I expect like Christmas, childhood Easters come back to you. Weren’t the Easter Eggs much better then?! I got some fabulous ones – shaped like a clock and a house.
They’re so bland these days, I haven’t even seen one in a mug! We used those for a long time after Easter.
I’ve cobbled a little piece together to put how tantalising those eggs were sitting there until Easter Sunday. Just a fun piece (and I think I’ve invented a new form!).
Read on and Happy Easter…..
Hot Cross buns on Good Friday
chocolate eggs still out of range
but what I found really strange
was why it’s a normal day on Saturday ?!
Easter Eggs boxed and silver wrapped
sitting there on the family sideboard
my own personal cherished hoard
they had charm everything else lacked
being schooless was an extra joy
and gave the excuse to savour more
those chocolate objects by the back door
only surpassed by Christmas and toys
I did say it was cobbled together!
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry adventures real soon. In the meantime, enjoy your Easter…
Welcome back to the talk show studio. Today, our special guest is talented poet Roger Waldron…
( rapturous applauseas our esteemed guest walks somewhat cautiously down the lighted stairs )
Welcome to the show, Roger. Thank you so much for agreeing to be our guest.
Love those platform shoes! You’ve been to Man at C&A again, haven’t you?!
Now Roger, do fill us in on your background
Hello Heather, thank you so much for inviting me.
(Roger eases off his shoes)
I grew up in North Sheffield with my mum, dad and older brother. I still live in the area with Jane. Our grown-up children and their families also live in Sheffield.
I left school at 15 years old, without any qualifications. I didn’t take to school that well and they didn’t take to me – it didn’t matter because I was going to be a footballer.
After leaving school I went to work as an apprentice plumber for the council, but plumbing wasn’t for me, so after serving my 5 years, I left. I spent 18 months working in the steelworks before going on to work for a well-known telecommunications outfit where I spent the next 23 years moving through the ranks. I started as a telephone engineer which meant I dug roads and repaired cables, making sure that everyone was connected to their phones (hopefully…)
I moved to another company and became a supervisor/project manager which meant travelling round the north of England meeting lots of amazing people.
Now I’m retired and I am Head Gardener at both my children’s houses, look after our grandchildren and grand-dogs. I enjoy reading – I’m addicted to second-hand book shops – and writing poetry.
Oh I love them too. You find the most wonderful treasures buried there.
You’ve had a very full career, when did poetry become a part of your life?
I’ve always said, my education began when John Lennon walked up to a microphone and sang “Don’t Let Me Down.” Music has always been a big influence for me. I don’t remember doing poetry at school and if we did it would have gone in one ear and out the other.
In the early 1980s, Ian McMillan hosted a show on Radio Sheffield and asked for people to send in their poetry. I did this under a pen-name – Stan Cummings. At the time, I was digging holes and repairing cables and I’d listen to the radio with my workmates. I didn’t want them to know that the poems that were being read out were mine but then the secret was out when Rotherham libraries published a pamphlet “The 9’oclock from Rotherham.” I was also published in various poetry magazines of the time.
I then stopped writing for a long-time due to work and family life. But in 2018, I began to write again, I haven’t stopped since.
I follow Ian on Twitter. That’s fascinating, Roger. We’ve never had a poet on here who’s been “outed” before.
Who are your biggest influences?
Musicians are my biggest influences – including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and of course being from Sheffield, Pulp and The Arctic Monkeys.
Poetry wise, my influences include Ian McMillan and Geoff Hattersley – as they are both from South Yorkshire – Selima Hill, Brendan Cleary, Fred Voss, Frank O’Hara and Carl Burkitt etc etc . All these poets write about the ‘everyday’ and I like to think that I do the same.
Oh Frank O’Hara – swoon! And you do, Roger. You achieve that same edgy style.
Tell us how ‘The C&A Years’ came about, and are you working on anything at the moment ?
I had been published by Dreich Magazine (thanks Jack Caradoc) so when I heard they were running a competition to publish a pamphlet, I sent off a bunch of my poems. My poems were chosen, and “My C&A Years” was published. I knew which poem needed to be at the beginning, which one I wanted in the middle and then which one should be at the end but then there’s no order to them or theme.
The poems are about everyday life and the people I meet along the way. People always say I have a story for every occasion. I always write the same poem but hopefully with different words.
