blog Tour today, we have a guest post by author and poet, Robbie Cheadle. In addition to being an author and poet, Robbie is a wife and mother of two boys, which shine through in her poetry. I always find Robbie’s poetry fun and heartwarming, and her fondant masterpieces are delightful. Today’s post discusses the inspiration by one of the poems in her newly released collection of unusual poems, Behind Closed Doors. I hope you will follow the tour this week, with a different guest post from Robbie at each blog stop, it should prove to be quite interesting. Join us to learn more about this fascinating lady and her poetry.
Behind Closed Doors, a collection of unusual poems blog tour – Day 1
On the 9th of February 2021, I had been married for 20 years. So much has happened since that Friday two decades ago. We’ve lost loved ones, moved to a new house, enlarged our family with two lovely boys, progressed in our careers, and are now living through a pandemic.

Through all these years, some periods of which were joyous and some difficult and strained, my husband and I have remained the same; two contrasting personalities that complement each other.
Terence is the conservative one. He reflects and considers before he takes any action. He rarely gets angry or emotional and is peaceful and calming to be around.
I am the colourful one, always busy with four or five projects on the go. I have great passions and become deeply obsessed with things. My obsessions have changed over the years from instructing spinning and weight training in the gym, to baking, teaching Sunday School, fondant art, blogging, and writing. The subject of my enthusiasm may change, but my single-minded devotion and addiction has not.
In the beginning, Terence had one emotional, arty, and obsessive person to deal with and now, two sons later, he has three of us. Gregory and Michael are both more like me in personality and behaviour.
I wrote Contrasting Colours, one of my few metaphorical poems, as a celebration of our difference.
Contrasting colours (a metaphorical poem)
My husband is…. | I am…. |
a calm expanse of water; glass smooth and clear, | a whirlpool of relentless, swirling motion, |
a gentle zephyr, mildly puffing through life, | a tornado, tearing across fields and dales, |
a leader with a firm attitude and commanding tone, | a soldier, determinedly marching through life, |
a tawny owl, silent, watchful and wise, | a red breasted robin; bright eyed, perky and daring, |
a spacious cavern, silent, restful and still, | a babbling stream; vibrant, noisy and turbulent, |
a grandfather clock, steadily marking the seconds, minutes, and hours, | a cuckoo clock that loudly announces the hour, |
a dictionary, providing an exact and definitive meaning, | a mysterious poem with different shades of meaning, |
a mighty redwood, solid, sturdy and dependable, | a daylily flowering in a myriad of deep and bright colours, |
a mural painted in calming blues and greens, | a collage of bright colours; yellows, oranges and pinks. |
classic piano; gently soothing, relaxing, and soft, | raucous Broadway tunes; loud, lusty, and energised. |
Do you think relationships work better if the couple are similar or different? Tell me in the comments.
Book blurb

What goes on behind closed doors: in the boardroom, after death, in the home, during lockdown, and in nature? This collection of poems, ranging from rhyming verse to twisted nursery rhymes, captures the emotions and thoughts people hide behind the masks they present to the world.
What thoughts are hidden
Behind her immobile face
Quite expressionless
Eyes cold and indifferent
Scrutinising me – hawk like
This book includes some of Robbie Cheadle’s spectacular fondant art and cakes.
Robbie Cheadle author bio

Robbie Cheadle is a South African children’s author and poet with 9 children’s books and 1 poetry book.
The 7 Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie has also published 2 books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Robbie has 2 adult novels in the paranormal historical and supernatural fantasy genres published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. She also has short stories in the horror and paranormal genre and poems included in several anthologies.
Robbie writes a monthly series for https://writingtoberead.com called Growing Bookworms. This series discusses different topics relating to the benefits of reading to children.
Robbie has a blog, https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/ where she shares book reviews, recipes, author interviews, and poetry.
Social Media Robbie Cheadle
Website
https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
TSL Books Author Page
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
Purchase links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BBR94NC
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behind-Closed-Doors-Robbie-Cheadle/dp/B099C8R3T4
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet Leon Stevens and book review
Posted: August 21, 2021 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Humor, Poetry, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Book Review, Leon Stevens, Lines by Leon, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 27 Comments
Today, I am delighted to host artist, poet and author, Leon Stevens.