I am always writing. At the moment, I am looking for a publisher for the pamphlet “Notes from Under a Continental Quilt.”
I loved the C&A years, and I look forward to your next pamphlet. I remember everyone calling them Continental Quilts once! Very exotic at the time.
What is the best poetry gig you have done and the worst?
The best one is always going to be the next! One good memory is of a recent poetry night at Theatre Deli in Sheffield. They had a power-cut which meant that I had to stand behind the bar and read my poems as it was the only place that had lights. That suited my poetry fine as people have said they picture me sat at a bar reading my poetry.
The worst one was quite a few years ago in Halifax in West Yorkshire. The room was full. But when the audience realised we were from South Yorkshire, everyone left apart from three women, and then halfway through the performance they said, “We don’t like poetry” and walked out. “Poetry to an empty room” that sounds like a title for my next pamphlet.
Oh Roger! That’s terrible! So much for poets being supportive! What a mean-spirited thing to do!
However, I love that image of you reading behind the bar.
And like all bad experiences, something positive came out of that – a potential pamphlet. Talk about a learning curve!
What can I say, Roger? Thank you for being such a wonderful guest
( Ecstatic applause)
Now what are you doing tonight, Roger? A poetry disco perhaps?
Actually, Heather, I’m going to meet Dobby at a club. She can get me in anywhere apparently.
So that’s where she’s gone?! And I’m not invited, am I?!
(Our esteemed guest shifts awkwardly)
Oh don’t worry, I’m used to it. Another night in front of Z Cars!
And another round of applause for Roger Waldron, Poetry Lovers
(audience cheer wholeheartedly as Roger elegantly ascends the lighted stairs)
Wasn’t Roger a terrific guest?! Do treat yourselves to a copy of The C&A Years A truly terrific collection.
Follow Roger on Twitter on @rogerthereg
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s and listening to another fascinating poet. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…..
I know hairdressing techniques have changed unrecognisably over the years, and a good thing too.
However, there is one thing I can’t get round and that is models flaunting their dark roots! The photos on my own hairdresser’s walls are full of half blonde and half dark roots.
What the Hell?! That was always a No-No! Such a slovenly crime once. I didn’t dare go out the door with one peek of a natural root. Always covered them up in interesting and difficult ways.
Anyway, I’ve penned a poem about this outrage. Do read on
Roots
Roots, like red and green,
should never ever be seen
But they’re dotted round the hairdressers
Photos of models in half-dark tresses
It used be to looked on as slovenly
A sign of neglect and being unlovely
Why did I stand for hours using a paintbrush?!
With foul smelling packet colour bought in a rush
Anything to get them covered up and gone
So my bleached blonde was groomed and shone
Now glamorous girls let them all show
Making sure the whole world would know
I’ve missed the bus for this semi dark haired foray
Because unfortunately now my roots would be grey
HM 2024
Phew! Enjoyed that little tirade! The World is changing so much but I thought hair roots would stay intact(!). I think there’s a hair piece in all of us, so poems on a postcard please…..
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon……
Yes indeed. How often do you see clothes on the line now? Our laundry rituals have changed drastically, some for the better, (no more putting shirts through mangles), but on the other hand, we’ve lost something else. Those billowing sheets hanging out and that fresh outdoor smell.
Clever poet Trisha Broomfield puts this over succinctly in her lovely detailed nostalgic piece What Happened to those Drying Days?
Today we have a cracking new collection from prolific poet Tony Josolyne.
A regular reader at Poetry Performance in Tedddington, we eagerly awaited this new and varied collection. And Tony did not disappoint. I’ve given Recalcitrant Verse a well-deserved hot review. (Dobby does not approve of the cover!)
Read on….
Recalcitrant Verse
by Tony Josolyne
A very apt title for this vibrant collection, with the subtitle nothing is quite what it seems. What very true words as we open up to a moving foreword written by Poetry Performance founder Anne Warrington. Followed by a concise preface by the the poet Tony Josolyne. We are then presented with a wealth of significant subheadings, that present humorous, poignant and thought provoking pieces.
Under the heading of Human Behaviour, the poet gives us a childhood memory in Grandfather’s Beard and a wartime one in Wallasey 1941 under the Warfare section. This chapter includes an idiom of Sir Frances Drake’s exchange with Queen Bess in Drakes Pride, with fascinating detail.