Which of your own poems is your favourite?
Wow. Starting off with the hardest question…I have written about many aspects of my existence, but I think some of the poems about ego and human nature are my attempt at understanding why people act the way they do. I still don’t get why some people are jerks.
Ego (Part II)
An ego is a big cat
That needs to be stroked
By you or someone else
Smaller cats are easy to please
And the bigger the cat
The more dangerous it is
To rub the wrong way
What inspired you to write this particular poem?
I wrote a series of poems about ego after spending some time observing how people interact with each other as individuals jockey for position within a group. While they do that, they seek affirmation to justify their perception of themselves. There are positives to egos, but if an ego is too aggressive, it can leave you rolling your eyes and shaking your head.
Which genre of poetry do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I don’t set out to write any particular form of poetry. Usually, as the words come to me, they will dictate how the poem will manifest itself. This leads to some erratic rhyming and rhythmic patterns, but often I find that a well-placed, unexpected rhyme can have a powerful effect.
My poems tend to be short—no more than a page—often 4-6 lines. They are like a snapshot of a moment or experience rather than a slideshow or movie.
Which genre of poetry do you enjoy reading the most?
I honestly do not read a lot of poetry. Maybe it is a way not to be influenced, which I hope makes my own poetry unique. I do follow many blogs that feature poetry, so most of what I do read comes from those sites.
I grew up with my father reading the poems of Robert Service. The Cremation of Sam McGee Is one that has always stuck with me (Dad had it memorized along with many others). It is a tale set during the Klondike gold rush which has a humorous, macabre twist.
The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam ’round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he’d often say in his homely way that “he’d sooner live in hell.”
On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.
And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he, “I’ll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t refuse my last request.”
Well, he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
“It’s the cursèd cold, and it’s got right hold till I’m chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet ’tain’t being dead—it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”
A pal’s last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.
There wasn’t a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: “You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it’s up to you to cremate those last remains.”
Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows— O God! how I loathed the thing.
And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I’d often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.
Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the “Alice May.”
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then “Here,” said I, with a sudden cry, “is my cre-ma-tor-eum.”
Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.
Then I made a hike, for I didn’t like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don’t know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.
I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: “I’ll just take a peep inside.
I guess he’s cooked, and it’s time I looked”; … then the door I opened wide.
And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm—
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.”
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Poem credit: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45081/the-cremation-of-sam-mcgee
Book review: Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures

My review
Every now and then you discover a book of poetry which has you nodding your head in agreement and identifying with the views of the poet. For me, this was one of those books. Leon Stevens has an unerring way of aiming a poetic arrow straight at the heart of a difficult issue and exposing it for exactly what it is. This exposure is done with great dry wit, but it is nevertheless, brutally honest and truthful.
The poems in this book cover an array of topics including, inter alia, the poets personal viewpoints on specific matters, environmental experiences, the human conditions and how we relate with others, people and places, and ponderance and muse. There is a sprinkling of the poet’s own sketches throughout the book, and these, complement the humour and the simple, straightforward messages woven into these compelling poems.
This poem, called The Tendency to Cluster, was my personal favourite in this collection and demonstrates the points I’ve mentioned above:
People like orbs
Drawn by gravity
Unable to exist alone
Each dependent on the orbits of others
The only thing that keeps them
From being flung away
Needing others to define them
Needing to know
The quantum state of others
There are people
Content with singularity
In the colder outer regions
Emptiness brings strength, warmth, life
Occasional objects pass
Piquing curiosity
Worthy to share space (for a while)
Mostly continuing alone
Comfortable that orbits won’t decay
If you enjoy poems that speak clearly and simply about important matters, then you will enjoy this collection. Even if you don’t share the poet’s viewpoint, these poems will still make you think deeply.
Purchase Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures
About Leon Stevens
Leon Stevens is a writer, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He became a writer out of necessity. Along with song writing, poetry has allowed him to make sense and accept events and situations in his life. He published his first book of poetry: Lines by Leon – Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, a book of original classical guitar compositions, and a collection of science fiction short stories called The Knot at the End of the Rope and other Short Stories. Visit www.linesbyleon.com for free sample eBooks.
Treasuring Poetry – If by Rudyard Kipling and The Listeners by Walter de la Mare
Posted: June 19, 2021 Filed under: Poetry, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Poetry, Poetry Collection, Poetry Treasures, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 51 Comments
This month I am featuring my own favourite poems and a poem and picture from my forthcoming poetry book, Behind Closed Doors. I hadn’t intended to feature my own work this month, but sometimes life happens and so I am making the best of it.
If by Rudyard Kipling
I love the poem If by Rudyard Kipling because it is so inspiring and uplifting. The objective of the poem was to give his son advice and instruction on how to live a happy and successful life. I relate strongly to this advice possibly because I have two sons.
My favourite lines are as follows:
“If you can bear to hear the truth you have spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools.”
The first two lines above warn that his son must learn to endure his own words twisted by dishonest and harmful people in order to serve their own agendas. The second two lines explain the importance of being able to cope with failure and pick yourself up and carry on, even if what you fail at has been your life’s work.
Both of these situations are ones that everyone comes across in life – people who are willing to walk on you in order to serve their own purposes and failure. How we deal with the resulting disillusionment and disappointment has a huge bearing on our lives going forward.
I like to re-read this poem as a reminder to myself to stay strong and on my chosen path in life.
You can listen to my recital of this poem here:
The Listener by Walter de la Mare
In summary, this poem is about a traveler who comes to a house on a moonlit night and knocks on the door. He demands that the door be opened but he receives no answer.
We discover that the traveler has made a promise to return to the occupants of the house, but he has been prevented from doing so until the current time. It is too late and the occupants are gone. He clearly feels some guilt because he cries “Tell them I came, and no one answered, That I kept my word…”
I love this poem because of its supernatural undertone. There is a mystery that runs through the poem and you feel the whisper of ghosts in the imagined echoes of the listener’s words.
You can listen to my recital of this poem here:
Which of these two poems do you like best?
This is a poem from my poetry book, Open a new door.
The Thunderstorm
A deluge of rain tumbles from the sky
like a bucket turned upside down
the beggars impervious to its ferocity
faces impassive, no fear or frown.
***
Young boys stand on the roadside
eyes smoldering with hunger’s pain
need forcing them to continue standing
despite the lightening and drenching rain.
***
One holds a bedraggled cardboard sign
the other a tattered polystyrene cup
each hoping a passerby will pause
and give something to eat or sup.
***
A young mother stands shivering
an old umbrella sheltering her child
his eyes huge and frightened
he’s never laughed or even smiled.
***
In the middle of an intersection
an old man stands bent and alone
his head bowed in supplication to the torrent
he doesn’t complain, sigh or moan.
***
It’s rare to see the elderly on the street
poverty means many don’t live that long
my heart fills with a wrenching pain
for this anguished society to which I belong.
***
At the traffic light outside my offices there are a collection of beggars and window washers. One old man stands in the middle of the intersection. It is hard to extend any aid to him as it is not a good place to slow down. This motely crew is there every day, come rain or shine.
I have a new poetry collection coming out soon. Here is the cover, designed by the amazing Teagan Riordain Geneviene

About Robbie Cheadle

Robbie Cheadle is a children’s author and poet.
The Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.
Robbie has also published books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.
Robbie writes a monthly series for https://writingtoberead.com called Growing Bookworms. This series discusses different topics relating to the benefits of reading to children.
Robbie has a blog, https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/ where she shares book reviews, recipes, author interviews, and poetry.
Find Robbie Cheadle
Blog: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Twitter: BakeandWrite
Instagram: Robbie Cheadle – Instagram
Facebook: Sir Chocolate Books
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