The sub headed sections, such as Insurance, carry very relevant issues and sadly, every day hazards such as in Travel Insurance. Through the frustration, there is still a bleak and ironic humour. The clever skit on Wordsworth in Food for Thought is irresistible, and when we encounter The Law, there is more dark wit in Reasonable Force.
Under the Faith and Belief heading, we are drawn into The Youngest Sailor. A fascinating account of how baby Moses was adopted, a modernised version of the Old Testament story. The Show Business chapter is a personal favourite with the hilarious CCTV concerning an outraged actor, and The Casting Couch, a reflection of changing times and power shifts.
There is a wealth of poetic variation under Miscellaneous, the wonderful Excuses jumps out at the reader. A very human situation indeed.
Climate is a very fitting section to end this intriguing collection, particularly A Climate Crisis, reminding us of the devastating bush fires in the Adelaide Hills of Australia in 2019/20. Chilling the reader at how easy it is to forget these terrible incidents.
A succinct collection, and one to be read again and again.
Thanks for reading the review, PL’s. And for a real treat, get yourself a copy of Recalcitrant Verse. Contact me for any orders…..
Nothing’s more heartwarming than sitting down with a Broons book on a cold afternoon. Next to my Beryl the Peril annuals, that is.
That charming huge family of 11, located in a flat somewhere in Scotland, with so much detail in their inked drawings, characters and warm humour.
There’s a few things that have bothered me over the years as I read that iconic comic strip, and I’ve put it into words below. Very tongue-in-cheek, natch. Do read on…..
The Broons
Oh Broons family of the Sunday Post
Your stories warm me like hot toast
I always yearned so much to be Maggie
Daphne I confess, I found a bit baggy
But ungainly sisters have nicer clothes
And a generous warm heart, I suppose
Home perms and the latest dress
No wonder your bedroom was a mess
It’s handsome Joe who gets romance
Taking sweet lasses to the local dance
Inoffensive Hen just seems a bit old
To be living still in the family fold
A cramped Victorian tenement flat
No room to spare for even one cat
Housing eleven, with Grandpa round often
The matriarch Maw did sometimes soften
I suspect that the forthright Bairn is older
The twins simply getting cheekier and bolder
Horace and all his advanced knowledge
Should surely now be at college?!
Paw Broon loves Granny Souter sweets
Brings them home sometimes as treats
Occasionally when I think your plots are silly
I remind myself I prefer you to ‘Oor Willie’
Thanks for letting me grow up with you, Broons.
And thank you, PL’s for reading this. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…….
Welcome back to the Talk Show Studio. Our guest today is clever and prolific poet Andrew Evzona
(Rapturous applause as our esteemed poet glides down the lighted steps. Dobby growls)
Now, Dobby. Leave Andrew alone! He has a very big dog, you know!
(Sound of a dog barking in the background. Dobby legs it) Phew!
Welcome to the show, Andrew. Why don’t you fill us in on your background?
Pleasure to be here, Heather.
I was born in Perivale Hospital,Ealing on Grand National Day 26th March 1955 of Greek Cypriot parents and have Greek Spartan origins and am able to speak English, Greek, French and German and know a few Russian words.
I am a Cover Supervisor Supply Teacher nowadays covering schools in the boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Harrow and Brent.
That’s really impressive, Andrew. I believe Greek and Russian are particularly hard languages.
When did poetry become a part of your life?
Poetry came into my life when I was turning 50 and I started writing poems which I sent to Forward Poetry for publication in various anthologies of theirs before I decided to write my own books to raise funds for different charities.
My first published book “100 POEMS TO MAKE YOU T.L.C (think, laugh or cry)” appeared in 2017 and the first poem was about HM Queen who sent me a thank you letter from Buckingham Palace and had a copy of the book herself.
The book has raised several hundreds of pounds for Diabetes and Cancer Research charities.
My second book titled “300 POEMS TO MAKE YOU T.L.C” was published in 2021 and is raising funds for Diabetes and Dementia charities.
Yes, you have been very prolific. That’s so impressive about the Queen. What a letter to treasure!
Your raising money for charity is admirable.
Who are your biggest influences?
My poems have actually not been influenced by any poets who have gone before as I merely write about my philosophical thoughts to make people think, or true stories which can be humorous or sad. I love to be versatile and entertain all age groups.
Besides the obvious established poets from centuries gone by, I must mention the likes of my personal favourites David Bowie and Muhammad Ali who both were geniuses in their own field,while I must add I have been impressed by several performers at Poetry Performance in Teddington for the past 4-5 years also.
What fantastic role models, and I have been impressed by readers at Poetry Performance too.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Both my books have been mentioned already and I have been writing several more since they were published, which has reached almost 100 already, and when I decide to finalise them, that will complete my trilogy of books covering the same three emotions.
We look forward to that last book of the trilogy. Superb move.
Now, what is the best poetry gig you’ve done, and the Worst?!
I have performed at various venues in West London and have always gone down well, I am pleased to say, and long may that continue!
Then you are very fortunate. I’ve heard some real stinkers on here.
Now, I believe you have some poems for us?
Yes, Heather. First I’d like to read Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow written by me on the 15th March 2020
Yesterday, Today was Tomorrow
Would it be a day of happiness or sorrow?
And Tomorrow, Today is Yesterday
We wonder what the newspapers will say
Yesterday, all our troubles seemed so far away
Let’s hope they just go away Today
As, no-one knows what may follow
For all of us starting from Tomorrow
Poetry is a poem written by me
on 22nd August 2020
Poetry
It’s never as easy as it looks
To create and perform a poem
And despite what people may think
It doesn’t always have to rhyme
What does poetry really mean
To the likes of you and me?
Is it a chance to express ourselves
And give our views for free?
There have been famous poets galore
Throughout the mists of time
Their work displayed in its’ glory
Mesmerising us with verse and rhyme
Everyone has their own style
Priority is to entertain and more
Make people think, laugh or cry
Wonder where we heard that before?
A Evzona 2020
(Thunderous applause from the audience)
Fabulous pieces, Andrew. Well done.
(Audience cheer wholeheartedly)
Thank you so much for coming on the show. Do you want to slip out the backway in case Dobby gets you?
My dog’s waiting for me at the top of the stairs, Heather. So I’m quite confident leaving by the front.
(For once, a guest ascends the stairs in a dignified manner. )
Wasn’t Andrew a great guest, PL’s?!
Thank you so much for attending the talk show. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…..
Welcome back to the Poetry Drawer. Dobby and I have done some further digging and came up with this
Isn’t it stunning?! Dinky and so beautifully made. Now, once again, I’m cloudy as to how I obtained this unique piece, but I have no regrets about buying such a beautiful pamphlet.
Extraordinarily bijou inside, it tells a brief tale of Joe Orton and his partner Kenneth Halliwell.
We know this did not end happily, and one really shouldn’t damage library books, but some of their blurb was hilarious! Especially Dorothy L Sayer’s book jacket.
As one can see, there is a minimum of detail inside.
There is other content in here that’s not wise to publish, but thank you Hazard Press for producing such a stunning pamphlet.
Dobby also found these!! How many have I collected through the years?! Aren’t they gorgeous?! Too small to be real useful writing pads but so so pretty…. I had forgotten what beautiful things I possessed.
Thank you for rooting through the Poetry Drawer with me, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon….
Recently I had the honour of being asked to review an anthology titled Leaving, published by Bennison Books.
I have to say the intelligence and poignancy of these five poets kept me utterly absorbed. A collection of poetry about dying, grief and the mystery of absence, that will sit with us all. Please note, these poems are far from gloomy. If anything, they will inspire us and give us strength.
So I’m proud to present my review from the Poetry Basket
Leaving
An Anthology of poetry about dying, grief and the mystery of absence
Published by Bennison Books
This collection presents us with a variation of bereavement and loss, seen through the eyes of five poets. Written from every aspect, there is a wealth of experiences, personal and otherwise from innovative writers. Painful and stirring yet we wouldn’t dream of turning away from these profound pieces. Do not assume this book is daunting reading, there is an edge of optimism and faith while dealing with the pain of separation.
We start with Cynthia Jobin’s Bereft. A succinct heading that could tempt one to shy away, but we are greeted with the monumentally visual Sunflowers, followed by the powerfully detailed Future Perfect. The title piece Bereft is a real insight into the ultimate grief of the ones left behind, while Real Estate tells us of the mixed emotions of inheritance. A material gain while being robbed of something more valuable. The Sun Also Sets simply tells us of tenderness and longing. So many struggling emotions are brought to life.
The Cruelty of Hours heading, written by Thomas Davis, looks at this painful era from another viewpoint. Cliches is absorbing, proving these really are the truest words – and the most tragic. A Son’s Eternity captures the true pain of outliving one’s child.
The compassion and the official in The Moment of Shattering highlights the intrusion and the poignancy of time slowly ticking away. Most readers, myself included, will be moved to recall how brutally that clock ticks, and the poet cleverly balances the practical with emotion. His Mother’s Arms stirs heaving emotions as a parent holds their child while dying.Back in New Mexico is a fitting end to this section, with vivid colour tinged with sadness at reattempting a so-called normal life. The Cruelty of Hours slows down time for us all.
We’re brought to Not to be Afraid by Ethel Mortenson Davis, an absorbing title that brings comfort. Death jumps out at one with its effective structure, and Messenger follows powerfully. The Bell is simply haunting, while In The Night gives us an insight into sheer longing for a lost one. Deathbed, a word we often use carelessly, brings a focused picture into a barren loss. Very cleverly done and The Healer is brutal and profound. Grief by its very short sharp words speaks volumes.
We arrive at John Looker’s Circumnavigating a Death and the title poem details a sharp image of a loss with the tangible aftermath of separation, and how we cope – if we really do. Still Life With Violin is painfully and visually beautiful, and Bulletins from the Sick are voices of the dying. The line ‘and will be in a hospice shortly, new journey begun’ rings loudly. Winter Closes In highlights the barrenness and surroundings of a very human situation.The Death of Pocahontas, a character from our history romanticised many times, details her demise in an alien culture and the grim surroundings of London in 1617. The reader welcomes a fresh look at this iconic figure. Old Age Becomes Him gives us a detailed account of fighting back.
Holding On is the penultimate section by A. Carder, whose title piece details physical pain, while Clarity brings visual and stunning descriptions. Home is looking at the things we love slipping away, and Not Yet is emotional without being mawkish. A personal favourite of this section is Many Rooms, the poet skilfully looks at the familiar with new eyes. Moments Mori is a parting piece with unforgettable words.
The late poet Cynthia Jobin concludes with a Night Draws Near chapter. A worthy tribute for a talented poet. North, Early December could be mistaken for being melancholy but we see its tinges of hope, as is To a Tulip with its unravelling of beauty. Among Other Things moves us with a reflection on colour and bareness. A strong way to end this powerful anthology.
Well, poetry really is all around us. Particularly at the back of a drawer it seems.
Aren’t they dinky?! The tiny Battery Pack pamphlet I took at face value and assumed it was a forgotten instruction manual! Nearly meeting its fate in the bin! Thank Goodness I realised.
Now Battery Pack volume III’s origins is a complete mystery to me. Did I buy it? Was it handed out? I guess we’ll never know.
However, the larger pamphlet/handout was given out by a feisty poet Luigi Coppola at poetry@3 in the Poetry Cafe. Lord knows when! A while before COVID I suspect.
This poet had a lot to say, and good for him. I’ve chosen my favourite extract;
Manifesto
Sonnets lack sense;
Ballads all bore;
Limericks cause offence;
And odes are good for….?
Haiku causes ennui;
Sestinas?! Who knows;
Free Verse ain’t free;
But don’t start me on prose.
Luigi Coppola
Now, the cute little Battery Pack vol III pamphlet doesn’t really deliver for me. It’s like very flash fiction indeed.
However, I’ll show you what I think is the best of them;
Ned, Steven
Ned and Steven fished together every weekend for seventeen years. Ned hauled in the biggest pike and they made the newspaper. Ned bought a house in Fergusonville, stopped fishing, lost touch, led a separate and uninteresting life. Twenty years after they fished, they collided on a sidewalk.“Excuse me,” Steven said. “Excuse me,” Ned said.
Tim Wenzell
I kind of like this one. True and sad.
I hope you liked these little excerpts of poetry, Dobby and I will keep looking through that poetry drawer (and wardrobe!)
There’s probably a drawer like that in every poet’s home, so please share what you discover in your own….
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon….
The Death of Pocahontas, a character from our history romanticised many times, details her demise in an alien culture and the grim surroundings of London in 1617. The reader welcomes a fresh look at this iconic figure. Old Age Becomes Him gives us a detailed account of fighting back. 
Heather Moulson 